The ASU-UA Rivalry
Arizona State's greatest and longest-standing rivalry has been with the University of
Arizona Wildcats. The two teams met for the first time in 1899, when the Territorial Normal
School beat Arizona and won the Territorial Championship Cup for the year. That first
interscholastic game drew 300 fans. Since then, the traditional ASU-UA match, often played
on Thanksgiving Day, has been one of the most popular games in the state.
The rivalry on the field often led to conflicts off the field. In 1937, ASTC graduate manager
Tom Lillico "raided" the UA campus and persuaded three freshmen players from Glendale to
leave the university and enroll at Tempe. The university retaliated by refusing to play ASTC
again until the three students had graduated. After a few years, Tempe theater owner Dwight
Harkins produced a short film with ASTC president Grady Gammage and coach Dixie Howell
challenging the Wildcats to schedule a game, but the university refused to allow another
rematch until 1941.
In the 1950s, students from the two schools regularly raided the opposing campus. Letters
were burned into playing fields with kerosene, and the landmark "A" in both Tempe and in
Tucson were often painted as reminders of the simmering rivalry. Such vengeful acts
became so common that ASC head coach Clyde Smith pleaded with UA officials and people
in Tucson to end the destructive raids and keep the competition on the playing field.
The rivalry continues, and each year the Arizona State -- Arizona game posts one of the highest attendance figures for the season.
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