To get ready for the upcoming Arizona football season, All Sports Tucson offers a countdown, which will include history notes and a look ahead to the season — a good way to keep Arizona football on the mind in the summer months leading up to fall camp in early August and then kickoff against New Mexico on Aug. 31 in the start of the Brent Brennan era.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS PREVIOUS DAYS IN THE COUNTDOWN
A LOOK BACK — NO. 93 JON ABBOTT
With it being the 93rd day until kickoff between the Lobos and Wildcats, the best player to wear No. 93 for Arizona is defensive tackle Jon Abbott, a three-time first-team Academic All-American from 1975-77. He is the only three-time member of 23-man 1977 team named by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Named to three consecutive Western Athletic Conference All-Academic teams and unanimous choice for 1977 All-WAC football team. Voted Arizona’s Outstanding Senior Athlete of 1977-78, receiving Governor’s Award as 1977’s Most Valuable Football Player. Elected captain of 1977 team. WAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner for 1977- 78 and was one of scholar-athletes from throughout the nation to receive the 1978 NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship. Set school single-game defensive points record of 53 in 1977 game against Wyoming. Member of Arizona’s Hall of Fame. Abbott, now 67 and an Arizona season-ticket holder, has been an orthopedic surgeon in Tucson for more than 40 years. He started his practice in Tucson in 1982 after serving five years of residency in San Antonio.
NO. 93 IN 2024
No current players are listed wearing uniform No. 93.
NOTE
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy in 2024 according to odds in Las Vegas. He is among the 12 top quarterbacks in that regard. He and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson are the only two from the Big 12 who are listed among the top 12 odds:
Carson Beck, Georgia: +800
Quinn Ewers, Texas: +900
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon: +1000
Jalen Milroe, Alabama: +1400
Will Howard, Ohio State: +1500
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss: +1800
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee: +2000
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU: +2000
Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.): +2500
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame: +2800
Avery Johnson, Kansas State: +2800
Noah Fifita, Arizona: +3000
Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma: +3000
THEY SAID IT
“Every venue we play in the Big 12 kicks ass. Their fans care. …We need you all juiced, gassed up, ready to go, so that Arizona Stadium is the hardest place to play at in the Big 12.” — Arizona coach Brent Brennan told fans during a recent Wildcat tour through Phoenix.
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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. He became an educator in 2016 and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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