Sports in Orange County, California

Street banners promoting the county's two major league teams, the Ducks and the Angels.

Sports in Orange County, California includes a number of sports teams and sports competitions. Within Orange County, the city of Anaheim currently hosts two major league sports teams — MLB's Anaheim Angels and the NHL's Anaheim Ducks — and used to host two others.

Major league sports teams

The Major League Baseball team in Orange County is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The team won the World Series under manager Mike Scioscia in 2002. In 2005, new owner Arte Moreno wanted to change the name to "Los Angeles Angels" in order to better tap into the Los Angeles media market, the second largest in the country. However, the standing agreement with the city of Anaheim demanded that they have "Anaheim" in the name, so they became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. This name change was hotly disputed by the city of Anaheim, but the change stood and still stands today, which prompted a lawsuit by the city of Anaheim against Angels owner Arte Moreno, won by Moreno. It has been widely unpopular in Orange County.[1]

The county's National Hockey League team, the Anaheim Ducks, won the 2007 Stanley Cup beating the Ottawa Senators. They also came close to winning the 2003 Stanley Cup finals after winning three games in a seven-game series against the New Jersey Devils.

The National Football League football left the county when the Los Angeles Rams relocated to St. Louis in 1995.[2] Anaheim city leaders are in talks with the NFL to bring a Los Angeles-area franchise to Orange County, though they are competing with other cities in and around Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Clippers played some home games at The Arrowhead Pond, now known as the Honda Center, from 1994 to 1999, before moving to Staples Center, which they share with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Competitions

Huntington Beach annually plays host to the U.S. Open of Surfing, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball and Vans World Championship of Skateboarding.[3] It was also the shooting location for Pro Beach Hockey.[4] USA Water Polo, Inc. has moved its headquarters offices to Huntington Beach.[5] Orange County's active outdoor culture is home to many surfers, skateboarders, mountain bikers, cyclists, climbers, hikers, kayaking, sailing and sand volleyball.

The Toshiba Classic, the only PGA Champions Tour event in the area, is held each March at The Newport Beach Country Club. Past champions include Fred Couples (2010), Hale Irwin (1998 and 2002), Nick Price (2011), Bernhard Langer (2008) and Jay Haas (2007). The tournament benefits the Hoag Hospital Foundation and has raised over $16 million in its first 16 years.

Several cities and venues were used throughout the 1984 Los Angeles XXIII Summer Olympic Games. Including the running of the Olympic torch throughout the county as it made its way up to Los Angeles for the games.

Other sports teams

In December 2015, the Orange County Breakers of Mylan World TeamTennis announced they would be returning to Newport Beach after moving to Austin, Texas and playing as the Austin Aces for two seasons. The Breakers are the only form of professional tennis in the greater Orange County and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. The franchise, which won the 2004 Mylan WTT Championship, boasts a rich player history that includes former world #1 players such as Maria Sharapova, Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport and the Bryan Brothers. The Breakers, who are coached by nine-time Grand Slam Champion and former world #1 doubles player Rick Leach, play their home matches at Breakers Stadium at Newport Beach Tennis Club.

The Orange County Blues are a United Soccer League team and is the only professional soccer club in Orange County. The team's first season was in 2011 and it was successful as Charlie Naimo's team made it to the quarter-finals of the playoffs. With home games played at Anteater Stadium on the campus of University of California, Irvine, the Blues look to grow in the Orange County community and reach continued success. Former and current Blues players include Walter Gaitan, Bright Dike, Maykel Galindo, Carlos Borja, and goalkeeper Amir Abedzadeh.

Since 2006, the Orange County Roller Girls, a flat track league, has been competing against teams from up and down the great state of California and across the Country. In 2010 they built the 9th banked track to compete at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena.[6]

The Orange County Outlaws are a rugby league team formed in 2010, they play their home games at LeBard Stadium, Costa Mesa. They are a developing team in the USA Rugby League[7] and will become a full member team in 2012.[8]

Former and defunct sports teams

Football

In the late 1950s (c.1957-59) the Orange County Rhinos, a semi-pro football team, played their home games at La Palma Park in Anaheim.

The Anaheim Piranhas were an Arena Football League team in 1996-97, but folded due to team board financial problems.

The Southern California Sun was an American football team based out of Anaheim that played in the World Football League in 1974 and 1975. Their records were 13–7 in 1974 and 7–5 in 1975. Their home stadium was Anaheim Stadium.

The Orange County Ramblers were a professional football team that competed in the Continental Football League from 1967-68. The Ramblers played their home games in Anaheim (Anaheim Stadium). The team was coached both seasons by Homer Beatty, who had won a small college national title at Santa Ana College in 1962.

The Santa Ana Winds, a women’s professional football team played in Santa Ana College and later Chapman College in Orange in the 2000s.

Soccer

The California Surf played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1981. The club called Anaheim Stadium home.

Another soccer franchise, the California Sunshine of the Major League Soccer in the late 1970s played games in Orange and Anaheim (Anaheim Stadium). Their team office was in Villa Park.

The Los Angeles Salsa played at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium in 1993–94 in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL), at the time the top soccer league in the U.S. The Salsa, whose general manager was former Cosmos star Ricky Davis and its coach former Brazil star Rildo Menezes, also played some games at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, California, and Trabuco Hills High School, Mission Viejo, California attempting a season in Mexico's second-tier Primera A Division. That attempt was cancelled after several games when FIFA and CONCACAF ruled a club could not play in two leagues in separate countries. The Salsa lost to the Colorado Foxes in the 1993 APSL final at Cal State Fullerton.

The Orange County Zodiac, affiliated with MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy, played soccer at Santa Ana Stadium (also known as Santa Ana Bowl) and Orange Coast College from 1997 to 2000.

The Anaheim Splash was a soccer team that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League from 1993 to 1997.

A semi-pro Mexican Soccer franchise, the Santa Ana-Anaheim Aztecas played in Santa Ana College in the 2000s.

Basketball

The Anaheim Arsenal are an NBA D-League expansion team for the 2006–2007 season. They play their home games at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The Orange County Gladiators are an American Basketball Association (ABA) expansion team starting in November 2007. They played their home games at Fieldhouse Gym at JSerra in San Juan Capistrano.

The county was also the home of the Orange County Buzz basketball team of the American Basketball Association (ABA). Both the Buzz and Gladiators have ceased operations.

Anaheim was also the home of the prior American Basketball Association franchise known as the Anaheim Amigos in the mid-sixties.

Baseball

Professional baseball made a brief appearance in Orange County during the post World War II boom in minor league ball when the Anaheim Valencias of the Class C Sunset League played the 1947 and 1948 seasons with La Palma Park as their home field. Future Fullerton High School baseball coach Bud Dawson was the Vals' shortstop.

The Orange County Pioneers and California Mariners/Sharks/Storm of Irvine and Newport Beach, were semi-pro collegiate baseball teams in the 1990s and 2000s.

Other sports

The Anaheim Storm was a member of the National Lacrosse League. They folded in 2005 due to low attendance.

The Anaheim Bullfrogs were a Roller Hockey International team that lasted from 1993–99 and were briefly revived in 2001.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/sections/sports/pro/article_306029.php
  2. ↑ "The Los Angeles Ram Relocation Project". Affordable Movers Group. 2004-09-13.
  3. ↑ Huntington Beach, CA website
  4. ↑ About: Pro Beach Hockey
  5. ↑ Inside USA Water Polo website
  6. ↑ OC Roller Girls Orange County Roller Derby. Ocrollergirls.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
  7. ↑ "USA Developing Regions". USA Rugby League LLC. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Orange County Outlaws Make Official Announcement to Enter USA Rugby League". USA Rugby League LLC. March 21, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
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