All football players have their own story, but there are also stories behind the other elements of the football home games.
Bob Hitchcock Stadium
Former football coach Mr. Robert Hitchcock, who was one of the most well-known football coaches of Southern California, led the team from the 1960s to the early 1980s.
Under his guidance, Temple City had a successful football program with seven CIF championship wins between 1970 and 1979.
He retired in 1981 after leading the football team to a record of 196 wins.
At the Homecoming game of October 15, 2004, TCHS dedicated the football stadium as a companion to the Arthur North Field, naming it the Bob Hitchcock Stadium.
Today, the Bob Hitchcock Stadium stands as a legacy of our high school’s football program and serves as a reminder of Hitchcock’s contribution to Temple City.
The Fight Song
Although the fight song may seem like a generic piece of music that the band plays during football games every time the team scores a touchdown, the history of how this lively tune came to be is much more complex.
The former TCHS band director, Mr. Ben Godfrey, wrote the Temple City alma mater and the fight song, the latter of which is a musical arrangement of the University of Wisconsin tune, “On, Wisconsin.”
“One of the reasons we had original songs was that we had good writers,“ Band Director Mr. Bert Ferntheil said. “Ben Godfrey was a band arranger in the Air Force so he had experience with composing music.”
Contrary to popular belief, the fight song was not initially written for a junior high. The alma mater and its companion were written after the high school was constructed.
“Many people were not learning the words to the fight song,” Mr. Ferntheil said. “The words are up on the gym as a reminder.”
TCHS’s Football Game Announcer
The buzz of excitement and the thrill of victory fills the air as the word “touchdown!” echoes throughout the stadium when the Rams football team scores again.
Unbeknownst to many students, math teacher and cross country coach Mr. Mike Tomasulo has been commenting at our home football games for about 20 years.
“I was going to the games and someone asked me if I wanted to help out,” Mr. Tomasulo said. “After that, I returned to the games and ended up doing this for a while.”
Tomasulo started off assisting the former announcer as a spotter for the football games before he took over the main job. He takes pleasure in contributing more to TCHS by helping administer our school sports.
“As an announcer, I have the best view of the field,” Mr. Tomasulo said. “I enjoy watching the game and relaying what is going on.”