ÎPapa Lute' Olson and granddaughter Brase share special Wildcat and family connection

If Lute Olson had his way, he would have been enjoying the last segment of Midnight Madness from a seat on the floor that bears his and his late wife's names watching his granddaughter Julie Brase scrimmage.

Instead, he was in the middle of an intense half-circle of TV lights and surrounded by tape recorders and reporters writing frantically. [Read article]

There's no more talk of a conference title, no more talk of being able to win every game on the schedule. To say things have changed for the Arizona football team would be an understatement of epic proportions.

The running back, the one that made the Playboy All-America team, is on the sidelines with a blown knee. Right beside him is the all-conference cornerback with the same problem. Behind them are the senior free safety with a broken arm, the cluster of offensive linemen who can't play and the No. 3 running back with the broken ankle. As for the ones who have suited up to play, it seems its only a matter of time before the slight limp or the grimace after a hard hit turns into a "questionable" on next week's stat sheet. [Read article]

With family there often comes extra support, special care and a sort of feeling that you can't get from anything else.

With the UA football team celebrating its 70th Family Weekend for tomorrow's game against Washington State, it is the football players that will probably benefit most from being in the company of the people they love.

The Wildcats are on a current three-game losing streak and a visit from the folks might be just what the doctor ordered. Arizona is coming off of a bad loss to Stanford last weekend and many of the players look forward to the presence of their families. [Read article]

Friday:

    7 p.m Volleyball vs. Arizona State
    ÷McKale Center

    7:30 p.m. Arizona Icecats vs. Arizona State
    ÷Tucson Convention Center

[Read article]

Ladds treat daughter's teammates like family

Two months into the fall semester, it's not uncommon for students to begin missing their parents and the family life they left behind once coming to school.

That holds true for all students, but especially for athletes, who are used to having their parents to go home to after a tough loss.

It's the support and dedication of most parents that allowed their children to be successful in college athletics in the first place. [Read article]

If Icecat forward Cole Dunlop ever needs a reminder as to where he gets that killer instinct out on the ice, he needs to look no further than the number "19" sewn into the back of his jersey. He wears it in honor of his father, Blake, a former NHL journeyman who spent over a decade on hockey's largest stage.

Blake Dunlop might have hung up his skates while his two sons were barely able to walk, but that has not kept hockey sticks out of their hands, let alone his daughters' as well. [Read article]

Q: What is the traditional flower that UA football players give their moms on Family Weekend?

A: A mum.