The Arizona football team was forced to deal with a tumultuous offseason following the conclusion of the 2010 season. From potentially season-ending injuries and speculation that their top receiver may not be able to play to the unveiling of the new Pac-12 Network, the Wildcats dealt with it all. Here’s a look at some of the highlights, or lowlights, of Arizona’s offseason:
March 26
Backup running back Greg Nwoko becomes the first to go down in Arizona’s rash of preseason injuries, tearing the ACL in his left leg while making a cut in a spring scrimmage.
March 30
Safety Adam Hall is the second expected contributor to be sidelined with a serious knee injury after tearing an ACL during a spring practice.
April 16
The Arizona football team holds its annual spring game in front of a few thousand fans at Arizona Stadium. It isn’t a good day for the Wildcats’ defense — the offense accumulated 380 yards and four scores through the air, and starting linebacker Jake Fischer becomes the third Arizona player to go down with a serious ACL injury.
May 4
The Pacific 12 Conference agrees to a 12-year television contract with ESPN and Fox, worth $2.7 billion in total. The contract takes effect in the 2012-2013 season.
May 15
Traffic on Sixth Street is restricted as crews begin construction on the structure that will hold Arizona Stadium’s new 5,356 square foot high-definition scoreboard.
June 26
The Arizona Daily Star’s Greg Hansen reports that wide receiver Juron Criner may miss the 2011 season because of “”undisclosed medical reasons.””
July 1
Colorado and Utah officially join the conference, setting up the Pac-12’s North and South divisions, and the conference’s first football championship game.
July 10
The structure that will hold Arizona Stadium’s video board is complete, and crews prepare to paint the columns and hang advertisements. This is the last major step in construction until the video board is put in place.
July 19
Arizona head coach Mike Stoops says Criner has rejoined the team, and will play in 2011.
July 26
Arizona Athletics launches its new site for purchasing football tickets, everydownbeardown.com. The site includes a welcome video and virtual seating locations to help fans with ticket selection.
July 26
The Arizona football team is picked to finish fourth in the Pacific 12 Conference South Division for the 2011 football season by members of the media. Oregon and ASU are selected to face off in the conference’s inaugural football championship game.
July 27
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott announces the creation of a family of Pac-12 Networks, which will launch in August 2012.
Aug. 2
All Arizona football newcomers report to fall camp and receive their equipment. Arizona’s recruiting class is rated eighth in the conference by rivals.com.
Aug. 3
All returning Arizona football players report to fall camp in preparation for the first practice, which will be held Aug. 4.
Aug. 20
The Arizona football team holds its annual “”Meet the Team”” night at 6 p.m. at Arizona Stadium. This is the final scrimmage before regular-season practice starts, and includes an autograph session on the field at the conclusion of the scrimmage.
