If UCLA beats Arizona, Jim Mora would hold a distinction over Rich Rodriguez unlike any other opposing coach previously against a Wildcat head coach.
Mora’s streak of five consecutive wins against Rodriguez, starting from when they were hired in 2012, ties the longest losing streak a Wildcat coach has endured against an opposing coach, matching the five straight wins Texas Tech’s DeWitt Weaver and Colorado’s Dallas Ward levied on Warren Woodson from 1952 to 1956.
Woodson, who coached the “Cactus Comet” — Art Luppino — at Arizona, never had the chance to beat Weaver and Ward with the Wildcats because he was fired after his five seasons from 1952 to 1956 despite compiling a 26-22-2 record. Ten of those 22 losses were against Weaver and Ward.
Woodson had the last laugh with his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989 — Weaver and Ward are not Hall of Famers — after compiling a career record of 202-94-14 with a successful 10-year run at New Mexico State after his Arizona tenure and eight-year stint at Hardin-Simmons previously.
The coach with the longest streak against Arizona is the late Frank Kush, who defeated the Wildcats nine straight years from 1965 to 1973. That streak occurred against coaches Jim LaRue, Darrell Mudra, Bob Weber and Jim Young.
In more recent years, Pete Carroll of USC (2001 to 2008) and Mike Bellotti of Oregon (1999-2005) each strung together seven-game winning streaks against the Wildcats.
Mora’s five-game winning streak against Arizona is tied with former Washington coach Don James.
Here is a list of coaches who have defeated Arizona at least five times consecutively:
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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.
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