TUCSON, AZ – August 31 marks a lot of firsts for the Arizona Wildcats. The UA is playing its first game as a member of the Big 12. Brent Brennan will coach his first game at the helm for Arizona. The Wildcats enter the season ranked for the first time since 2015. And the Pride of Arizona marching band is unveiling new uniforms for the first time in over a decade.
It’s the Pride of Arizona’s first uniform refresh since 2013. During that time, those uniforms traveled across the Southwest, to Phoenix for the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, Albuquerque for the 2015 New Mexico Bowl, San Francisco for the 2017 Foster Farms Bowl, Los Angeles for performances at the LA Memorial Coliseum and Disneyland in 2019, Las Vegas for the first game open to the public at Allegiant Stadium in 2020, and San Antonio for the 2023 Valero Alamo Bowl, along with countless games at Arizona Stadium in Tucson.
Both the band member and drum major uniforms now feature the iconic “Block A” logo centered on the chest. The logo was previously on the left breast, with red jackets for the band, and white jackets for drum majors. Now, both versions of the jacket feature a red chest and colored sleeves – blue for the band members, and white for the drum majors. Drum majors also have red shakos (hats).
The road to new uniforms for the Pride of Arizona was not without some hurdles, though. In order to purchase new uniforms, the 2024 Sudler Trophy recipient had to fundraise $100,000. Upon reaching that goal, the Marshall Foundation committed to a matching challenge to help the band reach its goal. Through the generosity of band alumni, program supporters, and the Tucson community, that goal was met on January 31, 2024.
“We cannot wait to debut this new look in the Big 12 Conference,” said Chad Shoopman, the Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands. “The band is so grateful to every person who gave toward this initiative. It is truly a community effort.”
“When our students appear anywhere on campus or step onto the field in Arizona Stadium to perform, we want our fans to beam with PRIDE knowing they helped maintain and improve one of the most recognizable brands at the University of Arizona,” said Shoopman. “With a new conference and our new head football coach, we need to reinforce and reflect that fact that we are a world-class organization. These new uniforms give us one of the critical elements to do that.”