The Bottom Line

There wasn’t much that got past Bill Workman in his 13 years as

head football coach at Edison High, but the Charger faithful - former

players, family and friends, numbering roughly 140, in all - recently put

one over on the man who helped mold Edison into a prep football

powerhouse.

Last Saturday night at the Huntington Beach Central Library, Edison

kicked off spirit week for the Fountain Valley game with its “Bash Before

the Clash,” an annual rite of passage for the Chargers. This year’s event

honored Workman, who was present under the ruse that he was giving a

speech in honor of current Charger head coach, Dave White, who inherited

the position from Workman in 1986.

“They really pulled one over on me, but I thought it was a really nice

surprise,” Workman said. “It was wonderful to see so many former players

and coaches in attendance, and it’s a great way to start off what

traditionally is a great rivalry week.”

Edison pieced together a 20-minute highlight reel recounting Workman’s

years at the school, and also has named a new trophy after him. The

perpetual “Bill Workman Trophy” will be presented annually to the

offensive Back of the Year.

Workman, who also was a Charger assistant for two years, has an

incredible first-hand account of the Edison-Fountain Valley rivalry. In

his 13 years at the helm, Workman posted an overall record of 109-33-5

and during that time, went 9-3 against the Barons. His six-game win

streak in the series still stands as the longest by either school.

You might think that Workman’s favorite rivalry memory is Edison’s 14-0

shutout of Fountain Valley in the 1980 CIF championship game, but it’s

not. Although he does hold that victory in high esteem, it’s the first

meeting between the two schools earlier in the season that stands out

most to him.

“I have some very fond memories of the rivalry, but that first game in

1980 stands out most,” he explained. “We were down 14-0 and there wasn’t

very much time left in the game, but we went on to score two late

touchdowns, and then scored on a two-point conversion in the final

seconds to pull out a 15-14 victory. That, was an unbelievable game for

me.”

Workman, who went on to coach at Orange Coast College, stepped down from

coaching last February. He’ll be in attendance Friday at OCC’s LeBard

Stadium for the Chargers-Barons clash.

“You know, you can’t do something for 36 years that’s been fun and

exhilarating - as well as having its moments of anguish, and just walk

away from it,” Workman added. “I miss coaching, so much so that I don’t

go near a practice field. Life goes on, but football’s been very good to

me.”