Football
On Tuesday, the Arizona football team announced a home-and-home series to be played against the University of Hawaii in Honolulu in 2019 and in Tucson the following year.
Arizona and Hawaii have met four times in Arizona football history, with the Wildcats winning each of those contests. The most recent contest was in 1998 under former head coach Dick Tomey.
“We are pleased to announce this series with the University of Hawaii,” UA athletic director Greg Byrne said in a statement. “It will give our fans a great opportunity to follow our football team to Hawaii and it will be another attractive game at Arizona Stadium.”
Basketball
On Tuesday night, Major League Baseball played its 83rd annual All-Star Game in Kansas City, Mo. The Midsummer Classic has been the site of countless All-Star Game memories from some of the best players professional baseball has to offer.
The All-Star Game has also been a platform for three former Arizona basketball players to showcase their baseball abilities after their days in McKale Center.
Kenny Lofton, Tony Clark and Hank Leiber all played basketball at the UA before having decade-long MLB careers.
As a backup point guard, Lofton averaged 4.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game from 1985-89 before graduating the UA and embarking on a 17-year professional baseball career. Lofton was a six-time All-Star with the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves.
Clark played at Arizona from 1990-91, averaging 3.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. After departing from school, Clark enjoyed a 15-year career with seven teams, earning his way on to the American League All-Star team in 2001 with the Detroit Tigers.
Leiber lettered for the Wildcats in 1931, but played 10 years in the MLB appearing in three Midsummer Classics with the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs.
Awards
Recent Arizona graduates Ben Grado (diving) and Katie Matusik (gymnastics) were announced winners of the 2011-2012 Pac-12 Tom Hansen Conference Medal, the conference reported Tuesday.
Grado, the lone diver on the list, won Arizona’s first national title in diving in March’s NCAA Championships. Grado attempted to make the National Diving Team, but fell short of his goal. Grado will now shift his focus to joining Cirque Du Soleil.
Matusik competed in every meet for the Wildcats a season ago, earning conference honors in the balance beam event and the conference Sportsmanship Award. Matusik was also named the co-Female Senior Student Athlete of the year in the C.A.T.S. Banquet in April.
