I have perused the competitions forum to see what their take is on the upcoming game. I have noticed that they (a good many but not all) end their post with: Bearing down on . . . (insert whatever you want here) Sounds weird. What is this ? Maybe a Wildcat fan can chime in here and explain.
this should help: http://www.arizona.edu/home/bear-down.php having lived in Arizona for a few years growing up, from what I recall, it's kind of a phrase like Roll Tide is to Alabama except with a little more meaning behind it.
Saw it first on the field when I was in Tucson in the :crystal: season. Was utterly confused until I read the story after the game. Seems a little silly, especially since your name isn't the Bears... The last time I was asked to bear down was when I had to get through three carbons...
The Wildcats' battle cry of "Bear Down" comes from the dying words of a popular student-athlete. John "Button" Salmon was president of the student body, starting quarterback, and three-year catcher for the baseball team. Nicknamed for his small frame (5'8", 145 pounds) and impish good looks, he was very popular with his teammates, coach, and fellow students. The year before his death, Salmon dazzled 30,000 Trojan fans at USC with his powerful punts and fearless defensive play. The recklessness of this hard-rock kid with the curly reddish hair inspired his teammates to nickname him "The Leaping Tuna." Salmon was also a talented baseball catcher. In the spring of 1925 his clutch two-base hit drove in the winning run against USC. When he was elected student body president a few days later he referred to that hit as "the 200-vote double." The day after the 1926 season's opening game, Salmon was driving with three friends when he missed a treacherous curve and spun over a ravine. Although others were not seriously injured, he suffered a serious spinal cord injury and died on October 18, 1926, at St. Mary's Hospital. His final message to his teammates, given to coach McKale, who visited Salmon everyday in the hospital, was "Tell them...tell the team to bear down." At Salmon's funeral service, a three-mile line of cars snaked from downtown Tucson to the cemetery. A year later the student body voted to make "Bear Down" the official slogan of all Wildcat teams and in 1939 the State of Arizona issued a proclamation declaring the phrase "Bear Down" to be the sole and exclusive property of the University of Arizona.
If you are talking about goazcats.com, that bearing down thing was started by a poster named Auercat. Everybody copies him every once in a while just because it's funny he does it on every post.
Hey U of A fans - no insult about the bear down thing. I have two nephews that are at U of A, the oldest a senior. Tucson's a pretty good party town, too. The babes are hot but not as friendly as the SEC chicks... :thumb: Good luck Saturday and just let us cover the spread. I've got a "friendly wager" with my nephs... :hihi:
