Bear Down Wildcats

We all know by now the origin of what has become the one unifying phrase in every Arizona fan and alum's heart.

When student body president, starting QB, and starting catcher John "Button" Salmon, laying on his deathbed, all bent and broken from a car accident the day after the first game of the 1926 season, told his coach, Pop McKale, "Tell them.. tell the team to bear down", the identity of the University of Arizona was born.

Now, I'm not sure what Bear Down means to you, but I'm going to share a little bit of what Bear Down means to me. So bear with me a second...



I love our motto. I love it for its origin. I love it for its simplicity. I love it for the fight song it birthed. I love it for all that it represents in me. You see, I feel like every day, in ways both big and small, I bear down. Sometimes it's about digging a little deeper when it comes to being patient. Sometimes it's about standing up a little taller, making my voice heard, and claiming what is mine. Sometimes it's about carrying on when I don't know that I can.

In 2000 my dad got sick. That football season was a nightmare of high expectations for both him and the team and then watching them both wither away as fall turned to winter. Basketball was much more of a relief, but with Bobbi's death I watched that team with a very heavy heart. By the time March Madness rolled around my dad was in his last days. He passed away not too long after we lost to Duke, but I knew that if Lute and the Arizona basketball family could Bear Down and go on, I could too.

Leaving school and wandering from Tucson to New Orleans to New York and eventually to Chicago, there was no greater joy for me than to find a fellow alum or fan and to give him or her a hearty Bear Down. As a greeting, there aren't too many that are better. Wearing my Arizona gear was bound to get me at least one Bear Down a week no matter where I was in the country. At Lollapalooza one year I counted 14 Bear Downs from strangers over the course of three days. We are . . . everywhere.



What I truly love about Bear Down is how often we see it embodied on the court or field. RichRod loves to chant "60 Minutes of Arizona Football", and he couldn't be more right. There haven't been too many teams over the years that haven't given us a great Bear Down moment. Just this season we have any number to choose from. Scooby's Strip. Skowron's Revenge. Hill Mary. And past years are no different.



But what I think I may love most of all is that I get to instill Bear Down into the next generation. I doubt my kids will end up going to UofA, and that's ok with me. They're being raised in the mid-west of the Midwest, so it's more than likely they'll go to some Big Ten school if they choose to go to college at all. But I'm still going to teach them that digging deep within yourself to find that last ounce of strength is the very essence of Bear Down. That what others say is impossible they should see as just not having been done yet. That when things look their bleakest and you're ready to throw in the towel, that is the time to Bear Down, get up, and go forward.

Heck, they already know the song...



Like I said, I don't know what Bear Down means to you, but for me it has shaped my life in ways that far transcend the small, insignificant words that make up that short little phrase. So wherever you are, whoever you are, and whatever may come, my simple greeting to all of my fellow Wildcat brothers and sisters is...

BEAR DOWN!

That's awesome Chi-cat! Well done!! Bear Down!!

Massive thumbs up man!!!

Love it!

I first learned about Bear Down prior to classes starting my freshman year. I somehow read about it while standing in line to buy my parking permit for the year. It very quickly began to acquire a lot of meaning for me.

I loved going to my first football games. And then our basketball team was ranked #17 in the pre-season AP poll. I couldn't imagine that Sean Rooks, this giant dork who I knew from the dining hall and around campus, was on the #17 team in the country. Sean wouldn't make an impact that year, but we rose to #1 for a pretty big stretch of the season, and went to the Final Four. Losing to Billy Tubbs' Oklahoma broke my little freshman heart. All of Arizona/Sonora was emotionally wrecked. Then Budweiser put up a billboard on Park Ave. that said, "Think of it this way, Arizona. Everyone else in the country was watching you." And we were like, "Fuck you, Budweiser. You're not gonna pander to us. We're going to drink us some Micky's Big Mouth until we fall down the stairwell. Bear Down!" We all worshipped Coach Lute Olson and we all knew were on our way to a National Championship the next year, led by Sean Elliott. Turns out winning a National Championship isn't so easy. 1997 seemed worlds away from my old Tucson days, but getting over that hump in overtime against Kentucky somehow put everything in my soul in exactly the right place. Nothing will ever take that away.

Bear Down is so meaningful to me, but for me it doesn't mean anything outside itself. It's self-referential. I don't Bear Down and write a ground-breaking book or cook a perfect steak. It means the University of Arizona, which is eternally central to my identity and how I relate to the world. It's my religion. There's nothing casual about it. It isn't "fun." I'm dead serious about Arizona. I bring my wife to games at McKale just so she can know something about something she can never really understand. She's kind of blown away by how much it means to me, and how irrational and otherwise uncharacteristic it is. But it's not an illness. It's just pure, unbridled fanaticism. I simply feel sorry for anyone who doesn't have it for Arizona specifically.

Ahhh, those memories, Longhorned... Suppose I'm a couple years older because I was out of the dorms by then, but we were stumbling drunk in a falling-down house on 6th at that point in time.

Mickey's... Lol.

And well done, Chi. Well done.

Awesome chi. I've never been prouder to be a wildcat and bear down!

Epic post, Chi.

Bear Down, Chi!!!!!

Just outstanding Chi, really. Of course over the years some of the story of Pops visit to Button has been lost. As I heard, it went like this.

PM: Son, how are you
BS: hanging in there coach but I don't know how much longer I have
PM: Do you have a message for the team son
BS: I do coach, tell them, tell the team to BEAR DOWN.
PM: I will son ( as coach turns and walks away)
BS: Oh and coach, FUCK Tempe Normal

I wish I was an alum but I'm not. I adopted this team when I moved here from Oklahoma, because I believe in supporting the home team.

Now my daughter is a UA student so being a Wildcat Dad is the next best connection.

Bear down.

jimson wrote:I wish I was an alum but I'm not. I adopted this team when I moved here from Oklahoma, because I believe in supporting the home team.

Now my daughter is a UA student so being a Wildcat Dad is the next best connection.

Bear down.

You are an honorary alum!

Well done Chi, well done!

Chi - That video of your boys singing Bear Down has me grinning ear to ear. All kinds of sweet and awesome. Good for you man.

Bear Down Today!

BearDown89 wrote:Chi - That video of your boys singing Bear Down has me grinning ear to ear. All kinds of sweet and awesome. Good for you man.

Bear Down Today!

Thanks! That was actually like from a year ago. At the time they had just learned it. Now my kids sing Bear Down all the time. In fact, my little guy likes to sing it before bed like its a lullaby. And all of his Arizona stuff is "Bear Down Arizona Wildcats _______". So he'll say "Daddy, I want to wear my Bear Down Arizona Wildcats shirt please?"

Nice job Chi.

Dammit, why is it so dusty in here.....? (sniff)

Great great post Chi. While my rational side says that you can't think that a university of 35,000+ students can have a truly common culture and community, and that team sports is just an outgrowth of our need to belong to a tribe, any tribe.....I'm myopic enough to think that we're different, and "Bear Down" is something special and different, and is an amazing gift passed down from ol' Button.

My kids have both learned to sing Bear Down from the age of about 2 on....and request that it be sung to them at bedtime...so I'm doing my part to continue the brainwashing.

Somewhere on the old site I had a rant about what makes us different (better) than ASU and while I won't try to repeat it here, but I think the Bear Down story & motto encapsulates why we're empirically a better, more noble, more cohesive unit than most university communities (and especially the Scummies).

It's actually a major annoyance when I'm out and about in PHX or elsewhere and spot somebody else wearing the colors and they don't reciprocate a "Bear Down". Typically it's the young whippersnappers.....get off my lawn....

Chicat wrote:

BearDown89 wrote:Chi - That video of your boys singing Bear Down has me grinning ear to ear. All kinds of sweet and awesome. Good for you man.

Bear Down Today!

Thanks! That was actually like from a year ago. At the time they had just learned it. Now my kids sing Bear Down all the time. In fact, my little guy likes to sing it before bed like its a lullaby. And all of his Arizona stuff is "Bear Down Arizona Wildcats _______". So he'll say "Daddy, I want to wear my Bear Down Arizona Wildcats shirt please?"

p.s. my 2 year old thinks the letter "A" is "Bear Down".....so whenever she sees a capital "A" anyplace, she says "look, it's Bear Down"!

12.15.12 ugh never forget that day. Two wild come backs, was in McKale to witness the last one.

Chicat wrote:

BearDown89 wrote:Chi - That video of your boys singing Bear Down has me grinning ear to ear. All kinds of sweet and awesome. Good for you man.

Bear Down Today!

Thanks! That was actually like from a year ago. At the time they had just learned it. Now my kids sing Bear Down all the time. In fact, my little guy likes to sing it before bed like its a lullaby. And all of his Arizona stuff is "Bear Down Arizona Wildcats _______". So he'll say "Daddy, I want to wear my Bear Down Arizona Wildcats shirt please?"

The little guy sings "Bear Down" like it's a lullaby...

... Chi sleeps like a baby!!

This day was the best day of arizona sports for me and it started that morning when I got engaged with my wife!!! Best day ever

Well played Chi.

BTW, I can't think of a better description for this years football team than "Bear Down".

Congrats Goggles

10 out 10 on this Chi.........BEARDOWN!!!!!

Your youngest son had me dying laughing.. Awesome post. Can't believe I'm already halfway through my junior year.. I don't want to leave

Walking around St. Croix in my red Arizona Wildcat shirt today on one of the stops on the cruise I'm on, I got two different Bear Downs during the course of the day. One of the lady's even lives here and she was throwing me a Bear Down. Wildcat fans are everywhere. Of all the times to be on a cruise though. Had to sell my tickets for Fridays game.

Great post Chi! Seeing your boys singing "Bear Down, Arizona" makes me realize I've failed as a father because mine don't have all of the lyrics down yet, and they're 4 and 2. I'll keep working on them. They do both say "Boo Sparky, Wilbur's better" when they see an asu fan or shirt, so the propaganda is working at least!

This topic reminds me of the shirt that says: "Bear Down. If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand." This sums it up perfectly to me. So many people ask, "If they're Wildcats, why do they say Bear Down?" So I get to tell the story of Button Salmon, and it gives me goosebumps every time. Does anyone know where I can find one of these shirts? I've searched and searched and had no luck, so I assume they weren't mass produced, like the "Miller Hoops Life" shirts.

BEAR DOWN!

Go one Monday at the AVIS picking up a car rental in San Rafael, Marin Co.

Older dude shouted "Bear Down" gave a fist bump and said, you know tip is in 15 minutes? To which I replied, "yup, my next stop is home after leaving this place".

Yesterday, was interviewing in San Jose, saw a teenager with his dad who was wearing an ARIZONA BASKETBALL shirt. I was sporting my Lute-eqse red white and blue tie (cause you know game day). I gave a bear down but the kid just looked at my funny and kept walking.

Kids these days.

I was in line at Richard Walker's Pancake House in San Diego Sunday morning, and saw a dude with an Arizona cap leaving the restaurant. I yelled "Bear Down" at him, he just looked at me and walked away.

Old dudes these days...

I was at the Ocean Beach Octoberfest about a month ago with my U of A hat on. I saw some dude with "Bear Down" in large letters on the back of his shirt and a critter on the front. I approached him and started talking wildcat football and he was looking at me funny. That's when I noticed the critter on his shirt was a bear, not a wildcat, and he had a Chicago Bears hat on.

I was getting off a little ferry from Eleuthera to harbor island in the Bahamas and was wearing a u of a t shirt. The first person I meet on this secluded island was another u of a grad who just happened to be staying there on vacation. We managed to meet up for some cocktails on the beach latter on.

We're everywhere.

What gives Chicago the right to appropriate "bear down"?

Cool stories guys, keep em coming!

Have had my "Bear Down"'s not returned by people wearing UofA hats in a hotel elevator in Montreal and a quiet restaurant in Florence, Italy. Fuckers.

CalStateTempe wrote:What gives Chicago the right to appropriate "bear down"?

Cool stories guys, keep em coming!

Good thing for this site it isn't copyrighted/trademarked.

Looking it up, seems the Chicago fight song was written in 1941.

Button Salmon would not be pleased.

Bear Down!

Has never rung more true for Wildcat Nation today.

Somewhere Button Salmon has to be smiling. Here's to him clinking one back with St. Pete and leading the CATS to the promised land.

BEAR DOWN

BTFD!!!

Thanks Ang!

That fired me up.

Lol I'm usually skeptical of shouting out Bear Down to people back East because I'm not sure if it's simply an AZ shirt or hat their grandma gave them or something and they really don't care that much. But I still do it anyway!

BEAR DOWN pokinmik!

pokinmik wrote:Lol I'm usually skeptical of shouting out Bear Down to people back East because I'm not sure if it's simply an AZ shirt or hat their grandma gave them or something and they really don't care that much. But I still do it anyway!

F yes. Tell them to bear down. (And tell their grandma to bear the fuck down.)

My son could sing Bear Down early.

I sent my son to Drake where he graduated last year and now lives and works in downtown Chicago. He came home for Thanksgiving and went to the ASU game with me. Needless to say he loved the game (he actually played on same teams with Tevis in middle school). He tells me the UofA is quite popular in Chicago.

I have a sister who lives in downtown Chicago. When visiting her and walking down Michigan Ave. I always get Beardowns.

I love our fight song.

LOL. I love that azgreg!

http://instagram.com/p/wPJ-oDugyu/

Sing it Tedy!

Just got a Bear Down across the bar at Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan from the fairly hot new meteorologist from ABC57 - UofA, class of 2014.

Chicat wrote:Just got a Bear Down across the bar at Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan from the fairly hot new meteorologist from ABC57 - UofA, class of 2014.

The internet is hilarious. It took me all of 30 seconds to track down the first name of the girl that gave you that Bear Down.

It's Shea, in case you need it.

SCCat wrote:

Chicat wrote:Just got a Bear Down across the bar at Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan from the fairly hot new meteorologist from ABC57 - UofA, class of 2014.

The internet is hilarious. It took me all of 30 seconds to tract down the first name of the girl that gave you that Bear Down.

It's Shea, in case you need it.

Wait, seriously? Wasn't going to ask her name til I was leaving. That's hilarious.

Chicat wrote:Wait, seriously? Wasn't going to ask her name til I was leaving. That's hilarious.

Haha yup...the internet.

I sent you a PM with the link.

And an ASU alum just walked in.

I shit you not.

Already mentioned us kicking their ass in football and basketball.

Finally! A proper use the interwebs.