Grand Canyon Times

The familiar tune "Bear Down, Arizona" is often associated with Wildcat sporting events and other celebrations at the University of Arizona, but the song itself is celebrating a big milestone in 2022.

Sept. 20 marked 70 years since the song, composed by Jack K. Lee, a former University of Arizona band director, was first performed, according to a press release from the university.

"I think 'Bear Down, Arizona' is one of the great fight songs," Chad Shoopman, director of the Pride of Arizona marching band, said in the release. "It's uniquely recognizable."

The song made its public debut downtown Tucson during a midday pep rally in 1952.

"I tried to keep the tune as simple as possible with intervals and within easy range like all other collegiate tunes," Lee told Arizona Daily Star columnist Lou Pavlovich in December 1952, according to the university. "Most everyone says they like the song."

Lee apparently wrote the song on the back of an airplane sickness back after he interviewed for the band director position. According to the press release, his inspiration came from 1926 Wildcat quarterback John "Button" Salem, who had the coach "tell the team to Bear Down" after he was seriously hurt in a car accident. The team went on to win the next game. He took the position and began teaching the song to the band on his first day.

"The fans and all the students picked up the song immediately. They loved it," Shirlee Bertolini, a former twirling instructor at the University of Arizona, said in the release. 

The band often skips right to the chorus of the song to keep it short. Chad Shoopman notes that the band is often limited to the amount of time they have to play the song after a dunk or a touchdown, so jumping to the chorus gets everyone fired up. In the release, Shoopman said "there's a lot of nostalgia" around the song, and it gives the band a chance to take the instruments away from their faces and chant with the crowd.

Jack Harwood, professor of communication, believes fight songs bring people together. He pointed out that even people new to the school are quick to join in on "Bear Down, Arizona" and its tradition. 

"You feel like you're connected, not just to the people who are around you, singing it right now, but also to all the people who've sung it in the past," Harwood said in the release.

Shoopman agrees that fight songs like "Bear Down, Arizona" connect people who otherwise might not have anything in common. He knows it wouldn't be a popular radio tune, but "you'll see people from all walks of life, from all generations, signing it with their heart, with gusto, and in that moment we're all united behind the team," the press release states.