Fight! Wildcats! Fight!

Last updated August 10, 2024

"Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" is the official fight song of the University of Arizona. While "Bear Down, Arizona!" is easily the most recognizable fight song attributed to the university it was written 23 years after "Fight!" and is more accurately described as the official motto of the Arizona Wildcats.^[1]

History

The words to "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" were written in 1929 by Dugald "Douglas" Stanley Holsclaw, class of '25 and a member of the spirit squad (serving as the "Yell Leader" from 1923 to 1924). Holsclaw and his wife Alice contributed greatly to the University of Arizona and to the state of Arizona itself. Holsclaw went on to serve as a state senator for many years. The Holsclaw family has been honored by the university with an endowed chair in the genetics department and a recital hall in the Music Building. "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!"^[2] was officially introduced by the UA band at the 1930 Homecoming game and was also performed by Rudy Vallee and his orchestra over the NBC radio network that same year.

The music to "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" was co-written by Holsclaw and Thornton W. Allen, a composer, arranger, and publisher based in New York. Allen was responsible for the music for various collegiate fight songs including those for the University of Maryland, University of Florida, and Washington and Lee University.

Lyrics

The lyrics to "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" consists of a verse and chorus.^[3] Originally the verse had two versions: One for students or other members of the university, and another version for the "Towncats", the now-defunct alumni club of the University of Arizona. The chorus also features different lyrics depending on whether it is being performed at a football game or basketball game.

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References

↑ "University of Arizona Athletics Motto". Pima County Public Library . Retrieved August 9, 2024.
↑ "UA history & traditions: Welcome home Wildcats".
↑ "Fight Song".

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[1] "University of Arizona Athletics Motto". Pima County Public Library . Retrieved August 9, 2024.

[2] "UA history & traditions: Welcome home Wildcats".

[3] "Fight Song".

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[2]

[3]

v t e University of Arizona
Located in: Tucson, Arizona
Academics	College of Agriculture and Life Sciences College of Applied Science and Technology College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture College of Education College of Engineering College of Fine Arts Graduate College Honors College College of Humanities James E. Rogers College of Law Eller College of Management College of Medicine Phoenix Tucson College of Nursing College of Optical Sciences Outreach College College of Pharmacy Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health College of Science College of Social and Behavioral Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine
Athletics and traditions	Football Arizona Stadium Roy P. Drachman Stadium (track and field) Men's basketball Women's basketball McKale Center Baseball Hi Corbett Field Jerry Kindall Field at Frank Sancet Stadium (former baseball venue) Softball Mike Candrea Field at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium The Pride of Arizona Rivalries State Farm Territorial Cup Series Territorial Cup Kit Carson Rifle (defunct) Bear Down Fight! Wildcats! Fight! Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat "A" Mountain ZonaZoo
Campus	Main Campus University of Arizona South University Medical Center Libraries Student Union Memorial Center Krutch Cactus Garden Arizona State Museum Flandrau Science Center Lunar and Planetary Laboratory Steward Observatory Kitt Peak National Observatory Biosphere 2 University of Arizona Museum of Art Center for Creative Photography Centennial Hall Student Recreation Center University Boulevard (Tucson) Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park
Media	Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona Public Media KUAT-TV (PBS) KUAT-FM KUAZ (NPR) KAMP University of Arizona Press
People	Alumni & Faculty
Founded: 1885 Students: 53,187 (2023) Endowment: $1.29 billion (2023)

v t e Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
Venues	Bear Down Gym (1926–1973) McKale Center (1973–present)
Rivalries	Arizona State UCLA
Culture & lore	Bear Down Wilbur and Wilma "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!" 2017–18 corruption scandal
People	Head coaches NBA draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e Arizona Wildcats football
Venues	Arizona Stadium (1929–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Arizona State New Mexico
Culture & lore	Bear Down Wilbur and Wilma The Pride of Arizona "A" Mountain "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!"
People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906–1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

v t e Arizona Wildcats women's basketball
Venues	Bear Down Gym (1972–1973) McKale Center (1973–present)
Culture & lore	Wilbur and Wilma "Fight! Wildcats! Fight!"
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

Fight! Wildcats! Fight!

Contents

History

Lyrics

Related Research Articles

References