Former Titan Murphy Prepares for First Season at Fullerton

Nobody is hoping the mild summer weather continues more than Orange County community college football players, who start practicing in full pads today.

Besides being the first day of practice for freshmen and transfers, it’s also the initial day of practice for Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy, who took over the Hornet program last spring after 13 years of triumphs and struggles at Cal State Fullerton.

Murphy’s first game is Sept. 11 at Long Beach. He takes over a team that went 1-9 last season.

Saddleback Coach Ken Swearingen is coming off an 11-0 season, in which the Gauchos won the J.C. Grid-Wire national title and the Mission Conference championship.

Swearingen opens his 32nd season tied with former Fullerton Coach Hal Sherbeck as the winningest coach in community college history. Both have 241 victories.

Swearingen can break the tie Sept. 11 when the Gauchos play host to Santa Monica.

Saddleback also starts the season with a 19-game winning streak, dating to 1991. It is the longest current winning streak in the nation. Saddleback is 21-1 during the past two years and also has a 14-game home winning streak.

Orange Coast, which finished second in the Mission Conference Central Division last season, opens Sept. 11 at home against Mt. San Antonio. OCC was 7-4 last season.

Rancho Santiago, 3-7 in 1992, starts the season the same day with a game at Cerritos.

Golden West, 4-6 in 1992, will take on El Camino Sept. 10 at Orange Coast.

The teams start Central Division play Oct. 16, with Golden West at Fullerton, Orange Coast vs. Rancho Santiago at Santa Ana Stadium and Riverside at Saddleback.

The regular season ends Nov. 20, and the bowl games are scheduled for Dec. 4.

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Extended family reunion: Iowa City seems like an odd place for a Dana Point family’s reunion, but that’s where Tandy Gillis and his volleyball-playing daughters will get together next month.

Courtney, a senior, starts at outside hitter for the University of Iowa. Bryn is a junior outside hitter and middle blocker who recently transferred to Iowa State. Both played at Dana Hills High.

Gillis, the former Orange Coast men’s basketball coach and current men’s tennis coach, is on sabbatical this fall and plans to be at the match when his daughters meet on opposite sides of the net Sept. 7.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Gillis said. “I’m very proud of both of them.”

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Dig this: The Orange Coast men’s volleyball program was well represented at this past weekend’s $150,000 Miller Lite Open at Seal Beach.

Participating were seven former OCC players--Kurt Dumm (1988), Scott Friederichsen (1987), Brett Gonnerman (1990), Brian Lewis (1988-89), Lance Lyons (1990-91), Steve Timmons (1979) and Dan Vrebalovich (1979).