You have to respect what the University of Arizona is doing as far as athletics are concerned.
Even you Sun Devil fans have to give them their props.
Their aggressive “Wildcat Country” campaign and movement in the Phoenix area is truly impressive, and it seems like this bum rush will not die.
The Wildcat football team invaded Glendale Community College on Saturday and held an open practice session, with head coach Rich Rodriguez having a meet-and-greet session afterwards.
Athletic Director Greg Byrne says Wildcat Nation isn’t just located in Tucson, Ariz., but throughout the entire state of Arizona.
“We have a lot of alums, a lot of fans, future fans and hopefully a lot of future recruits up here in this marketplace,” Byrne said. “It’s important for us to be up here as much as we can.”
Byrne said he would like the football visits to be a “regular” thing, and also mentioned possibly having the men’s basketball team play a game in the area as well.
If you look at it through Byrne’s eyes and the school’s eyes, it just makes perfect sense to keep your focus on the Phoenix area, not just for all the reasons he mentioned, but also for the fact that it keeps them right in the face of their most heated and hated rivals, the Sun Devils.
What other way to get under the Sun Devils’ skin by setting up camp right in their backyard?
Back on football to wrap it up…
Byrne says it’s been great having head coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff come on board to right the ship.
Byrne knows it’ll take time for it all to come together, but in the short time they’ve worked together, he and Rodriguez have already seen marked improvements from his last head coaching job at Michigan.
“The transition at his last stop, and the transition here has been a big improvement for he and his family and the staff,” Byrne said. “That’s a good thing for us, and hopefully it bodes well for our future.”
