San Diego Section Provides Glimpse of Possibilities for Future : Independence: Orange County can learn from region that broke from Southern Section in 1960.

The San Diego Section of the California Interscholastic Federation is the state’s best model of a breakaway.

If Orange County were to leave the Southern Section one day, it should study San Diego’s example closely.

After all, an Orange County Section would be similar to the San Diego Section in many ways. For example:

--San Diego County has 76 high schools; Orange County has 73.

--San Diego County’s population is 2.237 million; Orange County is 2.238 million.

--San Diego County has arenas suitable for championship events--Jack Murphy Stadium (football and baseball) and the Sports Arena (basketball); Orange County has Anaheim Stadium (football and baseball) and UC Irvine’s Bren Center (basketball).

From 1913, when the Southern Section was founded, until 1959, San Diego schools competed as part of the Southern Section.

Before World War II, San Diego was a Navy town with little need or desire for its own section. After all, San Diego schools were holding their own. Their teams won championships with regularity, often beating schools from the Los Angeles area.

The roads were not clogged with cars then and travel wasn’t the hardship it is today.

But by the 1950s, San Diego began to undergo great change. The city, like most of Southern California, boomed in the post-war years. As the population grew, more schools were needed.

Soon there were 33 high schools--enough for their own section, the folks in San Diego County figured.

And in 1960, they split from the Southern Section.

Despite a few initial headaches, the San Diego Section has been running smoothly ever since.

The section’s football and basketball championships are well-attended, even rivaling Southern Section title game crowds.

The football championships draw about 12,000 to Jack Murphy Stadium and the basketball title games draw 7,000 to the Sports Arena.

“If you asked most people, they wouldn’t realize we were ever part of the Southern Section,” said Kendall Webb, San Diego commissioner since 1976.

Webb and an assistant commissioner, an office manager and a financial secretary make up the section’s staff. They work in a 60-by-12 foot trailer on the grounds of the San Diego Office of Education.

Despite the small staff, Webb says his office encounters little difficulty administrating the section.

“I think we’re able to organize our activities easily,” he said. “We have an experienced staff that’s pretty knowledgeable. And we have advisory committees to help us (administer each sport).”

In most ways the section is similar to the state’s other nine sections. One difference is who governs it.

The San Diego Section is governed by the school district superintendents and not the principals, as in the Southern Section’s case, or by the school board, as in the cases of the Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco sections.

Like the Southern Section, the San Diego Section generates income from corporate sponsorship. It also earns money from playoff ticket sales.

The San Diego Section has its own constitution and bylaws. The Southern Section calls it a Blue Book. San Diego calls it a Green Book.

An Orange County Section would have to establish all of that before beginning operation.