Victory Bell ready to be rung
SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — The Glendale YMCA Quarterback Club, in its 69th year, meets Tuesdays at the Elk’s Lodge. The following are odds and ends from the ninth meeting of the year.
BRAGGING RIGHTS ARE AT STAKE
Though the Hoover and Glendale football teams will not qualify for the playoffs, there’s still some things left to play for — city-wide pride and the “Victory Bell.” The teams will meet in the rivalry game at 7 p.m. Thursday at Moyse Field.
The teams first met in 1930 and Glendale owns a 48-33-2 advantage in the all-time series (46-33-2 for the bell). Glendale posted a 54-19 Pacific League victory in last season’s “Victory Bell” game and Glendale began this season with a 20-6 nonleague win against Hoover.
Let the latest round of anticipation begin.
“I’ve played in two of these games [at Glendale] and have now coached in two of them,” said Glendale Coach Alan Eberhart, whose team is 1-8, 0-6 in league. “It’s always an incredible night with you walking out there and the stands are full and the bands are playing.
“I’ve watched film on Hoover. I know that they are struggling, but they are still going out there and playing hard.”
For Hoover Coach Andrew Policky, it will be the first time he’s roamed the sidelines as a head coach after serving as a defensive coordinator for the Tornadoes the previous three seasons.
Policky said it’s a goal for the Tornadoes (0-9, 0-6) to return the bell across town.
“We are excited to be able to go out there and experience the hoopla,” Policky said. “It will be my first big game as a head coach and I’m excited to be going up against Coach Eberhart.
“We’ve gotten a lot better. I think we are both a lot different from the first time we played this season.”
FORMER VAQUERO MEETS CLUB
At first, Chris Hale figured he might have a career in track and field. Hale won a pair of CIF Southern Section Division II-A championships in the long jump at Monrovia High. Hale turned in a mark of 23 feet 8 inches in 1983 and 23-7 1/2 in 1984 before moving on to the University of Nebraska.
While Hale made the Nebraska men’s track and field team as a walk-on, he managed to do the same thing with the university’s powerhouse football team. Hale played several games on the university’s freshman football team and recorded a couple of interceptions.
Hale said he asked then-Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne for a scholarship.
“Coach Osborne said I don’t have anything for you and I said I’m leaving,” Hale said.
Hale returned to his roots in Southern California and sat out the 1985-86 school year. He then transferred to Glendale Community College, where he played defensive back in 1986.
Hale finished with 54 unassisted tackles and earned All-American accolades before transferring to USC.
“I went to GCC and took off a year from playing football and then talked to Coach [Jim] Sartoris and Coach [John] Cicuto,” said Hale, who was inducted into the college’s athletic hall of fame in March. “They did a lot for me in terms of maturation and the process of learning about responsibility.
“My one year at GCC was fantastic.”
After finishing out his collegiate career with the Trojans, Hale was selected in the seventh round (193rd overall) of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and played in three Super Bowls from 1990-92. He finished his career with the Denver Broncos in 1993.
In 43 games played, Hale finished with three fumble recoveries.
CLUB HONORS VETS IN ATTENDANCE
Before the start of Tuesday’s meeting, 12 current club members who served in the United States military were recognized. The members served in either World War II or the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Veteran’s Day is Friday.
