FOOTBALL KEY TO COUNTY PREVIEW: KEEPING THE TORCH LIT

The Fullerton College and Santa Ana College football teams will meet for the 95th time this Saturday in one of California's oldest rivalry games. In honor of the game, folks from both colleges got together for the annual Key to the County breakfast.

About the Breakfast

The 24th annual Key to the County Breakfast was held on Friday morning on the Fullerton College campus with administrators and players of Santa Ana and Fullerton colleges joining forces to celebrate one of California's oldest rivalry games. Longtime Hornet baseball coach and football game announcer Nick Fuscardo emceed the breakfast event. Speakers included FC President Greg Schulz, Santa Ana Dean of Kinesiology & Athletics Dr. R. Douglas Manning, and FC Athletic Director Scott Giles. Of course, Don Head Coach Adam Nyssen and Hornet Head Coach Tim Byrnes spoke about their teams, the game's tradition, and their outlook on the upcoming 2017 season.

"Traditions go away really fast if you let them. 101 years we've played football with Santa Ana College, and it should go on for 200 more years. I still have former players appreciating the fact that they played in the longest community college rivalry in the United States,  and these players here today will also learn how special this game is", Coach Tim Byrnes.

About the Game

For one hundred years, the football teams from Fullerton College and Santa Ana College have battled it out on the gridiron once a year in what is believed by many 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 92 times including 70 consecutive years from 1945 to the present. Fullerton has won 47 of the previous 90 meetings and holds a 47-41-4 series advantage over Santa Ana. The Hornets have kept the key on the Fullerton campus (15 out of the last 16 years) with a 56-17 victory at Santa Ana's Eddie West Stadium last season.

The Hornets and Dons will be playing for the 95th time on Saturday, September 1^st at 12:00 pm when Santa Ana College visits Fullerton at Yorba Linda High's Shapell Stadium.

Early on, the Santa Ana / Fullerton 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 reportedly 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 of around 30,000.

Santa Ana dominated the early years of the series holding an 18-7-4 edge through 1951, but then Fullerton Coach Hal Sherbeck came along.

"They told me not to unpack my bags until I beat them," said Sherbeck, who lost to the Dons, 47-16, in 1961, his first season.

Sherbeck and the Hornets would lose again in 1962 (The Dons won the national title at the Junior Rose Bowl), but proceeded to win eight straight and 14 of 15.

In 1997, former Fullerton mayor and State Assemblyman 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 75th meeting at Titan Stadium on November 15, 1997. The large iron key originally hung outside of former Hornet running back Tony Bushala's restaurant on the corner of Harbor and Orangethorpe.

The key features Santa Ana's colors (red and black) on one side and lists the score of every Don's victory in the series. The flip side displays the Hornets' colors (blue and gold) with the scores of all the Fullerton wins.

WATCH THE GAME LIVE SEPTEMBER 2ND at NOON HERE

Key to the County Year-by-Year Results

Year      Result

1916      Santa Ana 0, Fullerton 0

1917      Did not play

1918      Did not play

1919      Did not play

1920      Did not play

1921      Fullerton 13, Santa Ana 0 (1st of two in 1921)

1921      Fullerton 35, Santa Ana 0 (2nd of two in 1921)

1922      Santa Ana 25, Fullerton 0

1923      Did not play

1924      Did not play

1925      Santa Ana 13, Fullerton 0

1926      Santa Ana 13, Fullerton 0

1927      Santa Ana 6, Fullerton 0

1928      Fullerton 20, Santa Ana 6

1929      Santa Ana 19, Fullerton 13

1930      Santa Ana 13, Fullerton 13

1931      Fullerton 19, Santa Ana 12

1932      Fullerton 14, Santa Ana 13

1933      Santa Ana 6, Fullerton 3

1934      Santa Ana 6, Fullerton 0

1935      Fullerton 7, Santa Ana 0

1936      Santa Ana 13, Fullerton 0

1937      Santa Ana 20, Fullerton 0

1938      Santa Ana 13, Fullerton 13

1939      Santa Ana 14, Fullerton 7

1940      Santa Ana 14, Fullerton 7

1941      Santa Ana 6, Fullerton 0

1942      Santa Ana 13, Fullerton 12

1943      Did not play (WW II)

1944      Did not play (WW II)

1945      Santa Ana 7, Fullerton 0

1946      Santa Ana 19, Fullerton 14

1947      Fullerton 20, Santa Ana 6

1948      Santa Ana 22, Fullerton 6

1949      Santa Ana 34, Fullerton 6

1950      Santa Ana 18, Fullerton 18

1951      Santa Ana 14, Fullerton 0

1952      Fullerton 7, Santa Ana 6

1953      Fullerton 20, Santa Ana 0

1954      Fullerton 29, Santa Ana 26

1955      Fullerton 55, Santa Ana 7

1956      Fullerton 42, Santa Ana 7

1957      Santa Ana 6, Fullerton 0

1958      Santa Ana 16, Fullerton 13

1959      Santa Ana 33, Fullerton 21

1960      Santa Ana 19, Fullerton 6

1961      Santa Ana 47, Fullerton 16

1962      Santa Ana 36, Fullerton 12

1963      Fullerton 27, Santa Ana 0

1964      Fullerton 39, Santa Ana 0

1965      Fullerton 14, Santa Ana 13

1966      Fullerton 35, Santa Ana 21

1967      Fullerton 34, Santa Ana 7

1968      Fullerton 28, Santa Ana 7

1969      Fullerton 34, Santa Ana 9

1970      Fullerton 21, Santa Ana 13

1971      Santa Ana 9, Fullerton 7

1972      Fullerton 24, Santa Ana 14

1973      Fullerton 19, Santa Ana 0

1974      Fullerton 36, Santa Ana 7

1975      Fullerton 13, Santa Ana 7

1976      Fullerton 33, Santa Ana 0

1977      Fullerton 42, Santa Ana 7

1978      Santa Ana 42, Fullerton 21

1979      Santa Ana 21, Fullerton 19

1980      Santa Ana 15, Fullerton 10

1981      Fullerton 19, Santa Ana 12

1982      Fullerton 37, Santa Ana 0

1983      Fullerton 33, Santa Ana 7

1984      Fullerton 43, Santa Ana 33

1985      Santa Ana 27, Fullerton 24

1986      Santa Ana 26, Fullerton 23

1987      Santa Ana 27, Fullerton 17

1988      Fullerton 24, Santa Ana 17

1989      Santa Ana 35, Fullerton 10

1990      Fullerton 44, Santa Ana 22

1991      Fullerton 34, Santa Ana 7

1992      Santa Ana 29, Fullerton 28

1993      Santa Ana 41, Fullerton 35

1994      Santa Ana 34, Fullerton 7

1995      Fullerton 24, Santa Ana 17

1996      Santa Ana 24, Fullerton 3

1997      Santa Ana 38, Fullerton 16

1998      Santa Ana 38, Fullerton 7

1999      Santa Ana 31, Fullerton 17

2000      Santa Ana 35, Fullerton 23

2001      Fullerton 24, Santa Ana 7

2002      Fullerton 24, Santa Ana 21

2003      Fullerton 56, Santa Ana 24

2004      Fullerton 36, Santa Ana 28

2005      Fullerton 31, Santa Ana 24

2006      Santa Ana 45, Fullerton 35

2007      Fullerton 20, Santa Ana 18

2008      Fullerton 35, Santa Ana 7

2009      Fullerton 41, Santa Ana 7

2010      Fullerton 41, Santa Ana 10

2011      Fullerton 21, Santa Ana 13

2012      Fullerton 57, Santa Ana 23

2013     Fullerton 56, Santa Ana 35

2014     Fullerton 49, Santa Ana 14
2015     Fullerton 20, Santa Ana 14

2016     Fullerton 56, Santa Ana 17

CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED IN SERIES

      71 (1945-present)
LAST MEETING
      Fullerton 56, Santa Ana 17 (September 3, 2016 at Santa Ana's Eddie West Stadium)

SERIES WON-LOSS RECORD

      Fullerton leads 49-41-4

POINTS SCORED IN SERIES

      Fullerton: 1,931 (20.98 avg.)

      Santa Ana: 1,528 (16.60 avg.)

LONGEST WINNING STREAK

      Fullerton: 10 (2007-2016)

      Santa Ana: 6 (1957-62)

SHUTOUTS (Last Shutout, Score)

      Fullerton: 10 (1982, 37-0)

      Santa Ana: 13 (1957, 6-0)

MOST POINTS SCORED, ONE TEAM (Year, Result)

      Fullerton: 57 (2012, W, 57-23)

MOST POINTS SCORED, TWO TEAMS (Year)

     91 (2013: Fullerton 56, Santa Ana 35)

FEWEST POINTS SCORED, TWO TEAMS (Year)

      0 (1916: Santa Ana 0, Fullerton 0)

FEWEST POINTS SCORED IN WIN, TWO TEAMS (Years)

      6 (4 times (1927, 1934, 1941, 1957) Santa Ana won 6-0 in all four)

LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY

      48 (1955: Fullerton 55, Santa Ana 7)

NARROWEST MARGIN OF VICTORY

      1 (5 times – 1932: Fullerton 13, Santa Ana 12; 1942: Santa Ana 13, Fullerton 12; 1952: Fullerton 7, Santa Ana 6; 1965: Fullerton 14, Santa Ana 13; 1992: Santa Ana 29, Fullerton 28)

CONFERENCE TITLES (Last Title)

      Fullerton: 25 (2016)

      Santa Ana: 17 (1999)

NATIONAL TITLES

      Fullerton: 4 (1965, 10-0; 1967, 12-0; 1983, 10-0-1; 2016, 12-1)

      Santa Ana: 3 (1940, 11-0; 1942, 9-0; 1962, 10-0)

WINS-LOSSES-TIES BY DECADE (Leader)

      Decade            W-L-T

      1910s            0-0-1 (Santa Ana and Fullerton played to a scoreless tie in their first-ever meeting in 1916)

      1920s            5-3-0 (Santa Ana)

      1930s            5-3-2 (Santa Ana)

      1940s            7-1-0 (Santa Ana, no games played in 1943 and 1944 due to World War II)

      1950s            5-4-1 (Fullerton)

      1960s            7-3-0 (Fullerton)

      1970s            7-3-0 (Fullerton)

      1980s            5-5-0 (Tied)

      1990s            7-3-0 (Santa Ana)

      2000s            8-2-0 (Fullerton leads)

      2010s            7-0-0 (Fullerton leads)

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