Information provided by Arizona’s media-relations department:
Bruce Hill, one of the most successful quarterbacks in Arizona football history, has been selected for addition to the program’s Ring of Honor later this season, Arizona Athletics announced Wednesday.
Hill’s name is set to be added to the Arizona Football Ring of Honor with a recognition during the Wildcats’ homecoming game Nov. 4, just a few weeks shy of 50 years from the conclusion of the 1975 season that stands among the greatest in program history.
Hill, who competed with the Wildcats from 1973-75, was the Western Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 1973, Back of the Year in 1975, and made the All-WAC First Team squad in his final season. His long list of accomplishments led to his induction into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.
When his collegiate career ended in 1975, he stood as the Arizona career-record holder with 5,090 passing yards, 45 touchdowns, and 6,054 yards of total offense, all records that remained intact for eight years and still rank among the top 12 in program history.
The 1975 team, captained and quarterbacked by Hill and led by head coach Jim Young, finished the year with a 9-2 record, a mark of 5-2 in WAC play, and a No. 18 ranking in the final Associated Press Poll. Over the course of Hill’s career, the quarterback helped steer Arizona to 20 weeks ranked in the AP Top 20.
One of Hill’s most impressive performances came in a 1975 game against New Mexico, in which he threw for a then-school record 406 yards and set the program’s single-game record with 451 yards of total offense. Both marks from that game remain in the Arizona Football all-time top 20.
Over the course of his three-year career Hill led the Wildcats to a record of 26-7, including a 17-4 record in WAC play, and snapped a nine-game Territorial Cup losing streak for Arizona with a 10-0 victory in front of 40,782 Arizona fans in Tucson in 1974.
Tickets for Arizona’s homecoming game against UCLA, during which fans can take in Hill’s Ring of Honor induction recognition, are available for purchase here.
Arizona Athletics regularly reviews and evaluates the criteria and candidacies for all departmental awards, inductions and recognitions based on new information, updated resources and reflections on historical context. A heritage committee, made up of current and former longtime athletics department staff, conducts these thorough reviews and makes recommendations based on all available information and considerations.
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