The University of Arizona briefly became Adams College for only a few weeks in 1984 for the filming of the comedy Revenge of the Nerds.  The movie was filmed at the University of Arizona and the surrounding area but the school is only identified in the film as “Adams College,” a fictional school in the Midwest.

The movie follows the tale of two young freshman (played by Anthony Edwards and Robert Carradine) who go off to college only to find themselves thrown out of their dorm by football players whose fraternity house suffered a fire.  The two men and the rest of their dorm are forced to sleep in the gymnasium.  While the rest of the young men in the gym are chosen to join fraternities and thus have places to live, only the oddballs remain.  The social misfits decide to officially form their own fraternity and eventually become popular on campus.

Some parts of the campus and the buildings are fairly recognizable. The dorm that the freshmen are kicked out of was Cochise Hall and the gym they were forced to live in was Bear Down Gymnasium.  Other sites included in the movie are the Computer Center, the Arizona Stadium, and the Memorial Fountain in front of Old Main, although Old Main was not included. The fabricated name of the school also made it easy for the filmmakers to utilize the A’s on campus. 

The filming of the movie was almost not allowed to happen.  University officials initially agreed to the filming but then backed out due to criticism that the film would be “raunchy” and unfairly portray campus life.  Although the filmmakers promised that the university would not be identified, Greek and student officials feared that the movie would be similar to the other fraternity comedy, Animal House, in its depiction of constant campus partying. Articles in the local press debated whether letting the movie film on campus would be a disgrace or else a blessing to the community.  However, the pressure of the promised $4 million and jobs that would be coming to community, as well as a separate financial gift to the university, changed the mind of officials and filming was allowed to begin.

Once it was announced that filming would begin, at least 1500 students showed up to audition to be in the movie as about 4000 people in the area were expected to be needed as extras. The movie was filmed in January 1984 in Tucson for about six to eight weeks, but crews were only on campus for about 15 days total.  Students were involved with the production and school officials claimed that the $10,000 paid to the university was used to improve handicapped facilities throughout campus. 

-Maurita Baldock