TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — "Bear Down," two words synonymous with University of Arizona Athletics.
Those words are immortalized on a statue outside Arizona Stadium. On game day, Wildcat players even pay their respects.
"It's easily the best slogan in Athletics in the Pac-12," Greg Hansen said.
Longtime Arizona Daily Star columnist Greg Hansen believes Bear Down is the best.
"Better than having Forks Up on your sideline," joked Hansen.
On the sideline at Arizona Stadium you'll see the Bear Down slogan, four times, once on each corner of the field.
It's a Wildcat rally cry that has its roots in a tragic story involving a U of A football player.
John "Button" Salmon grew up in Bisbee. His father was chief of security at the Copper Queen Mine.
In the 1920s, Button Salmon was a star catcher on the U of A baseball team. According to his baseball and football coach "Pop" Mckale, Salmon had the talent to play baseball in the majors.
In 1926, Button Salmon was also the quarterback on the football team and student body president.
But that all changed after a car crash left Salmon paralyzed and fighting for his life at Southern Methodist Hospital in Tucson.
"Pop" McKale visited Salmon every day for two weeks.
"It must have been traumatic going into a hospital, the conditions that were present in 1926, and seeing your star quarterback paralyzed, probably dying, and there was nothing they could do about it," said Hansen.
Before leaving one night, McKale asked Salmon if he had anything to say to his teammates.
"Tell them ... tell the team to bear down," he said.
"And he died at 6 o'clock the next morning," said Hansen.
He was such a prominent figure, the University of Arizona had Salmon's body lie in state for two days.
According to newspaper reports, more than 1,000 cars were part of the procession to Evergreen Cemetery for a graveside service.
"I'm guessing in 1926 that was a really big deal," Hansen said.
Days later, the U of A decided to go ahead and play their game at New Mexico State.
According to Hansen's research, including an interview in 1986 with a pair of Salmon's teammates, "Pop" McKale gathered the players right before that game and shared the last words of "Button" Salmon.
"Martin Gentry told me it didn't fire them up the way McKale had intended, because New Mexico State was lousy," recalled Hansen. "It was 0-0 going into the 4th quarter. Arizona got a late touchdown and won 7-0. He said, it was only four days after the funeral, so he goes we were thinking about him more than playing hard."
Martin Gentry later became a Bisbee attorney.
Months after Salmon's death, Gentry led the effort to name Arizona's brand new gymnasium Bear Down Gym. The players even helped paint the giant letters on the roof in 1927, that we still see today.
Some have questioned the legendary Bear Down story, but Hansen is a believer.
"I think a lot of people said "Pop" McKale tried to copy Notre Dame, 'win one for the Gipper'," said Hansen. "But that's not true because 'win one for the Gipper' was two years after Button Salmon was killed."
While Salmon's teammates embraced the Bear Down slogan, it took quite some time for it to become a universal phrase among Wildcat Fans.
The "Bear Down Arizona" fight song wasn't written until 1952, 26-years after Button Salmon's death.
The future band director Jack Lee wrote the song after flying over Bear Down Gym and seeing the giant letters on top.
"Arizona didn't sell any Bear Down paraphernalia until the mid 60s," Hansen said. "The guy who rescued it and made it a big thing at Arizona was Dave Sitton, the great broadcaster"
While Sitton deserves plenty of credit for popularizing the Bear Down slogan, Hollywood deserves some criticism for not taking the story and elevating it to Knute Rockne status.
"You know 'win one for the Gipper' thing became a movie," recalled Hansen. "A famous movie with Knute Rockne. That was because it was Notre Dame, not Arizona. Probably wouldn't matter now that this was Arizona. It's just an irresistible story don't you think?"
It is an irresistible story that has become "Absolutely Arizona."
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.