Crosstown Rivalries Clash as PHS, Muir Meet in Traditional Turkey Tussle at the Rose Bowl Tonight

One of the best-known high school rivalries in Southern California sports takes center stage at the Rose Bowl tonight as the Mustangs of John Muir High School and the Bulldogs of Pasadena High School face off for the annual Turkey Tussle homecoming football game.

Regardless of which team wins, the game itself is something of a symbol of victory as the city climbs back to a semblance of normalcy after the pandemic’s grip shut down normal life on and off the field.

The game is played each year around Halloween, but was canceled in 2020.

Kickoff is at 5:00 p.m. A pre-determined limit of 680 fans will be in attendance.

The Turkey Tussle dates back to 1947, when Pasadena Junior Community College and John Muir College squared off. The two played against each other annually until 1953.

The first game between Pasadena High School and John Muir High School was played in 1954.

The Victory Bell is a central element of the tradition. It came as a gift from the Santa Fe Railroad and was presented in 1955 at the pep rally for the Turkey Tussle. It is used as a perpetual trophy to rotate between kept each year by the team that wins the homecoming game.

For 74 years the “bell” has been the symbol of the Turkey Tussle and it has been passed back and forth between Pasadena High School and John Muir High Schools.

The Annual Turkey Tussle will be broadcast by KRLN at goPUSD.com/livesports.

For more information about the Annual Turkey Tussle visit https://www.pusd.us/domain/2503 and https://www.pusd.us/Page/5013.