40 AND COUNTING

The Los Angeles Times this season marks the 40th anniversary of the selection of its first all-Orange County football team, a tradition that began when Disneyland was in its infancy and orange groves still lined the county’s roads. Some highlights of those first 40

TIMES CHANGE

The number of county schools playing 11-man football:

1959: 21

1979: 56

1999: 68

The average size of the linemen on the all-county team:

1959: 5-11, 183

1979: 6-3, 222

1999: 6-4, 252

LOCAL BOYS MAKE GOOD

All-county players who went on to become:

LETTERMEN AT USC: 35

LETTERMEN AT UCLA: 33

HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER: John Huarte (right), QB Mater Dei, 1959-60, Notre Dame 1964

CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICANS

Ken Margerum, WR, Fountain Valley 1976, Stanford 1979-80

Joe Garten, OG, Valencia 1985, Colorado 1989-90

Tony Gonzalez, TE, Huntington Beach 1992-93, California 1996

Kris Farris, OL Santa Margarita 1994, UCLA 1998

ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH

NUMBER OF PLAYERS NAMED TWICE: 54

NUMBER OF PLAYERS NAMED THREE TIMES: 1

Oscar Wilson, a standout defensive lineman at Santa Ana, was named to the all-county three times from 1987-89, and is one of only three sophomores to be named to the first team.

MULTI-TALENTED

All-county players who went on to be named to the Topps major league baseball all-rookie team:

Gary Holman (left), Brea Olinda 1960, Washington Senators 1968

Gary Carter, Sunny Hills 1970, Montreal Expos 1975

Garry Templeton, Santa Ana Valley 1972-73, St. Louis Cardinals 1976

Bob Hamelin, Irvine, 1985

MOST HONORED

The schools with the most first-team all-county players:

Mater Dei 77

Anaheim 66

Servite 52

Esperanza 40

Santa Ana 39

Santa Ana Valley 39

Westminster 39

Edison 35

Fountain Valley 35

Newport Harbor 32

Los Alamitos 30

El Toro 22