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CATCH UP ON THE COUNTDOWN BY VISITING: ARIZONA’S TOP 100 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
Only 43 days separate us from the start of Rich Rodriguez’s fifth season, when the Arizona Wildcats football team plays Brigham Young on Sept. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
As is customary on this Web site, we will count down the days with an interesting element associated with each day. This year the topic is the top 100 individual records in Arizona’s storied football past.
In past years, we have counted down the top games and highlighted players and some of the top plays in Arizona Wildcats football history. A couple of years ago in our top 100 countdown, we showcased the 1914 team that was responsible for Arizona becoming the “Wildcats”.
Back to this year’s countdown of the top 100 individual records in the 117 years of Arizona football:
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For 16 years now, Dennis Northcutt has held the Arizona school record with 1,422 yards receiving, set in 1999.
ARIZONA SEASON RECEIVING YARDS
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No. 43
Most Receiving Yards Gained, Season: 1,422, Dennis Northcutt, Arizona, 1999 (88 receptions)
Pac-12 record: 1,730, Brandin Cooks, Oregon State, 2013 (128 receptions)
NCAA record: 2,060, Trevor Insley, Nevada, 1999 (134 receptions)
Dennis Northcutt’s school-record 1,422 yards receiving in 1999 was most recently challenged by Austin Hill, who had 1,364 yards receiving in 2012.
In the annals of Arizona Wildcats football only nine receivers have amassed more than 1,000 yards in a season. Before the turn of this century, only three players hit that mark. Dennis Northcutt was one of them, and his school-record of 1,422 in 1999 stands today.
Keith Hartwig (1,134 in 1976) and (Jim Greth (1,003 in 1966) were the only other Wildcats with at least 1,000 yards receiving when the calendar hit the year 2000.
Five have eclipsed it since with Bobby Wade coming the closest with 1,389 yards receiving in 2002. The most recent receiver with at least 1,000 yards receiving was Cayleb Jones with 1,019 in 2014. Jones led the Wildcats with 907 last season.
Northcutt broke Hartwig’s record in his last game at Arizona Stadium on Nov. 6, 1999, against Washington with eight receptions for 112 yards.
Previous records set by Northcutt at Arizona ranked earlier in this countdown:
45. Most All-Purpose Yards, Season: 2,249, Dennis Northcutt, 1999 (1,422 receiving/436 punt returns/191 kickoff returns/200 rushing)
68. Career 100-Yard Receiving Games: 13, 1996-99
72. Highest Average Per Punt Return, (Min. 10): 18.9, 1999 (23-436)
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
