Since Brent Brennan arrived in Tucson he has established many standards that he wants his players to try and live by. Team standards like “Redline” have shown themselves to be effective in different game situations.
One of the team standards that has been key to the cohesion of the program as a whole is the “Bear Down Brotherhood.” It has become the culture of the program and it is how the Wildcats have built unbreakable trust with each other.
The Bear Down Brotherhood comes in many shapes and forms.
For Brennan, his connection to his younger brother Brad Brennan comes in a roundabout way. Brad Brennan played for the Wildcats from 1996 to 2000, and then 24 years later his older brother would be the head man of the program.
Brent Brennan was also a graduate assistant under legendary Wildcats head coach Dick Tomey in 2000. Not only did Brennan’s tenure start with that connection, but both would end up having a connection with Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.
In the 1998 Holiday Bowl, Brad Brennan caught a crucial touchdown pass that helped Arizona beat Nebraska 23-20. 28 years later, Brent Brennan coached the Wildcats in the 2026 Holiday Bowl, but unlike his brother he could not come out with a win.
While this has been a metaphorical matter for the program, it is now starting to take literal form with blood brothers being part of the program now. Arizona has three pairs of brothers on its roster, with the most noticeable pair being the Fifita siblings.
Freshman linebacker Dash Fifita comes to Arizona with a large shadow of a legacy to follow in his older brother Noah Fifita. The fifth year quarterback was adamant that if presented the opportunity to go one-on-one in the open field against his younger brother, that it was going to go down.
“Hey man, you and Dash are not trying to run each other over,” Brennan told Fifita.
Fifita responded, “Coach, if he’s there it’s happening.”
While they have been around each other their entire lives, the coaches have made it clear that regardless of the blood bond between the two, Dash Fifita is not supposed to come close to Noah Fifita.
“I made it very clear, ‘Dash, you do not touch Noah in the open field, I don’t care if he’s your brother. You do not touch him.’ Dash did a great job with that, and they do have some fun going back and forth,” said linebackers coach Josh Bringuel.
During one of the previous practices, the Fifita brothers were presented with the opportunity to compete against each other. Dash Fifita ended up picking off one of his older brother’s passes. It was a moment decades in the making and for Dash Fifita it was a special moment.
“It was amazing to even go out there against him and just compete against him,” said Fifita. “When he threw that ball, it felt like a surreal moment. Our childhood memories, all the conversations we had about playing with each other rolled through my mind while I was in the air, and as I came down with it, it just felt good. I didn’t know how to react. I was just running to the end zone, looking for him. I didn’t know how to celebrate, but the boys were with me, and it was a surreal moment.”
Dash Fifita is very aware that his brother wants those opportunities to go one-on-one in the open field. In his mind, however, it would not end the way his older brother would want.
“I’m sure in the open field, he for sure wants that to go down, but I don’t think it would end too positive for him,” said Fifita.
For Noah Fifita, wanting to run over his younger brother comes from muscle memory of a lifetime of competing against each other. While it is second nature for him to challenge his brother, he still sees this opportunity to play with him as a blessing.
“I think that’s just the competitor side of me, the big brother side of me,” said Fifita. “I’ve never been able to play with my little brother, so for this opportunity, it’s something that we’ve been kind of manifesting and dreaming our whole life. So, yeah, I don’t think Coach Brennan will allow it. There’s definitely respect there, but I like to mess around.”
With the Fifita brothers being the most noticeable pair of brothers on the team, the Spivey brothers bring a similar level of competition. Older brother Tre Spivey had a similar response to Noah Fifita when it came to going against his younger brother Kingston Spivey.
“He’s not tackling me,” said Spivey. “Kingston, nah, he ain’t got no chance. Now Kingston can tackle. That’s one thing about him. He’ll come down and lay it down. I won’t give him the opportunity to do that.”
Spivey gave credit to his younger brother, as their life long competition has fueled them both into the players that they are. Since a very young age, Kingston Spivey has had to prove that he can contend with the “top dogs” on the field.
“My brother, he’s three years younger than me, and he’s always been super competitive,” said Spivey. “King, he has this dog to him, this chip on his shoulder, always, because there’s times where he felt undersized or overlooked, and I feel like every time he gets an opportunity, he takes it and runs. So, when he goes up against me, he’s trying to prove something, and it’s all just brotherly love.”
The third pair of brothers on Arizona’s roster is the Griffin brothers. In contrast to the other pairs of brothers, Jake Griffin and Jaxon Griffin get to work in the same room as both are offensive lineman.
Surprisingly there are very similar connections between them and the Spivey brothers. Both pairs are from within the state of Arizona, each pair had both brothers attend the same high school (Spiveys went to Hamilton high school in Chandler, Griffins went to Red Mountain high school in Mesa), the older brothers are transfer players, and the younger brothers enrolled straight to Arizona.
Other sibling duos that have come through Arizona include Ricky Hunley and Lamonte Hunley, along with Rob Gronkowski and Chris Gronkowski. Clearly, whether it be from blood bonds or coincidental connections, the Bear Down Brotherhood is a real thing for the Arizona football program.
