FACTS AND FIGURES

A Little History

One of the county’s oldest leagues--dating back to the 1930s--the Orange League has been the home of two major dynasties: Brea Olinda in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, and Valencia in the ‘80s and early ‘90s.

Under Coach Dick Tucker, Brea Olinda was a powerhouse among the county’s smaller schools. It won seven consecutive Orange League titles from 1955-61, then added two more in 1962 and ’63 under Glen Hastings. The Wildcats won Southern Section Division 1-A championships in 1959, ’61 and ‘62, and a Division 2-A title in 1963.

How dominant was Brea? It was the first county team to win three consecutive three titles and was 33-2-1 during that run in 1961-63. The Wildcats were 12-0 in 1961, including a 75-0 pasting of Capistrano Union. Three Wildcats were named Southern Section divisional player of the year: Adrian Ledbetter in 1956, Gary Holman in 1960 and Steve Ledbetter in 1961.

Valencia had lost 30 games in a row before Mike Marrujo took over as coach in 1981. Two years later, the Tigers were champions, starting a streak of 11 seasons in which Valencia won or shared the league title 10 times. The Tigers also won section titles in 1987, ’91 and ’92.

Entering its 16th season with the same school roster, the Orange League has become more balanced, with five of the six schools having won or shared a league title in the last six years.

League champions since 1974

1974 El Dorado

1975 El Dorado

1976 La Habra

1977 El Dorado

1978 Esperanza

1979 El Dorado

1980 Esperanza

1981 Brea Olinda

1982 Western

1983 Valencia

1984 Valencia

1985 Valencia and Western

1986 Valencia

1987 Valencia

1988 Valencia

1989 Valencia

1990 Brea Olinda

1991 Valencia

1992 Anaheim, Valencia and Western

1993 Valencia

1994 Savanna

1995 Western

Southern Section champions since 1974

1975 Sonora (Division 2-A)

1979 Esperanza (Central Conference)

1987 Valencia (Central Conference)

1991 Valencia (Division VI)

1992 Valencia (Division VI)

1993 Savanna (Division VI)