|
Santa Ana Hosts "Key to the County" Breakfast
SANTA ANA , CA - For 85 years, the football teams from Santa Ana College and Fullerton College have clashed once a year in what is believe to be California community college's longest-running football rivalry. Since their first meeting in 1916, a most-fitting scoreless tie, the two teams have played 84 times including 62 consecutive years from 1945 to the present. Santa Ana has won 41 of the previous 84 meeting and holds a 41-39-4 series advantage over Fullerton , including a 45-35 victory at Fullerton last season.
The Dons and Hornets will square off for the 85th time on Saturday, September 15 at 6 p.m. when Fullerton visits Santa Ana Stadium.
To honor California community college's oldest football rivalry, Santa Ana hosted the "Key to the County" Football Breakfast on Monday, September 10 at 7:30 a.m. at The Hacienda in Santa Ana . The one-hour breakfast, hosted by broadcast legend and Santa Ana-alum Ed Arnold , featured challenges laid down by several supporters from each school, player introductions and coaches' analysis of the 85th meeting between the two teams.
Among those in attendance for Santa Ana College included President Erlinda J. Martinez, Chancellor of the Rancho Santiago Community College District Eddie Hernandez and Orange County Supervisor Janet Ngyuen. Supporters of Fullerton College included President Kathleen Hodge, Chancellor of the North Orange County Community College District Jerome Hunter and Mayor of Fullerton Shawn Nelson.
Early on the rivalry captured the attention of Orange County , when the two teams began meeting on Thanksgiving Day. The "Turkey Bowl," as it was known, lasted from 1925 until 1958 and reportly drew crowds of 15,000 and more.
Several times in the series, the stakes have gone beyond local bragging rights. In 1968, both teams entered the contest with identical records of 6-0 and the game had to be played at the newly constructed Anaheim Stadium to accommodate the large crowd.
The latest chapter was written in 1997, when former mayor and current Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby, a longtime Hornet fan, introduced the "Key to the County," a perennial trophy to be turned over to the winner of each year's game. The key was unveiled at the 75 th meeting at Titan Stadium on November 15, 1997.
The large iron key features Santa Ana 's colors (red and black) on one side and lists the score of every Dons' victory in the series. The flip side displays the Hornets' colors (blue and gold) with the scores of all the Fullerton wins. |
