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'Bearcats for Life' set to return for UC Homecoming

UC community unites Oct. 22-25, celebrating lifelong Bearcat bonds

6 minute read October 20, 2025

The University of Cincinnati community will unite on Oct. 22-25 for annual Homecoming festivities. The year’s “Bearcats for Life” theme underscores the lifelong relationship shared by the entire UC community.

The University of Cincinnati Alumni Association’s annual Homecoming festivities will take place Oct. 22-25, with all the pageantry of the university’s premier event for its alumni and students. Each year, Homecoming draws tens of thousands of people from the UC and Cincinnati communities for a variety of activities. The cornerstone is Saturday’s Big 12 Conference football game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the visiting Baylor Bears in historic Nippert Stadium. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. with the game televised on ESPN 2 (or ESPNU). A limited number of tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Student Alumni Council members holding the UC Alumni Association Homecoming banner at the front of the 2024 Homecoming parade. Photo/UC Alumni Association.

As always, the traditional Homecoming parade will be a focal point, traveling down Clifton Avenue beginning at Noon. This year’s edition will feature 50 parade entries with generations of onlookers and well-wishers from the UC family lining the route. The parade will highlight the 2025 Homecoming theme “Bearcats for Life,” which references the enduring connections forged within our Bearcats community, and Homecoming’s role in celebrating it. The parade grand marshals will be newly inducted members of the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame:

Meridy Glenn, Women's Soccer Coach (1984-2007)
Tom Marvaso, Football (1973-1975)
Mike Mickens, Football (2005-2008)
Jessie Nevitt, Volleyball (2005-2008)
Tony Pike, Football (2004-2009)
KB Sharp, Women's Basketball (1999-2003)

Across generations, one thing has always united those who attend and graduate from UC: we're Bearcats for Life.

Jennifer Heisey, A&S ’97 Chief Alumni Officer

While the Cincinnati–Baylor football game and parade are the most notable among the official Homecoming festivities running Wednesday through Saturday, Oct. 22-25, a variety of events will provide alumni, students and friends with many opportunities to enjoy the occasion. The schedule includes Bearcats in the City, an alumni social event in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 23; the James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Fifth Third Arena on Friday, Oct. 24; and a host of events over the range of four days hosted by alumni groups and colleges/units within the UC community.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, pregame festivities will occur all around campus and the surrounding neighborhood, including at The Grid tailgate area on Campus Green and Sigma Sigma Commons, which will open at 11 a.m. The football team’s traditional Catwalk to the stadium will pass through The Grid at approximately 1:30 p.m. UC fans are asked to wear red.

“Across generations, one thing has always united those who attend and graduate from UC: we’re Bearcats for Life,” said Chief Alumni Officer Jennifer Heisey, A&S ’97. “That bond is powerful and lasting. It carries memories of our time on campus, sparks new conversations, and inspires us to support one another throughout our lives. Homecoming is our annual reunion — a chance to come home, celebrate our shared Bearcat spirit, and create new memories together — which makes this year’s theme especially fitting.”

Homecoming Week Events

A full list of more than two dozen events is available on the UC Homecoming website. The schedule includes activities hosted by the UC Alumni Association, alumni networks, colleges and units, student groups and UC Athletics. Highlights include: