WINNING IS KEY
Santa Ana Hosted the Key to the County Breakfast at the Katella Grill this morning honoring the oldest football rivalry in the state.
WINNING IS KEY: Santa Ana Hosted the Key to the County Breakfast at the Katella Grill this morning honoring the oldest football rivalry in the state.
For 89 years, the football teams from Santa Ana College and Fullerton College have clashed once a year in what is believed 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 89 times including 67 consecutive years from 1945 to the present. Fullerton has won the past five meetings to overtake the series lead at 44-41-4.
The two teams will renew the rivalry this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Santa Ana Stadium with more than just the Key on the line. The Dons are tied with Fullerton and Saddleback College for first place in the National Division, Southern Conference and only one team can advance to the postseason.
All three teams hold identical 4-1 records in conference and a series of tiebreakers could ultimately decide who advances and who does not. A Dons win today would put SAC in the postseason as the Dons hold the tiebreaker over Saddleback College.
The Hornets, on the other hand, would need a win today as well as a Saddleback loss in order to advance to the playoffs. Finally, Saddleback needs a win at Golden West College coupled with a Dons loss to be the team to advance out of the conference.
To honor California community college's oldest football rivalry, Santa Ana College hosted the "Key to the County" Football Breakfast this morning at Katella Grill in Orange. The one-hour breakfast, hosted by broadcast legend and Santa Ana-alum Ed Arnold, featured annual challenges laid down by several supporters from each school, player introductions and coaches' analysis of the upcoming meeting between the two teams.
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 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.
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 75th 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.
KEY TO THE COUNTY FACTS
CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED IN SERIES
67 (1945-present)
LAST MEETING
Fullerton 21, Santa Ana 13 (September 2, 2011 at Titan Stadium)
SERIES WON-LOSS RECORD
Fullerton leads 44-41-4
POINTS SCORED IN SERIES
Fullerton: 1759 (19.76 avg.)
Santa Ana: 1456 (16.35 avg.)
LONGEST WINNING STREAK
Fullerton: 8 (1963-70)
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: 56 (2003, W, 56-24)
MOST POINTS SCORED, TWO TEAMS (Year)
80 (2003: Fullerton 56, Santa Ana 24)
80 (2006: Santa Ana 45, Fullerton 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: 21 (2009)
Santa Ana: 17 (1999)
NATIONAL TITLES
Fullerton: 3 (1965, 10-0; 1967, 12-0; 1983, 10-0-1)
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 2-0-0 (Fullerton leads)
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
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