Pop McKale
Encyclopedia
James Fred "Pop" McKale (June 12, 1887 – June 1, 1967) was an American football
and baseball
player, coach of football, basketball
, baseball, and track
, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Arizona
from 1914 to 1930, compiling a record of 81–32–6. McKale was also the head basketball coach at Arizona from 1914 to 1921, tallying a mark of 49–12, and the head baseball coach at the school from 1915 to 1919 and again from 1922 to 1949, amassing a record of 304–118–7. In addition, he was the athletic director
at Arizona from 1914 to 1957. McKale was inducted into the Arizona Sportsmen Hall of Fame in 1959 and was a charter member of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 1976. The McKale Center
, the University of Arizona's home basketball venue, was opened in 1973 and named in McKale's honor.
. He helped the football team win an Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
championship in 1908 and served as the team's captain in 1908 and 1909. A four-year varsity letter winner in both baseball and football, McKale served as the student president of the MIAA in 1909–10.
McKale was not a coach, but also the founder of the Epsilon Alpha chapter of Sigma Nu social fraternity at Arizona. A Sigma Nu Chapter member was also McKale's star quarterback, John "Button" Salmon. In 1926, Salmon he was student body president, starting quarterback for the Wildcat football team, catcher for the Wildcat baseball team.
The day after the first game of the 1926 football season, Salmon and two others were involved in an automobile accident, in which their vehicle flipped over in a ravine. Although Salmon's friends were not injured, Salmon suffered a severe spinal cord injury. In the aftermath of the accident, football coach Pop McKale visited him in the hospital every day. During McKale's last visit, Salmon's last message to his teammates was, "Closer...come closer...Tell them… tell the team to bear down."[1] John Salmon died on October 18, 1926. Following Salmon's funeral, McKale reportedly told the team what he had said in a Las Cruces, New Mexico
locker room before a football game against the Aggies of New Mexico State, and UA won a hard-fought victory, 7–0.
The following year, the University of Arizona student body approved that "Bear Down" would be the new slogan for all Wildcat athletic teams. That year, Chain Gang, a junior honorary organization at the UA, held a dance in the newly-constructed university gymnasium to raise funds to paint the slogan on the roof of the building. The words are still featured on the roof of the gymnasium, now known as Bear Down Gym. In 1939, the Arizona state legislature issued a decree that "Bear Down" would be the exclusive property of The University of Arizona.
McKale was head basketball coach of Arizona from 1914 to 1921, where he recorded a 49–12 record.
is an athletic arena located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona
named in honor of McKale, athletic director and coach of all sports at the University of Arizona for a time, a figure at the university from 1914 to 1957. McKale is also credited with giving the university its nickname, the Wildcats. McKale coached the 1914 school football team that played a tough game against California champions Occidental College on Thanksgiving Day where the press deemed the Arizona team "Fought like Wildcats", McKale ensured that the nickname remained.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player, coach of football, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball, and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
from 1914 to 1930, compiling a record of 81–32–6. McKale was also the head basketball coach at Arizona from 1914 to 1921, tallying a mark of 49–12, and the head baseball coach at the school from 1915 to 1919 and again from 1922 to 1949, amassing a record of 304–118–7. In addition, he was the athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
at Arizona from 1914 to 1957. McKale was inducted into the Arizona Sportsmen Hall of Fame in 1959 and was a charter member of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 1976. The McKale Center
McKale Center
McKale Memorial Center is an athletic arena located at 1756 E University Blvd on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. It is primarily used for basketball, but also features state-of-the-art physical training and therapy facilities. Its construction is marked with a large...
, the University of Arizona's home basketball venue, was opened in 1973 and named in McKale's honor.
Playing career
McKale was named a two-time All-State athlete in both football and baseball at Albion CollegeAlbion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
. He helped the football team win an Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association is an athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. The nine teams in the conference are all located in the states of Michigan and Indiana. The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association was established on March 24, 1888, making...
championship in 1908 and served as the team's captain in 1908 and 1909. A four-year varsity letter winner in both baseball and football, McKale served as the student president of the MIAA in 1909–10.
Coaching career
McKale first moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1911 and served as a baseball coach for Tucson High School. At that time THS had no mascot, so Pop, being from Wisconsin said, "We'll be the Badgers!". And it was not a huge step to make the school's colors red and white. Based on his outstanding record, students from the University of Arizona petitioned university president, A. H. Wilde, to hire McKale as the coach for all athletic teams.McKale was not a coach, but also the founder of the Epsilon Alpha chapter of Sigma Nu social fraternity at Arizona. A Sigma Nu Chapter member was also McKale's star quarterback, John "Button" Salmon. In 1926, Salmon he was student body president, starting quarterback for the Wildcat football team, catcher for the Wildcat baseball team.
The day after the first game of the 1926 football season, Salmon and two others were involved in an automobile accident, in which their vehicle flipped over in a ravine. Although Salmon's friends were not injured, Salmon suffered a severe spinal cord injury. In the aftermath of the accident, football coach Pop McKale visited him in the hospital every day. During McKale's last visit, Salmon's last message to his teammates was, "Closer...come closer...Tell them… tell the team to bear down."[1] John Salmon died on October 18, 1926. Following Salmon's funeral, McKale reportedly told the team what he had said in a Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
locker room before a football game against the Aggies of New Mexico State, and UA won a hard-fought victory, 7–0.
The following year, the University of Arizona student body approved that "Bear Down" would be the new slogan for all Wildcat athletic teams. That year, Chain Gang, a junior honorary organization at the UA, held a dance in the newly-constructed university gymnasium to raise funds to paint the slogan on the roof of the building. The words are still featured on the roof of the gymnasium, now known as Bear Down Gym. In 1939, the Arizona state legislature issued a decree that "Bear Down" would be the exclusive property of The University of Arizona.
McKale was head basketball coach of Arizona from 1914 to 1921, where he recorded a 49–12 record.
McKale Center
The McKale CenterMcKale Center
McKale Memorial Center is an athletic arena located at 1756 E University Blvd on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. It is primarily used for basketball, but also features state-of-the-art physical training and therapy facilities. Its construction is marked with a large...
is an athletic arena located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
named in honor of McKale, athletic director and coach of all sports at the University of Arizona for a time, a figure at the university from 1914 to 1957. McKale is also credited with giving the university its nickname, the Wildcats. McKale coached the 1914 school football team that played a tough game against California champions Occidental College on Thanksgiving Day where the press deemed the Arizona team "Fought like Wildcats", McKale ensured that the nickname remained.