Near Florence in Pinal County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Bear Down
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, January 16, 2010
1. Bear Down Marker
Near this site on the evening of October 3, 1926, John "Button" Salmon, student body president and quarterback of the University of Arizona football team, was critically injured in a car accident while returning from a weekend in Phoenix with two classmates.The day before his death on October 18, he was visited in the hospital in Tucson by head coach J.F. "Pop" McKale, who asked him if he had a message for the team, Salmon told McKale: "Tell them…tell the team to bear down."
Following his funeral and internment in Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson on October 20, the team traveled to Las Cruces, N.M., for a game against New Mexico A&M. In the locker room prior to the game, McKale told the team about Salmon's dying words. The Wildcats then went out and won a hard-fought 7-0 victory.
Within a short time, Salmon's exhortation to "bear down" became a rallying cry for Wildcat teams and University of Arizona students and alumni everywhere. It remains to this day as one of the nation's most enduring college athletics traditions.
Erected 2001 by Arizona Department of Transportation
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Education • Sports. A significant historical date for this entry is October 3, 1850.
Location. 33° 3.327′ N, 111° 22.755′ W. Marker is near Florence, Arizona, in Pinal County. Marker is on Arizona Route 79, on the left when traveling north. Marker is on west side of highway just north of the Gila River Bridge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Florence AZ 85132, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Poston's Butte (here, next to this marker); Camp Florence (approx. 1.3 miles away); Carmen Michea House (approx. 1.4 miles away); Michea House and Lone Star General Store (approx. 1.4 miles away); Walker – Oury House (approx. 1.4 miles away); Andronico Loroña House (approx. 1.4 miles away); Ignacio Manjarres House (approx. 1.4 miles away); Silver King Florence Hotel (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Florence.
Also see . . . Motto of the University of Arizona. A Wikipedia article on the story behind the "Bear Down" motto. (Submitted on January 20, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.)
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, January 16, 2010
2. Bear Down Marker
Poston's Butte Marker is on the left and, Bear Down Marker is on the right.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, January 19, 2010
3. Bear Down Gymnasium
Bear Down Gymnasium on the University of Arizona Campus, Tucson.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on January 20, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 2,139 times since then and 91 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 20, 2010, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
