ZonaZealots Fan Spotlight is heating up this month, hotter than it is in Tucson in August! We have found some huge Wildcats fans who want to share their stories, Wildcats fan Jonathan Stone is one of them!
ZonaZealots caught up with Jonathan after he responded to our spotlight on fellow Wildcats fan Michelle Dorson. We asked on our Facebook page if anyone was a bigger fan than Michelle, and Jonathan was first to respond.
ZZ: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
JONATHAN: I am the BIGGEST ARIZONA WILDCAT FAN !! I was born and raised in Tucson and still consider it my home, even though I now live in Grants Pass, Oregon.
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I enjoy EVERYTHING Arizona Wildcats related ( yes, not just sports !) and consider myself a DIE-HARD WILDCAT FAN!!! Like is said, I enjoy watching and playing sports (Football, Basketball, Baseball and Softball) as well as Drawing, and collecting Vintage toys. I am a freelance comic illustrator working on my own comic, entitled THE HELLGUARD!
I really enjoy what I do for a living; I am the EHS (Environmental, Health and Safety) Technician for a major cabinet manufacturer, and love helping people be safe through advanced problem solving.
I really admire my Dad, Dr. H. Reynolds Stone, a former Spanish professor at the U of A!! He set the bar for what it means to be a GREAT DAD!!! All of my family either worked or graduated from Arizona.
Jonathan Stone on the University of Arizona campus
ZZ: What about your immediate family?
JONATHAN: My youngest sons name is Kacen, my wife Crystal is a convert from the ducks and my oldest son, Jakob, is a senior at Lee Williams high in Kingman..a die-hard just like dad!!
ZZ: Are you an Arizona graduate? If so, Class of…. ? What do you love most about being a fan of the University of Arizona? Where is your favorite place to eat? Go out?
JONATHAN: NO, unfortunately I am not a graduate; Life took me down another path and I wasn’t able to return to finish my degree. (I went to Pima CC for two years, but transferred to a school in Oregon).
The thing I love the best about being a WILDCAT fan is my team perseveres through hard times and stands for being the best!! They keep trying when the chips are down and work so hard, giving their all..they make it easy to be a fan!! BEAR DOWN means more than a motto…it means NEVER, EVER QUITTING OR GIVING UP!! I think that sums it up the best!!!
When I’m in Tucson, we have eaten at El Corral and, of course, Eegee’s!! One of a kind!! I grew up near El Con mall and loved being a kid hanging out there. Nowadays, any chance I get to return to the U of A and enjoy the BEST UNIVERSITY ON THE PLANET, I DO!!
Jonathan Stone on the University of Arizona campus
ZZ: How long have you been a fan of the Arizona Wildcats?
JONATHAN: Since I was a small kid, just getting into football, 5th Grade or so. I remember watching ARIZONA football games when Larry Smith was coaching and seeing Chuck Cecil return that pick six against ASU. Now at 40, I LOVE ARIZONA FOOTBALL THAT MUCH MORE!!
ZZ: What was it about the University of Arizona Athletics program that makes you proud?
JONATHAN: I am so proud to be able call myself a Wildcat fan if for the single simple fact that I am NOT a scum devil fan!! We are so much more dignified and have so much more class than students and fans in Tempe. our athletic programs do things the right way, even when some of our players do not….we hold ourselves to a higher standard because it’s the right thing to do !!
ZZ: What are some of your favorite things about the Arizona Wildcats teams? Which team do you follow the most?
JONATHAN: Like I said, I am a very big fan of ALL ARIZONA ATHLETIC teams, but Football and basketball rule my sports world. I like the fact that Sand Volleyball just started as a program and already we a national power!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?
Jonathan Stone
ZZ: Do you attend any Arizona games in person? Do you have any rituals before or during a game? Do you ever travel to see the Wildcats Play?
JONATHAN: I was able to see the Wildcats at Mckale beat Stanford for the conference title two years ago, which was a bucket-list kind of thing for me!! (I was on ESPN in the opening shot with my oldest son !!!) That was the last game I was able to go to….later this year though, I plan on going to the AZ/ CAL Football game in Berkley..then later in 2016, my close family and I are going to the Cats/ Beavers game in Corvallis !! I’ll be sure to BEAR DOWN AND CHEER US ON TO VICTORY!!
ZZ: Who do you watch games with mostly? Are your parents Wildcats fans?
JONATHAN: I mostly just make it a Family thing and watch with my wife and son… I have a friend who went to the U of A and lives here in Grants Pass. He and I will go to the local sports bar and very loudly represent the wildcats among a sea of quacks!! My folks aren’t as die-hard as I am, however they do love themselves some ARIZONA BASKETBALL!!
ZZ: What is your favorite song, saying or cheer when it comes to the Arizona Wildcats?
JONATHAN: Gotta be singing BEAR DOWN ARIZONA at the top of my lungs, especially the line “FIGHT,FIGHT, WILDCATS FIGHT!!” Still gives me chills!!
Arizona Wildcats
ZZ: Do you have any game day rituals or game day look? Does everyone you work with know you are an Arizona Wildcats fan?
JONATHAN: I dress up nearly every day in some form of ARIZONA apparel, so game day is extra special! The only game I TRULY go all out for is the DUEL IN THE DESERT against that remedial school called Tempe Normal..!! And do people I work with know I’m a fan…There’s NO way they don’t!! SAY IT LOUD, SAY IT PROUD…BEAR DOWN ARIZONA!!
ZZ: Do you have a favorite Arizona Wildcat Athletics moment?
JONATHAN: I Have a few…the Goal line stand against Oregon when Chris McAlister stopped Bill Musgrave short….the 110 yard pick six vs. the scummies by Chuck Cecil…and last year, when Scooby Wright stripped Mariota to seal the win !!
ZZ: Tell us about the pride you feel when you wear the school colors. If you see another Arizona Wildcat wearing the school gear, do you shout out to them “Go Cats” or “Beardown” or anything else?
JONATHAN: I feel it’s an honor to wear these colors and represent the best school/ team in the Nation!! Seeing another WILDCAT fan is the best too, because they know when they see you that they’re seeing a family member, a bother in the best fraternity in the world!!
Jonathan Stone and son Jakob
ZZ: Does winning or losing a game affect your mood? In which ways?
JONATHAN: ABSOLUTELY!! I’m pumped and happy when we win, and so sad and upset when we lose…my wife hates when we lose because I’m in such a bad mood!! LOL
ZZ: Who is your favorite Arizona Wildcat player and what sport do they or did they play? Favorite Coach? And why?
JONATHAN: I have always been a Steve Kerr fan (basketball) especially because of all the adversity he’s had and how successful he’s become despite it. He just takes that hardship and turns it into motivation, living the ARIZONA motto!!
ZZ: If you could say one thing to them, what would it be?
JONATHAN: Realize the Honor it is to be a WILDCAT, and always, ALWAYS LIVE THE MOTTO; BEAR DOWN!!!
ZZ: Any parting words?
JONATHAN: THANK YOU for this opportunity!! BEAR DOWN, GO WILDCATS!!
Beardown Johnathan!! Thanks for sharing!