Rose Bowl-Bound? Organizers Say ’94 Is the Year

Once again, organizers of the East Los Angeles Classic say they will move the rivalry next year to the Rose Bowl to accommodate alumni and fans who are increasingly turned away from the sellout football game.

The homecoming game between Garfield and Roosevelt high schools has been played at East Los Angeles College for 21 years. But in recent years, fans have been turned away from Weingart Stadium after the 22,000 capacity is met. Last year, an additional 2,000 fans watched from outside the stadium’s gates.

Garfield alumnus Alfred N. Sanchez said he was sure the game would be played at the Pasadena venue this year. But corporate sponsorship did not come through to meet the Rose Bowl’s $158,000 fee, and the two schools committed to playing at East L.A. College again.

Sanchez is again leading the effort to move the game to Pasadena.

“ ‘94 is more realistic,” Sanchez said. “It took us almost a year to get this moving. Now it’s a matter of nailing down corporate sponsorship. Other than that, I think people are starting to hear about it and get behind it. It’s looking really good.”

Already, he said, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Bank of America have shown strong interest in sponsoring the game at the Rose Bowl. Their support would ensure that the schools would not have to make up the difference if ticket sales are low.

Sanchez is optimistic that the game, if played at the Rose Bowl, would attract possibly twice the crowd that fits into Weingart Stadium. The Rose Bowl will hold about 100,000 after adjustments are made for the 1994 World Cup.

Ticket holders have complained about the parking at East L.A. College and being turned away from the game. Both schools in the past have oversold tickets, based on estimates from the college.

Garfield Assistant Principal Greg Vallone has attended some meetings with Sanchez, principals from both schools and Rose Bowl officials. He said he is willing to bet a seat that the game will be played at the Rose Bowl next year.

“I think it’s going to work,” Vallone said. “There’s a lot of positives. The one big negative is we’ll be leaving our home, East Los Angeles. But the positives outweigh that negative.”