Crowds flock to Rose Bowl for Turkey Tussle homecoming tradition

A Southland tradition dating back to the 1940s continued on Wednesday, when hundreds of people flocked to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for the latest edition of the Turkey Tussle. 

The matchup began back in 1947, originally featuring Pasadena Community College and John Muir Junior College before shifting to the current participants in Pasadena High School and John Muir High School in 1954, according to Pasadena Now. 

Hundreds of fans from both sides filled the seats at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium, which usually plays host to the UCLA Bruins football team. 

"It really puts in perspective the unity these schools have," said Erick Olea, a student at JMHS. "Even though there's rivalry, there's love."

Even locals who don't have any affiliation attend the games because of the longstanding meaning that it has on their community. 

"Every year i come here, it's like, it's the Rose Bowl," said Kaia Lorentzen, a student at PHS. "It's amazing. It's awesome."

"We grow up in the same neighborhoods, but we're all on different sides of the field, but we're friends," another fan said. "Just a great time to come out and reflect on where we've been."

The bigger meaning of the game dates back to the 1977, when Lucious Smith played in the game as a high school student. 

"In the 70s. it was forced integration," Smith said. "So, we were bused, you know kids from from one side of town were bused to this side and vice versa. It created a community that really just makes Pasadena even that much more special."

Whoever wins the matchup takes home the iconic Victory Bell, which once sat on a steam locomotive, was donated by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1955, Pasadena Now reported. 

This year's winners, the JHMS Mustangs, celebrated their win by ringing the bell in the end zone at the end of regulation of a 45-0 victory.