Same legacy, different game: Tre Spivey is leaving his mark on Arizona sports

A quarter-century after the run to the World Series, former Diamondbacks infielder Junior Spivey is watching his two sons — cornerback Kingston Spivey and wide receiver Tre Spivey — play for the Wildcats down in Tucson, a city he’s familiar with going back to his days with the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders (now the Reno Aces), the minor-league affiliate of the D-backs.

Tucson Electric Park (now Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium) held “Junior Spivey Bobblehead Night” for a game in 2003, before the former Diamondback was part of a multi-player trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The older Spivey made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2001 and was named a National League All-Star in 2002.

Tre Spivey, who is Arizona’s leading returner at receiver, will be one of Arizona’s top offensive weapons this season and headline a group that could potentially rely on eight to 10 receivers this season.

Just a couple of months before Arizona’s season opener against NAU at Casino Del Sol Stadium, Spivey had the privilege of throwing out the first pitch preceding a Diamondbacks-Cardinals game, which was “U of A Night” at Chase Field.

Spivey, wearing his dad’s No. 37 Diamondbacks jersey, threw the pitch to Junior Spivey, who wore Tre’s No. 12 Arizona football jersey. The first pitch “went alright,” Tre Spivey said.

“I wanted to throw a strike so bad, but the ball was low and outside,” he added. “But the experience itself was the coolest thing ever. That’s something I’ll probably never do (again). The fact that I got to do it with my dad at the stadium of his former team was a dream come true. It felt so surreal. I was beating myself up a little bit because I wanted to throw a strike. He told me to gas it, so that’s why I threw it hard. He was like, ‘Gas it.’ So, I was like, ‘Alright, bet.’ ”

In less than two weeks, the Diamondbacks are hosting the New York Yankees for a three-game series. The game on Sept. 19 will have a reunion ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Arizona beating the Yankees in seven games of the 2001 World Series. It’s the same night as UA’s nonconference game against Northern Illinois in Tucson.

Learning about Junior Spivey’s baseball legacy in Arizona “has been awesome" for Tre Spivey.

“Even being in Tucson, I’ll hear a lot about my dad,” he added. “A lot of fans will come up to me and be like, ‘I loved watching your dad play.’ To me, I’ve always seen him as my dad, my coach, my mentor. To see him in the light as a player and to see the impact he’s had on the Arizona community, it’s been extremely awesome.

“I remember going back to the alumni games and going to different games as a kid with him and getting to see the ins and outs of Chase Field. I couldn’t even give the right words to explain how much of a blessing it is, but it truly is. I’m so thankful and grateful to have a man like that as my father.”

Spivey is hoping to leave his own mark as an athlete at Arizona. He’s got a chance this season, especially now that “he’s so much more comfortable in the scheme,” said second-year offensive coordinator Seth Doege.

Added Doege: “He’s got a cool personality. For a big receiver, you think of a bully-ball receiver, kind of tough guy. He’s got all those traits. He was raised by Junior and Junior was tough on him, so he’s got this discipline to him. At the same time, he’ll come out with Spider-Man cleats and there’s this persona that he has and it’s fun.

“The guys love being around him; I love being around him. He has this cool energy to him. Because of his ability to line up faster and (his) ability to process faster being in Year 2 in the system, he’s going to be hard to cover and make plays for us.”

Arizona hosts roughly two dozen recruits

The Wildcats hosted 23 recruits on Saturday, including six commits from the upcoming 2027 recruiting class.

Five of the six commits in attendance were the group from Crean Lutheran (Irvine, California): quarterback Caden Jones, wide receivers Ty Johnson and Braylen Ross and cornerbacks Evan Mack and Jacob Whitehead. Crean Lutheran junior defensive lineman Nasir Walker — who has offers from Kentucky, Florida State and Kansas State, among others — also visited the UA this weekend.

Johnson, Mack, Jones and Whitehead are four of Arizona’s top five recruits for 2027, according to 247Sports.com’s rankings.

Arizona also hosted three-star 2028 running back Devante Roebuck, a standout at Hamilton in Chandler, and Houston-area running back Antonio Booker, who is being recruited by Kentucky and UCLA, among other schools.

Phoenix Brophy junior tight end Brady Powell, the younger brother of UA fifth-year tight end Tyler Powell, attended the Arizona-NAU game. Brady Powell also has offers from Washington, Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota and Purdue.

Powell and Roebuck were two of Arizona’s eight in-state visitors on Saturday, along with Scottsdale Chapparral quarterback Ryan Trocki, Scottsdale Desert Mountain running back Easton Conner, Gilbert Perry wide receiver Amos Augustine, Mica Mountain offensive lineman Lincoln Maggard and Peoria Liberty defensive back Kadin Young.

The big number

66: Combined Arizona natives on Arizona and NAU’s rosters. Arizona’s top in-state players are Spivey, linebacker Taye Brown, defensive end Tre Smith, right guard Alexander Doost, left tackle Matthew Lado, wide receiver Brandon Phelps, tight end Tyler Powell and long snapper Drew Nicolson. NAU has two Tucson natives: former Marana Tigers cornerback Jaelen Collins and defensive back Nathaniel Bryant, who led Mica Mountain to a Class 4A state championship in 2024.

He said it

“I hope I’m remembered for two things. First of all, I hope I bring a Big 12 title and a Rose Bowl to the stadium, because that will last forever. Then I hope I was able to leave the place better than when I found it. At the end of the day, people are going to remember how you treat them.

“People aren’t going to remember how many touchdowns you throw or how many wins you have. They’re going to remember how you made them feel and how you treated them. I want to be known as a servant and a servant of the Lord.” — Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, via the “One of One” video feature on the Arizona Athletics YouTube page.