Yes, I am a proud John Muir Mustang.
Still it saddens me that Pasadena High School’s varsity football team has forfeited its season.
The forfeit comes on the heels of safety concerns for local students. At least one member of the team was transported to a local hospital after being injured in a game late last month.
The team lost a grip of players to graduation and other schools including Charter Oaks, St. Francis, and Baldwin Park.
The school was left with a 46-member team at varying levels.
But that doesn’t mean all 46 players are football players, which led to the injury and the need to cancel the varsity season.
That forfeit includes the cancellation of the annual Turkey Tussle game between the Bulldogs and the Mustangs for the vaunted victory bell.
As many of us know, the battle for the bell dates back to 1954, one year before the Santa Fe railroad donated the bell.
However, over the past several years, the game has become a one-sided affair with Muir dominating the Bulldogs 17-3 in that time period.
Last year’s 28-20 affair was the closest game in years.
I have waited for years for the Bulldogs to field a competitive football team, so the Turkey Tussle, yes one of the most important cultural events in the city, would once again be worth watching.
Now, all that remains is hope that the Bulldogs will field a team next year.
John Muir High School now is the only high school with a varsity football program.
The Marshall Fundamental Eagles and the Blair Vikings fell to budget issues.
And now PHS.
No matter where you went to school, we should all feel for the seniors at Pasadena High School that have lost the opportunity to emerge from the tunnel at the Rose Bowl in front of family and friends to compete in one of the most renowned high school football contests.
Local students wait years for the chance to compete in the Turkey Tussle and follow in the footsteps of tradition, family, and friends.
But maybe that could still run out of that tunnel.
The city should work with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to allow the Bulldogs to run out of the tunnel with the Bruins at a UCLA game.
Along with that, the band should be allowed to perform at halftime.
All in PHS red and white.
And if Muir does play a game in the Rose Bowl, bring the bell and let the Bulldogs ring it.
Or maybe the City Council should recognize and celebrate the team.
Sports builds character. Encouragement builds resilience.
Fight on Bulldogs.
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