Bell Game History

The Bell Becomes Part of the Tradition

One of the highlights of each year at both Edison High School and Fountain Valley High School is their rivalry on the football field. The tradition of the Bell came about in 1975 as the brain child of the Activities Coordinators of both schools. Ben Garret of Edison and Dave Hagen of Fountain Valley. At first they thought of using an animal as a mascot. Dave then came up with the idea of a cannon that would be in the possession of the school who won the game. The cannon grew from a small size to an actual civil war relic and within a few days, a World War II Howitzer. That idea was nixed by both principals when they realized it could actually fire!

Finally, a rusty, old train bell was found in an antique shop in Mission Viejo (at that time a sleepy rural town). With an agreement to pay for it from student body funds, Dave and Ben hopped into Dave’s VW Bug and headed south. To the astonishment of both men, it didn’t fit in the Bug and Dave had to return with a larger vehicle. The bell was reconditioned by the shop classes at both schools and presented to the winning team of the 1975 game (Edison).

Memorable moments and plays have come and gone over the last 30 some years. There have been some staggering result over the years, classic upsets, great finishes and great build-ups. Today, regardless of the standings of either of the schools, the games are unpredictable and exciting. The rivalry has survived through wars, oil spills, and student pranks to become the “grand daddy” of high school rivalries in Orange County.

We are proud to salute those who had the vision to begin the tradition at both schools and hope future games will add to your memorable moments of this long and exciting rivalry.

Click HERE for a history of the Edison/FV game scores since 1969

“This is the best high school rivalry in the past 22 years in Orange County. In all of the games I have played, both in college and high school, nothing can compare to the excitement and emotion of the EHS v FV game.”

Jeff Grady
Edison Head Coach