Fullerton Reels In 25 Prep Football Players

The most successful season in Cal State Fullerton’s football history was reflected in its prep recruiting Wednesday as 25 high school players signed national letters of intent to join the Titans in the fall.

Among the list of recruits were six Orange County players, including La Quinta’s Tom Holler, The Times’ Lineman of the Year.

Other top county players who signed with the Titans were punter Kurt Bloedorn (Brea-Olinda), fullback Tim Byrnes (Sunny Hills), quarterback Rodney Gatlin (El Toro), linebacker George Paddock (Goldenwest Christian) and free safety Todd Prukop (Servite).

Titan Coach Gene Murphy and assistant Dave Tipton were highly successful in the San Diego area, recruiting Sweetwater quarterback Carlos Siragusa and tackle George Gallardo and Morse strong safety Dupree Anderson.

“I think Gene and Dave outrecruited everybody in the San Diego area, including San Diego State,” defensive coordinator Bob Burt said. “This was by far our best high school recruiting year in the six seasons Gene Murphy has been at Cal State Fullerton.”

Murphy was in northern California recruiting a junior college player on Wednesday and was unavailable for comment.

The Titans beat several Pacific 10 schools to get some of their top prospects. Burt said that Gallardo was recruited by USC and Arizona State and Anderson was sought by both Arizona and Arizona State. Holler visited Cal, Nevada Las Vegas and San Diego State before deciding to join the Titans.

Burt was also high on Siragusa, a strong-armed left-hander who was sometimes erratic during his senior season, and inside linebackers Stan Bowers (Edgewood) and Bill Bryan (Alta Loma).

“There’s no question that some doors were open this year that were closed in the past coming off our great season (11-1),” Burt said. “We’ve gone through some growing pains in the past couple of years, but this list of recruits represents a great growth spurt.

“This group of players represent the best freshman class this school has ever had.”