John Muir High School Alumni Association

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Updated
November 15, 2012

2012 Turkey Tussle Game

MUIR WINS Turkey Tussle 37 - 7

Muir celebrates beating Pasadena 37 - 7 in the annual Turkey Tussle Thursday night as they ring the trophy bell at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, November 1, 2012
(©2012 SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz)

©2012 Pasadena Star News/SGV
High School Football: Muir Dominates California in Playoff Opener
By Steve Ramirez, Staff Writer

Posted: 11/09/2012 10:53:40 PM PST

Updated: 11/09/2012 10:58:30 PM PST

California's Robert Rosa (56) tries to stop Muir's Andreece Brown (5) during the first half of Friday night's Southeast Division game, November 9, 2012 at Muir High School in Pasadena. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz)

PASADENA - The myth about the Muir High football team is that the Mustangs have athletes who play football. But the reality is that Muir just happens to have football players who can also run fast.
The Mustangs showed it again Friday night.

Andreece Brown rushed for 134 yards and three touchdowns and Joshua Muema-Washington accounted for 234 yards and two scores as Muir overwhelmed visiting California in the second half en route to a 44-17 victory over the Condors in a CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division Muir, which held California to 92 yards in the second half, improved to 8-3 and will play two-time defending division champion West Covina in next week's second round.
California, which got 80 yards rushing from Aaron Garcia, finished 8-3, losing in the first round for the second consecutive season.

California's Aaron Garcia (22) is taken down by Muir during Friday night's Southeast Division game, November 9, 2012 at Muir High School in Pasadena. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz)

"Everybody knows we've got speed," Muir coach John Hardy said. "But we have football players here at John Muir High School. I'm tired of hearing about how much speed we've got.
"We design plays and we have guys who execute. We're not just speed guys over here."
But it wasn't easy for the Mustangs, who after jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, had to rally back from a 17-14 deficit at halftime. Muir did it, in part by getting some turnovers from California, but the Mustangs also hit some big plays.
The first break came after Condors punter Eric Amezquita mishandled a low snap, giving Muir a first-and-10 at the Condors' 12.
Brown, who had a 43-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, scored from the 14 for a 21-17 lead with 9:45 left in the third quarter.
The Mustangs, following an interception by John Brown inside his own 10, then drove 71 yards and took a 28-17 lead on a 28-yard run by Muema-Washington with 4:45 left in the quarter.
"Second half, we didn't finish," California coach Jim Arnold said. "We did the same in the last three games (of the regular season). We had the game where we wanted it.
"They made a couple of good adjustments, but we had three turnovers in a span of three to four minutes. If you do that against these guys, you're going to pay."
Muir put the game away in the fourth quarter, taking a 44-17 lead on a 44-yard touchdown run by Brown and a 55-yard touchdown pass from Muema-Washington to Marceles Clash.
"The second half we knew we just had to come out and play harder," Muema-Washington said. "We knew we made mistakes in the first half, and we just had to come out and play hard and get the job done."
Early on, Muir looked like it would run away from the Condors, taking a 14-0 advantage after its first two possessions.

Brown got Muir the early lead when he swept left for 43 yards for a 7-0 lead with the game barely five minutes old.
California then handed Muir a gift when Bryan Limon muffed a punt and it was recovered by Muir's Devonte Cravin at the Condors' 8. Brown followed with a 7-yard run before Goodwin dove in from the 1 for a two-touchdown advantage with 1:38 left in the first quarter.

MaxPreps' football rankings have been updated. Muir's national rank has moved +1111 and their state rank has moved +82.
The Mustangs (8-3) will now prepare for their game against West Covina. The Bulldogs come into the non-league game with a 6-5 record. In their last game, West Covina knocked off Paramount, 41-9, in a non-league game.

The Condors now sport a 8-3 record.

The History of the
Turkey Tussle

There are a few stories and myths about the Turkey Tussle. Here's one more...

The cross town rivalry between two high schools in Pasadena began (officially) in 1947. World War II had ended and the campus of John Muir Junior College had been returned to the city of Pasadena after having been converted to an Army military base during that war.

The campus of Muir was once again a place of learning, but was now a high school (then only grades 11 and 12).

Muir was the "other school" and Pasadena High School (PHS) was the "better school." On every level, financially, academically and athletically, comparisons of the two schools were continually made. The Turkey Tussle was about athletics - football, to be exact.

As the story goes, Muir and Pasadena, as do most schools that have a cross town rival, played their homecoming football games against one another. It's the last game of the season and it's played just before Thanksgiving - thus the name "Turkey Tussle." The father of a PHS student, as usual, brags as to how much PHS is going to beat Muir in the football game. A Muir dad takes offense and fires back that Muir will be victorious. After much discussion a friendly wager is made between the two excited men. Not for money, but for pride. Something that would be sorely missed if lost. The PHS dad was a retired Santa Fe railroad man and as a retirement gift from the railroad he was awarded the bell from his locomotive train. He then bet that PHS would defeat Muir and was willing to put his most sacred possession, his bell up as the prize.

The "Bell" is a symbol
for Pride on the field

PHS did win that game and the bell was heard rigging loud and clear after the game. The following year, he once again put the bell up as a symbol for the victor - but Muir won the game and "The Bell" was silenced. Muir demanded that the bell be sent to their campus until they played again next year.
And so it began...

For almost 60 years the "Bell" has been the symbol of the Turkey Tussle and it has been passed back and forth between PHS and Muir.

During the game, the bell sits quietly in the south end zone of the Rose Bowl waiting for the victorious team to claim it and ring it to the cheering crowds; and to the dismay of the losing school. The bell is then taken to the victors campus for all to see during the year.

Of course the irony is that the bell has graced the campus of Muir more than at PHS. In fact, for the past 24 years, PHS has only seen the bell once. Muir has won the game 22 times (with one tie) and has won the past 11 years in-a-row. The complete record is to the right.

Many students and teachers stand a little taller when the bell is rung. Muir players and coaches have given their all to win the prestigious symbol.

Some players have gone onto college and professional football and still remember vividly playing for the "bell." But, of all the players and coaches that fought on the grid iron, the one name that might stand out more than all the rest is Charles White.

In June of 2005, Muir had failed in it's duties to properly protect the bell - it was stolen. For the first time the symbol was missing during that game.

Charles White will always be remembered for that game. But he did not play on the Mustangs squad. He didn't play for the Pasadena Bulldogs either. He wasn't a student at either school, nor a staff member. In fact he had never stepped foot onto either campus. But, still, his name will be forever linked to the history of the "Bell" because he found it sitting in a gully in the forest. Whomever had taken it had dumped it there. Mr. White was a real hero that wonderful day in February.

Upon its return, the bell was professionally cleaned and polished and promptly placed into a secure locked area (not to be revealed).

A documentary about the Turkey Tussle was produced and featured on Fox Sports West cable channel during the month of November, 2007. Although it didn't encompass the entire history of the Turkey Tussle, it did shine a light on the two schools and the cross town battle that has been going on for over 60 years. Ding, ding, ding...

John Muir Jr. College vs. Pasadena Community College
Year	Winner	Score	Muir Record
1947	PCC	23 -14	0 - 1
1948	Muir	20 - 19	1 - 1
1949	Muir	20 - 14	2 - 1
1950	PCC	33 -19	2 - 2
1951	PCC	49 - 20	2 - 3
1952	PCC	67 - 7	2 - 4
1953	PCC	26 - 6	2 - 5
John Muir High vs. Pasadena High
Year	Winner	Score	Muir Record
1954	Muir	19 -12	1 - 0 - 0
1955	Muir	12 - 0	2 - 0 - 0
1956	Muir	54 -14	3 - 0 - 0
1957	Muir	20 - 0	4 - 0 - 0
1958	Muir	14 - 7	5 - 0 - 0
1959	Muir	34 - 7	6 - 0 - 0
1960	Muir	39 - 7	7 - 0 - 0
1961	Muir	25 - 13	8 - 0 - 0
1962	PHS	21 - 4	8 - 1 - 0
1963	Muir	14 - 13	9 - 1 - 0
1964	PHS	27 - 20	9 - 2 - 0
1965	PHS	13 - 7	9 - 3 - 0
1966	Muir	6 - 0	10 - 3 - 0
1967	PHS	14 - 7	10 - 4 - 0
1968	PHS	20 - 0	10 - 5 - 0
1969	PHS	40 -7	10 - 6 - 0
1970	PHS	27 - 0	10 - 7 - 0
1971	PHS	21 - 0	10 - 8 - 0
1972	PHS	27 - 13	10 - 9 - 0
1973	PHS	20 - 7	10 - 10 - 0
1974	PHS	14 - 0	10 - 11 - 0
1975	PHS	35 - 14	10 - 12 - 0
1976	Muir	13 - 10	11 - 12 - 0
1977	Muir	28 - 22	12 - 12 - 0
1978	PHS	7 - 3	12 - 13 - 0
1979	PHS	22 - 7	12 - 14 - 0
1980	Muir	21 - 7	13 - 14 - 0
1981	PHS	10 - 0	13 - 15 - 0
1982	PHS	21 - 10	13 - 16 - 0
1983	TIE	7 - 7	13 - 16 - 1
1984	Muir	14 - 8	14 - 16 - 1
1985	Muir	27 - 7	15 - 16 - 1
1986	Muir	30 - 8	16 - 16 - 1
1987	Muir	14 - 9	17 - 16 -1
1988	Muir	13 - 0	18 - 16 - 1
1989	Muir	27 - 0	19 - 16 - 1
1990	Muir	42 - 0	20 - 16 - 1
1991	Muir	36 - 14	21 - 16 - 1
1992	Muir	27 - 0	22 - 16 - 1
1993	Muir	27 - 12	23 - 16 - 1
1994	Muir	34 - 20	24 - 16 - 1
1995	PHS	14 - 7	24 - 17 - 1
1996	Muir	35 - 28	25 - 17 -1
1997	Muir	14 - 6	26 - 17 -1
1998	TIE	20 - 20	26 - 17 - 2
1999	Muir	33 - 8	27 - 17 - 2
2000	Muir	30 - 6	28 - 17 - 2
2001	Muir	49 - 21	29 - 17 - 2
2002	Muir	35 - 6	30 - 17 - 2
2003	Muir	57 - 26	31 - 17 - 2
2004	Muir	48 -25	32 - 17 -2
2005	Muir	37 - 15	33 - 17 - 2
2006	Muir	21 - 6	34 - 17- 2
2007	Muir	13 - 9	35 - 17 - 2
2008	Muir	13 - 0	36 - 17 -2
2009	Muir	34 -12	37 - 17 -2
2010	Muir	63 - 3	38 -17 - 2
2011	Muir	14 - 6	39 -17 - 2
2012	Muir	37 - 7	40 -17 - 2