Repeat after Me

From 1979 to 2013, Joe Cavaleri was known as the Ooh Aah Man to Tucson fans of the University of Arizona Wildcats. His live-wire fully body spell-outs of "ARIZONA" and his kid-friendly, hyper charged cheers became not only crowd favorites, but often changed the momentum of the games themselves, fueling the Wildcats to at least 2 national titles in baseball and four Final Fours in basketball as a result.Once a competitive college basketball player himself, a freak accident ended his...
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From 1979 to 2013, Joe Cavaleri was known as the Ooh Aah Man to Tucson fans of the University of Arizona Wildcats. His live-wire fully body spell-outs of "ARIZONA" and his kid-friendly, hyper charged cheers became not only crowd favorites, but often changed the momentum of the games themselves, fueling the Wildcats to at least 2 national titles in baseball and four Final Fours in basketball as a result.Once a competitive college basketball player himself, a freak accident ended his career, but sent him into an unlikely career, becoming the first non-student cheerleader in NCAA sports, a role he would play for 30 years. During that time, he walked with sports icons - Steve Kerr, Lute Olson, Jim Nehls, Bob Elliott, Sean Elliott to name a few, and taught the crowds that came to see them play how to cheer like a Wildcat. Official mascots Wilbur and Wilma were based on Joe, and he inspired the creation of Zona Zoo. In 2009, Parkinson's Disease ended his career, but his legacy lives on. He transformed West Coast basketball from what it was, when John Wooden's UCLA fans and players were polite and quiet. Because of Joe, Pac-12 and other leagues rebranded their sports: real fans cheer real loud.Published by the 2014 Pulitzer Prize nominated Miracle Media Publishing.