Bear Down Brotherhood: Noah Fifita, Dash Fifita ‘best friends in every aspect’

Six football players at Arizona are literally living the brotherly lifestyle this season: quarterback Noah Fifita and linebacker Dash Fifita, wide receiver Tre Spivey and cornerback Kingston Spivey, and offensive linemen Jake Griffin and Jaxon Griffin.

“I think it’s special when you take the field every day or a workout or a run or a practice and you get to do it with your brother,” said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan. “I think that’s pretty special. I don’t know how many people get the opportunity to do that. That’s magical.”

Brennan wasn’t teammates with his younger brother, Brad Brennan, but they were often together in 2000, when Brent Brennan was an assistant coach under former Arizona head coach Dick Tomey and Brad Brennan was a senior wide receiver for the Wildcats. The Brennan bros also coached together at Oregon State.

“It was awesome, and I was a little bit older, so I never got to play with him, but I got to coach him for one year and it was so much fun going on the field every day and being out there with him,” Brent Brennan said. “When we were at Oregon State, we coached the receivers together and it was awesome. Sometimes we’d fight like brothers and we got into these crazy disagreements. But at the same time, it’s fun because you know you trust him and you’re sharing this unique experience very few people get to have.”

Several brothers have been teammates at Arizona over the years. Most recently, offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea and defensive tackle Julian Savaiinaea were teammates for the 2024 season. Defensive ends Jalen Harris and Jason Harris were teammates under former head coach Jedd Fisch.

Arguably the most well-known set of brothers to play at Arizona were tight end Rob Gronkowski and fullback Chris Gronkowski — before Rob Gronkowski went by “Gronk.”

But three sets of brothers on one team? That’s a rarity for the Wildcats — and maybe a first. The Star is doing a three-part series on Arizona’s trio of brothers. First up: the Fifitas.

A lifelong bond

Growing up in Huntington Beach, California, Noah Fifita and Dash Fifita always talked about potentially becoming teammates in college, because the four-year age gap didn’t allow them to be teammates at the youth and high school levels.

Those conversations manifested into the Fifita brothers sharing the field together in 2026.

“It’s been a blessing,” Noah Fifita said. “This is what we talked about and dreamt about our whole lives, so to finally do it, it’s surreal. It hasn’t gotten old.”

The younger Fifita said he’s “been waiting for this for a couple of years now.”

“The lifestyle part of it has been great, whether we’re golfing or chilling at the house together,” Dash Fifita added.

“We’re teammates and we’re always in the building together, so we’re basically together 24-7,” he said. “It’s been amazing, so I’m just enjoying it while it lasts.”

When Fifita’s mother was pregnant with Dash Fifita, “me being the only child at the time, they didn’t want me to feel left out, so they let me name him,” Noah Fifita said.

Since Noah Fifita’s favorite movie at the time was “The Incredibles,” he wanted his younger brother to be named “Dash.” At the last second, Fifita’s parents — Les and Winnona Fifita — decided to name their youngest son “Steve” after his uncle and grandfather.

“When he was born, the doctor said he ‘dashed right out,’ so it was meant to be,” Noah Fifita said.

Fifita was in the middle of a youth soccer game, and his aunt drove him to the hospital to meet his younger brother.

One thing to know about the Fifitas: football is life. Their uncle, Steve Fifita, played for the Miami Dolphins, and Les Fifita is the co-founder of the Orange County Buckeyes, one of the most renowned youth football programs nationally. The Orange County Buckeyes is how Fifita first became teammates with longtime friend Tetairoa McMillan — the reigning Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Fifita-McMillan tandem became arguably the top quarterback-receiver connection in UA history.

Dash Fifita “was thrown into football ever since I was born, but I fell in love with it and realized I could make something out of it,” he said.

While Noah Fifita was having success at Servite High School (Anaheim, California) and Arizona, older bro kept a close eye on younger bro’s development and served as a role model both on and off the field.

“It’s been awesome,” Noah Fifita said. “It was awesome watching him grow up, bounce around different positions. I was super lucky because my dad coached me my whole life, and since Dash was four years younger than us, my dad would always help out with his team. Dash always had different head coaches, so to see him build his identity and build it in his own way was awesome.

“I think what’s special about him is that he’s always been his person. Everyone who has talked to him knows what kind of kid he is. He’s so different than me. At the same time, he’s been so successful. Following him has been awesome.”

Dash Fifita prepped at Santa Margarita Catholic and led the Eagles to a CIF Open Division state championship as a senior, taking down Northern California powerhouse De La Salle, 47-13.

The younger Fifita was also named Co-Defensive MVP of the prestigious Trinity League in Southern California for the second straight season, finishing his high school career with 201 tackles, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions.

When Noah Fifita was watching film on Friday nights in the fall to prepare for a game the next day, Arizona’s quarterback streamed Santa Margarita Catholic games on his phone to watch his younger brother.

“Then (offensive coordinator Seth Doege) and Coach Brennan will come in and watch it with me,” Noah Fifita said. “It’s been a blessing and now I get a front-row seat to watch his process.”

Les and Winona Fifita made sure at least one parent was at every game. They never missed a beat.

“When you see your family at games, you see the sacrifices they make,” Noah Fifita said. “We’ve seen it our whole life, but even more so this past year. They would watch his games Friday nights and then drive through the night to get here Saturday morning, take a nap and get here for my games. You see the sacrifices all the time. True love is time, that’s what my dad taught us. To show your love for someone is to be there for them, and our family has done that our entire lives, so it’s been a blessing.”

When Arizona beat Cincinnati on the road in November, it was an afternoon kickoff. So, after Santa Margarita Catholic played against Sierra Canyon, the Fifitas took a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Cincinnati, “then we went straight from the flight to the stadium to go watch the game,” Dash Fifita said.

The overnight trips from Orange County to Tucson were easier than the cross-country flights for the Fifitas, especially after wins for Dash Fifita.

“After losses, they were very long,” Fifita joked. “My dad was always driving and my uncles were driving and I was in the backseat, so it was easy for me.”

Problem solved. Now the Fifita family can spend every weekend with each other in one location — wherever the Wildcats are this season, whether it’s in Tucson or Provo, Utah; Pullman, Washington; Morgantown, West Virginia; Lubbock, Texas; or Manhattan, Kansas. The days of red-eye flights and overnight drives are in the past.

Noah Fifita is wrapping up his prolific career as arguably the greatest quarterback in UA history, while Dash Fifita settles into his new life as a college football player — and the young linebacker “has excelled faster than I thought he would, especially for his size,” said Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales.

“He's such a competitive, tough (player),” Gonzales added. “I mean, he's a Fifita. With that, he's a Fifita, so there's a lot of pressure behind that, because Noah doesn't screw anything up. Dash has high expectations to live up to, and the whole family is all about it.”

Noah Fifita’s relationship with Dash Fifita growing up “is exactly what it is today” in Tucson.

“We spend all day together, playing video games or watching a movie,” Noah Fifita said. “What we do right now is what we’ve done our whole life. We spend every second together, work out together and go play every sport — pickleball, golf, pool (billiards) in the living room.”

With Dash Fifita a little bit older, the competition has ramped up, which is a stark contrast to their childhood.

“Growing up, it was a beating in every competition with him, but in the last couple of years, I think I’ve been competing,” the younger Fifita said. “He never took it easy on me, but I’m grateful for that. To go through the trials and tribulations of getting whooped, it made me who I am today — the competitor and person I strive to be.

"Being the little brother, you’re going to get whooped a lot, but the pros of that is everyone is going to be on your side. So, when we get into a fight, the older one gets in trouble and you get to see the older ones whoop up on him.”

Noah Fifita conceded that Dash Fifita “got me in video games and he’s getting better at golf, for sure.”

Since Dash Fifita enrolled in January, the two have been inseparable. Earlier this summer, the two were honorary captains for a Tucson Sugar Skulls home game at Tucson Arena. 

Their foundation, “First Down Faith Foundation,” hosted a youth football camp at Casino Del Sol Stadium for 90 youth football players and most recently hosted a charity golf tournament at La Paloma Country Club. First Down Faith Foundation has roughly 330 hours of community service and has served nearly 3,600 community members in Tucson. 

The First Down Faith Foundation’s efforts have led to Noah Fifita being nominated for the Allstate Good Works Team.

The Fifita brothers are not only brothers, teammates and foundation partners, “we’re best friends,” Noah Fifita said.

“We’re best friends in every aspect,” he added. “We fight a lot, but I’m his biggest fan at the same time. Watching him succeed, watching him win a state championship was the happiest I ever was last year. I was happy to win the Arizona State game, but coming off the field and hearing that they won and how they won, it was amazing. Showing your love is being there for people. That’s how we show our love and our appreciation. He’s been my best friend since he was put on this Earth.”