1954: San Diego-Santa Monica Playoff Game Film

Dr. Tebb Kusserow, an all Southern California lineman at Santa Monica High in 1960, is involved with the Samohi Archival Project and provided this rare footage of a Southern Section playoff in 1954 between San Diego High (dark uniforms) and Santa Monica at Corsair field on the Santa Monica College campus.

Led by future NFL quarterback Lee Grosscup, Santa Monica defeated San Diego, 14-13, and moved on to the semifinals of the postseason in search of their third consecutive championship. The Vikings were eliminated the next week  by Glendale Hoover.

Many of the losing Cavers came back the following season to win the championship, but they were a year away in 1954.

This video has many plays in the game, on a field heavy and wet from recent  rain.

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0 thoughts on “1954: San Diego-Santa Monica Playoff Game Film

  1. Thank you, Mr. Smith! My father AC MILLS Jr. was on that team #45. He talks about that game, like it was yesterday. Now he has to Grandson that are making history at San Diego. I love hearing the Joy in my father’s voice. Thanks again!

  2. Hi Rick … Thank you for posting this. I am in regular contact now with Lee Grosscup and Dick Horn … we speak weekly about the 1953 and 1947 CIF Championship seasons … one game at a time. Just finished conversations with Lee and Hank Lewis about the ’53 San Diego Hoover contest and especially John Adams and the problems he presented. Hank’s response after he collided with him for the first time was, “What am I doing here?” They later were teammates at LA State. All the best in the great work that you do … Tebb

    1. Great anecdote, Tebb. Readers should know that you played for Santa Monica High in the 1958 playoff semifinals against Sweetwater and later was Samohi’s head coach. Great school with great tradition.

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8-man team
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~
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All boys, 2x enrollment
4 vs 3 grades, 9-12 vs 10-12
[
]
CA tiebreaker win,
loss
#, ##
!!
Forfeit win, loss
Game called, shortened or postponed
%Citrus-Desert Playoff

This will close in 0 seconds

@
=
Away game
League game
>
>>,>>>,...
Overtime
2x,3x,... Overtime
I-V
A-AAA
O
Division I to V
Division A to AAA
Open Division
1T, 2T, ...
}, {
Final standing tie
Win, loss by 45 pt 'mercy' rule
*
**
***
^

^+
^^
1st round playoff
Quarterfinal playoff
Semifinal playoff
Championship
SoCal Championship
State Championship
8
8*
8**

8+
8-man team
Intraleague playoff
Southern Section playoff
8 vs 11-man team
~
-4
All boys, 2x enrollment
4 vs 3 grades, 9-12 vs 10-12
[
]
CA tiebreaker win,
loss
#, ##
!!
Forfeit win, loss
Game called, shortened or postponed
%Citrus-Desert Playoff

This will close in 0 seconds

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