University of Arizona Launches Bear Down 100 Campaign to Celebrate a Century of Tradition and Impact

TUCSON, Ariz. (March 12, 2026) — The University of Arizona has launched Bear Down 100, a campaign celebrating the 100th anniversary of the university’s iconic rallying cry while highlighting a century of excellence in research, academics, student success, community impact, and athletics.

Timed to coincide with a major moment in college sports, the campaign will be featured during the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments, showcasing the University of Arizona to a national audience while reinforcing the power of a message that has defined the institution for generations.

More than a slogan, “Bear Down” is presented in the campaign as a lasting expression of perseverance, ambition, and resilience. Through a blend of historic milestones and modern achievements, Bear Down 100 connects the university’s storied past with its continued leadership in innovation, discovery, and service.

The phrase traces back to John Byrd “Button” Salmon, the University of Arizona student body president and quarterback whose final words following a 1926 car accident — “Tell them … tell the team to bear down” — became one of the most enduring mottos in college athletics and a defining part of the university’s identity.

As part of the initiative, the university is also highlighting “A Century of Bear Down Moments,” a collection of 100 stories that reflect the spirit of Bear Down across research, the arts, medicine, athletics, and student achievement.

The campaign underscores the University of Arizona’s role in shaping discoveries and ideas with global impact. Among the achievements featured are the founding of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research in 1937, which helped pioneer dendrochronology and expand understanding of Earth’s environmental history; the university’s lunar mapping work led by Gerard P. Kuiper that supported NASA’s Apollo-era moon missions; and the establishment of the Center for Creative Photography in 1975 by President John Schaefer and Ansel Adams, helping elevate photography as a fine art.

The initiative also points to major advances in medicine and science, including the university’s role in pioneering chest-compression-only CPR, development of the first FDA-approved total artificial heart, stewardship of Biosphere 2, and leadership in space exploration through the OSIRIS-REx mission, which successfully returned samples from asteroid Bennu to Earth.

Athletics remains a central part of the campaign’s story, including the Arizona Wildcats’ 1997 NCAA men’s basketball national championship run and the 2025 national title won by Arizona’s men’s wheelchair basketball team.

With Bear Down 100, the University of Arizona is celebrating not only a century-old tradition, but also the enduring values behind it — determination, excellence, and the drive to keep pushing forward.

The campaign page is here: Bear Down 100 | The University of Arizona