– Arizona's 1976 national championship baseball team will stage a 50th anniversary celebration March 20-21 at Hi Corbett Field, with star players Ron Hassey, Craig Gioia and Dave Stegman, among many others, expected to be on campus. The Wildcats will play Big 12 contender Texas Tech that weekend.
The 1976 Arizona baseball team returns from the championship game against ASU, holding the NCAA trophy.
– Sad to learn that former UA linebackers coach Craig Bray died last week in Montana. He was 74. Bray was one of the top assistant coaches in the Pac-12, working not just for Arizona in the early 2000s, but also at ASU and Washington State. His son, Trent Bray, was Oregon State's head coach last year
– In her varsity softball career at Sabino High School, infielder Alyssa Aguirre hit an amazing .548, helping the Sabercats win the 2023 state championship. Pima College coach Rebekah Quiroz wisely recruited Aguirre, who has been a vital part of PCC's 14-1 start. Aguirre is hitting .536 and leads the Aztecs in runs (21) and stolen bases (11). The Aztecs are ranked No. 6 in the NJCAA.
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– ASU basketball coach Bobby Hurley last week told the Athletic that "I take pride in the legacy — being the second winningest coach in history here." Alas, there is no legacy beyond former coach Ned Wulk in ASU basketball history. Those following Wulk — Steve Patterson, Bill Frieder, Rob Evans, Herb Sendek and Hurley — have combined for one Sweet 16 appearance — one — in 43 years. Through Friday, Hurley had gone 88-94 the last six seasons. That's not a legacy. That's a fireable offense.
– In 1990, San Diego basketball prospect Tony Clark was Arizona's No. 1 recruit. He averaged 43 points per game at Christian High School in El Cajon but couldn't get playing time at Arizona when competing with Chris Mills, Wayne Womack and Sunnyside's Deron Johnson. Clark quit the UA team at semester break with a 3.2 scoring average and transferred to San Diego State, where he would average 11.6 and 11.1 points in two seasons. Upon Clark's departure from Tucson, star forward Sean Rooks told the Star "He wanted to be a star, but you've got to pay your dues. He didn't want to pay dues." Clark went on to a 15-year MLB career, a productive first baseman who hit .262. But his biggest accomplishment was becoming president of the MLB Players Association the last decade. Clark was fired last week after a federal investigation regarding licensing money. He is 53.
– Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois last week made UA defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales and offensive coordinator Seth Doege the first UA assistant coaches, any sport, to make $1 million a year. Both will be paid $1.1 million this season. That's the going rate for elite football schools. Texas will pay former UA defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen $1.2 million this season. Nansen is the co-DC for the Longhorns. It exhibits the UA's resolve to be a player in big-time football.
– It wasn't long ago that Amphitheater High School was the No. 1 boys basketball power in Tucson and among the best in Arizona. From 2009-12, coach Ben Hurley led the Aztecs to a 114-16 record, including the 2012 state championship and a No. 2 finish in 2011. Amphi produced the state's player of the year, Tim Derksen. How times change. Amphi's boys basketball team went 0-20 this season, a down year for boys basketball in Tucson as Catalina went 1-21, Desert View 3-23 and even once-formidable Salpointe Catholic finished 11-12.
Spring 2001 in Tucson was a magical time for sports | Greg Hansen
