Being an Arizona Man isn’t anywhere near as complicated as being a Michigan Man, but Rich Rodriguez still needed to make sure he didn’t come out hollering “GOLDEN BEARS FOREVER” or what have you. From Andy Staples’ excellent look at RichRod’s first 48 hours in the desert:
Ensuring Rich Rodriguez Sounded Like An Arizona Man
↵↵Deputy A.D. Kathleen (Rocky) LaRose was an Arizona softball player and the school’s 1978 homecoming queen. She advised Rodriguez to mention winning the Pac-12 South and the Pac-12 title. He needed to mention the Rose Bowl, which has remained unreachable for the Wildcats since they joined the conference in 1978. He needed to mention the Territorial Cup rivalry against Arizona State. Most important, Rodriguez had to use the Wildcats’ motto, “Bear Down,” taken from the dying words of football and baseball player John Salmon, who died in 1926 after a car crash. It’s Arizona’s version of Michigan’s “Go Blue.”
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