Six students drove more than 24 hours to Utah over the weekend to support the UA football team in its first game of the season.
The students left Tucson in a Suburban at 8 p.m. Thursday for Salt Lake City, and after seeing the city and attending the game, returned to Tucson at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, said Amber Harryman, a classics junior who went on the trip.
"In hindsight, driving over 24 hours (for a road game) is a little crazy," Harryman said. "But we're all in college and it's experiences like that that you're going to remember."
The Sports Marketing Association, a club within Arizona Athletics, sponsored the two-day road trip that cost $15 a person, said Nick Sproul, association president and trip organizer.
The trip was open to all 150 paying members of the association, said Sproul, a physical education senior.
Though he would have wanted more people to come, Sproul said he enjoyed going with the few people that went.
"It was the start of the year and on Labor Day weekend, so it was hard to get people to come," Sproul said. "But a small group can be fun."
Harryman said the most memorable part was being "heckled and harassed" by a "funny" Utah fan sporting a Mohawk and wearing a pink T-shirt.
Jordan Miller, a senior majoring in marketing and French, said the experience of being one of the few fans at an away game was worthwhile.
"It's good to see the support (the players) have when they're away," Miller said. "They really have a good fan base."
Harryman said the group went to a UA tailgate party before the game, which was attended by UA alumni who lived in the area, parents of the players and administrators, including Arizona Athletics Director Jim Livengood.
Harryman, who is also the Associated Students of the University of Arizona spirit director, said she plans to take 100 students to the football game against the University of Southern California Oct. 8, an event Sproul said will be organized by ASUA, SMA and the Arizona Allegiance.