For so many college football fans, including Wildcat Nation, the wait is finally over. In 24 hours, fans will return to Arizona Stadium for the first time since November and the first game of the Brent Brennan era. So much has changed for the Wildcats over the past seven months, from the anticipation of a new head coach and staff, to the relief of Arizona’s roster staying intact, to the first college football video game in over a decade. And while Arizona Football fans wait anxiously for a first look at the Wildcats under Brent Brennan, one thing that hasn’t changed is the heart and soul of the game day experience, the Pride of Arizona marching band.
The Pride of Arizona, the UofA’s largest and most diverse student group, arrived on campus two weeks ago, with members of auxiliary units, including the Pomline, Drumline, and Twirling team, arriving a week before that. Since then, students have put in nearly 100 hours of rehearsal time, making sure that songs like “Bear Down, Arizona!” and “Fight, Wildcats, Fight!” look and sound perfect for the season opener against New Mexico on August 31. And while the POA’s (Pride of Arizona) efforts will go unnoticed by so many, Arizona’s coaches and players know just how hard the band is preparing to go to battle with them.
“I cannot get over how hard you guys work. We’ve talked about it with our team, since some nights we’re leaving here at nine thirty, ten o’ clock, and you guys are still here. You’re underneath the stadium, or you’re out here on the field. I saw like big brass instruments running around with lightning, I’m like, these kids are gangsters,” said head coach Brent Brennan, as he surprised the Pride of Arizona with ice cream on their final day of band camp.
While things only ramped back up over the last couple of weeks for the Pride of Arizona, that doesn’t mean Arizona Football hasn’t been mindful of the impact of the POA, and the relationship between the team and band, all summer long. While he was busy fielding questions about conference realignment, T-Mac’s injury, and new technologies like coach-to-player communication and sideline tablets at the Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas, head coach Brent Brennan took time to share what the Pride of Arizona means to him and the team, and why marching band is instrumental to collegiate athletics.
“I love college marching bands being a part of – like we did a ton with the band at San Jose,” said head coach Brent Brennan. At the time, Brennan had yet to connect much with the POA, but already recognized the impact they have on game day in Tucson. “I think we have one of the best bands in the country, and I think we’re fortunate for that because the impact that has on college game day. It’s just such a cool part of the tradition of college football.”
And whether it’s post-band camp ice cream, or something else, Brennan acknowledged that he’s excited to continue strengthening the relationship between Arizona Football and the Pride of Arizona, and understands the impact it has far outpaces the effort it takes.
“Yeah, that’s awesome, and I would love to do that. We used to as a team before our Friday night walk through, when the band finished practice, we would come up and form a tunnel and cheer for them as they left the field the night before the game, as they were finishing their practice, and we were going to start our Friday night routine,” said Brennan. “But yeah, no, I’m excited to talk about that, because I do think it’s a really cool thing and it’s not hard to do.”
Who knows what that sort of engagement looks like as the season goes on. Maybe there is a tunnel after Friday rehearsals, or maybe the team stays out on the field for “All Hail, Arizona” after a game, regardless of a victory or defeat. And if it’s neither of those things, that’s okay too, said defensive back Gunner Maldonado. That’s because the relationship and respect Arizona Football and the Pride of Arizona have for each other runs deeper than that.
“We each practice a lot separate, because they’ve got a lot of routines to get down and stuff, so we don’t get to spend as much time together, but I think we have a lot of mutual respect and we appreciate each other,” said Maldonado.
The defensive back, and recently named captain, also acknowledged the impact the Pride of Arizona has on the game day experience, and the importance of collegiate marching bands across the country.
“College football is not college football without that, without them. That changes the whole experience. EA College Football 25 isn’t EA College Football 25 without the band and the cheerleaders. That’s part of what college football is about, it’s that atmosphere, it’s that energy, and they bring that – they create it, they bring it, they can create tension in a game, they can create hype in a home crowd. There’s just a lot of things that that group brings.”
On the other side of the ball, Arizona star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan also took time to highlight the Pride of Arizona’s impact on game day during Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas. The preseason first team All-American even made sure to shoutout that the POA took home the prestigious Sudler Trophy, often referred to as the Heisman Trophy for collegiate marching band.
“I mean, to be honest with you, our band just won number one band in the country last year,” said McMillan, laughing and smiling. “People may not think so, but they’re a big part of our success, especially our home field advantage. It’s kind of like EA Sports College Football, you know, the stadium meter, it’s kind of like that. So, the band rallying behind us, the Pride of Arizona, that’s a big part of why we’re so good.”
And while the Wildcats have yet to play a down in Arizona Stadium this fall, it feels like something special is brewing, both on the gridiron and in Section 9. Between the passion and history Brent Brennan has brought back to Tucson, to the passion and excitement Noah Fifita, T-Mac, and so many others created by electing to stay, the team and Pride of Arizona have a chance to make some memories that will last a lifetime this historic season.
But the praise and recognition doesn’t stop there. Even Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, known for his entrepreneurial spirit and progressive vision for college football, weighed in on the significance of the tradition and pageantry marching band brings to college athletics last month in Las Vegas. That balance of past and future led Yormark and the league to host its first Big 12 Championship Halftime Show in 2023, which featured rapper Nelly, as well as the marching bands from Oklahoma State and Texas.
“Very important for us to pay homage to the past, while also infuse a bit of a contemporary approach, a modern approach, and Nelly was the perfect fit for us last year because he wanted to choreograph the first couple of sets with the student bands, which worked out great. I think for those student bands, the experience was a once in a lifetime experience, and we’re going to continue doing that moving forward,” said Yormark in an exclusive one-on-one.
“The school bands are a part of collegiate athletics, they’re at the core of what we’ve done for years, and maintaining that is critically important. The question is, how do we modernize it, how do we ‘contemporize’ it, how do we give it a different flavor, and I think we did that last year, and are going to build on it moving forward.”
While Nelly would be a surprise in Arizona Stadium this fall, if you’ve never seen a pregame show, or stayed for a postgame concert at the bell tower, do yourself a favor and listen to Brent Brennan, T-Mac, Gunner Maldonado, and Brett Yormark, and check it out. Because one of America’s favorite pastimes in the fall just isn’t the same without the roar of the Pride of Arizona.
As a parent of a POA freshman, I find this article refreshing. Too often the band’s contributions to the atmosphere and excitement are overlooked. BB is starting off the year on a great note! (See what I did there…)