TUCSON, Arizona — "For me, it was incredible timing," said former KGUN-TV sportscaster Dave Silver.
Lute Olson arrived in Tucson in 1983, which happens to be the same year that Silver became a KGUN sportscaster.
"As soon as I got here, it was like, 'Oh wow. We have a big time coach.'"
The Wildcats were coming off a 4-24 season, but it didn’t take long for Silver to realize Olson was going to be successful.
"I just think it was being able to see that UArizona was going to be competitive right off the bat."
The Wildcats were soon a lot more than just competitive.
"They were on their way to winning Pac-10 titles, and bringing in quality players."
One thing you hear from fans, players, and even broadcasters is that Olson made Tucsonans feel like winners.
"They say he put Tucson on the map. He definitely did. That program did. All of a sudden, people I knew outside of Tucson knew about Arizona. They knew about all the players."
It was a quarter of a century ride for Olson, and Dave Silver reported on all the success he brought to McKale Center.
"I was very lucky. I was glad to be in Tucson, and to experience it from the very beginning."
