A newcomer to the Pacific-10 Conference, Arizona earned a reputation as a giant slayer in the early 1980s to put itself on the map not only across the west coast, but nationally under the direction of head coach Larry Smith. Still the third-winningest coach in school history, Larry directed the Wildcats to winning seasons in six consecutive years (1981-86) for the first time since 1923, to five straight victories over archrival Arizona State for the first time since 1948 (twice knocking the Sun Devils out of the Rose Bowl) and to four consecutive seasons of seven wins or more for the first time ever. His seven year coaching mark of 48-28-3 at the school was highlighted by an 8-13-1 record against Associated Press Top 25 teams, notable considering the program had one such win in the previous decade prior to his arrival. Larry’s squads defeated a ranked foe in six of his seven seasons, but none were more notable than the 1981 road upset of No. 1 USC in the LA Memorial Coliseum. Others significant wins included toppling No. 2 UCLA in 1980, stunning No. 9 Notre Dame on the road in 1982 and upsetting No. 6 SMU in 1985, along with three wins over ranked ASU teams. During his tenure, Larry coached six All-Americans at Arizona, including future College Football Hall of Famers Ricky Hunley and Chuck Cecil. The two prominent defenders each earned Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors and were among 14 players to combine for 18 first-team All-Conference accolades under Larry’s tutelage. His head coaching stint followed a previous stop in Tucson as an assistant head coach/defensive coordinator from 1973-75, when he worked for eventual College Football Hall of Fame head coach Jim Young in some of the most successful seasons in Arizona history.Â
