Doing the cross-town shuffle

Jim Riggio

The schools are separated by just 1.86 miles, with a storied

rivalry that dates back to 1949.

When Burbank and Burroughs highs get together for the annual

football classic at 7 p.m. Friday at Burroughs’ Memorial Field,

people in many households in the city won’t have any trouble holding

an allegiance to one particular school.

However, for some selected individuals, rooting for either the

Indians or Bulldogs is not so clear cut. For this selected group,

their roots are intertwined with both Burroughs red and Burbank blue.

One such person is Burroughs football Coach Keith Knoop, who

graduated from Burbank in 1981. Knoop -- in his sixth season -- will

try and remain unbeaten against his alma mater, as the Indians go for

their 10th consecutive victory against the Bulldogs.

For Knoop -- who took over for Robert dos Remedios, a former

Bulldog alum who coached at Burroughs for three seasons -- he said he

has tried to put his Burbank days behind him.

“I’m so far removed from there. It’s not the same school I went

to,” Knoop said. “I was at Burbank for three years and I’ve been

here for 10, so the loyalty has changed colors.

“I found my [Burbank] letterman jacket in a box in the rain the

other day, and I wasn’t even upset.”

Burroughs co-athletic director Marty Garrison graduated from

Burroughs, but coached football at Burbank for five years. He also

has two daughters who attended Burbank.

“My girls were always [rooting] for the team I was for,” said

Garrison, who coincidentally, coached Knoop at Burbank. “There was

nothing at home that separated us. My kids thought it was snow when

my house got [toilet papered] the night before the Burbank-Burroughs

game.”

Although Burroughs has won nine straight Big Games, the rivalry is

as strong as ever. However, tensions are not as intense as they were

in the 1970s and ‘80s, when two incidents really heated up the

rivalry.

On two occasions, Burbank stars jumped ship and wound up playing

for the cross-town enemy. The first was quarterback Tom Tunnicliffe

and he was followed by running back Wes Bender.

Still to his day, there are some in the Burbank High community who

haven’t forgiven Tunnicliffe and Bender for changing sides.

After transferring to Burroughs, Tunnicliffe -- the CIF Southern

Section Division II Player of the Year -- led the Indians to a 33-12

victory against his former school in 1979.

Bender, a fullback, went on to play at USC and in the NFL, while

Tunnicliffe starred at the University of Arizona, where he still

holds the Wildcats’ record of 7,618 career passing yards.

“The only problem I had was I rented an apartment in the Burroughs

district and a Burbank booster called the CIF to check up on my

residency,” Bender said.

“I transferred to Burroughs, because I wasn’t good enough to play

at Burbank High. The coach at the time said I wasn’t good enough to

go on and play in college and I ended up playing at USC and five

years in the NFL.”

*

While some Burbank grads have gotten used to wearing Burroughs

red, some former Indians have enjoyed the comfort of being near the

Burbank hills and the Media City Center.

Burbank High girls’ Athletic Director Helen Quayle graduated from

Burroughs, but has been a longtime coach and administrator at

Burbank.

“I don’t own anything that is red,” Quayle said.

Burbank girls’ volleyball and track and field Coach Darin Wolf is

also a Burroughs grad. In fact, Wolf and Scott Kallem -- the son of

former longtime Burbank athletic director Frank Kallem -- were on the

1984 Foothill League champion Burroughs boys’ cross-country team.

Wolf, who spent years away from the rivalry, said he hasn’t had

too many incidents of people razzing him about changing schools.

“At the beginning they did,” said Wolf, who is in his fourth year

teaching at Burbank. “It’s fun-hearted teasing. I still root for

Burbank.”

Scott Kallem also had the honor of beating his uncle Dave Kemp’s

Burbank team.

“We always had the conflict of who do you root for,” said Frank

Kallem, whose two sons attended Burroughs and whose daughter went to

Burbank. “As long as my boys were at Burroughs, my wife rooted for

Burroughs. The conflict goes on and on.”

Like Frank Kallem at Burbank, Brian Hurst was an institution at

Burroughs. He also comes from a rivalry split family, as his wife

Nancy spent many years working at Burbank as a counselor, where his

sons -- Steve and Mike -- attended and participated in sports.

“One year, I was coaching the [Burroughs] junior varsity water

polo team and before the game I gave my son -- playing for Burbank --

a hug and said ‘good luck son,’ but we’re gonna kick your [butt],’ ”

Hurst said.

“My wife was always caught in the middle. Our house was always

full of kids from both Burbank and Burroughs.”

Longtime local Coach Mike Graceffo has spent years coaching

football, basketball and baseball in the community and at Burroughs,

his alma mater. However, he also spent one year coaching the Bulldog

junior varsity boys’ basketball team, after leading Burroughs to

three league titles at the freshmen level.

“My heart has always been with Burroughs,” Graceffo said. “The

year I coached the junior varsity basketball team at Burbank, some

people didn’t talk to me for that year. One Burroughs administrator

took me to lunch one day and said ‘Mike, come on, you bleed red.’ ”

Graceffo said he has mixed feelings about the rivalry because he

has coached so many athletes who have attended both schools. When

Graceffo takes in a game, he said he roots for individuals who have

played for him, not for a particular school.

“When they play each other, I root for Burroughs,” said Graceffo,

who has a 9-2 record coaching in the Burbank- Burroughs series at the

lower levels . “But when Burbank plays anyone else, I wish them the

best.”