Decembers Not to Be Forgotten : Holidays: The season conjures memories--and hopes--for county coaches and athletes.

Most of the toys are long gone by now, either handed down to a younger brother or sister, sold at a garage sale or buried in a closet somewhere.

So are the striped neckties, dress socks, flannel robes and all those other forgettable presents we sometimes receive during the holidays.

But Dec. 25 delivers more than the material gifts. It leaves memories that last much longer than that new bike that was found under the tree.

Coaches and athletes in Orange County high schools have some vivid memories of holidays past. And they have wishes for the future.

THE UPSET

The holiday season of 1970 is pretty much a blur for Capistrano Valley football Coach Eric Patton, who was then a junior linebacker at Notre Dame. Not that he minded, because the Fighting Irish were preparing for their Cotton Bowl game.

Notre Dame was to play top-ranked Texas, which had the longest winning streak in the nation.

“The week before Christmas, we practiced in some of the coldest weather I’ve ever been in,” Patton said. “It was so cold that there were snow banks piling up on the side of the field. The ground was frozen solid.

“They gave us two days off, so everyone flew home for Christmas. We had to be in Texas on Christmas night, so I didn’t get a lot of time with my family. The entire team flew in to Austin separately, from all over the country.”

Things were even more frantic when Patton got to Texas. Finally, the Fighting Irish found some peace.

“The night before the game, they took us to a seminary outside of Austin to sleep,” Patton said. “It was New Year’s Eve, and it was so quiet you could hear frogs croaking. I remember being in bed and hearing the clock strike midnight. Everybody started whispering ‘Happy New Year’ to each other through the closed doors. It was eerie and neat.”

Things got even better the next day. Notre Dame 24, Texas 11.

IT’S A GIRL! IT’S A GIRL!

In the winter of 1985, Pam Ickes, wife of Mater Dei baseball Coach Bob Ickes, was expecting twins. With three sons already, Bob was hoping for a baby girl.

“I was telling my wife they could not both be boys, one had to be a girl,” Ickes said. “I kept teasing her that if they were boys, I was leaving. She kept telling me that it was all my fault. Being a nurse, she probably knows about these things.”

A confrontation was averted, though. Three weeks before Christmas, a sonogram revealed not one but two baby girls.

“I was so excited,” Ickes said. “I started buying little pink stuff and frilly things for girls. After three boys, the change was nice.”

Britany Nicole and Kalli Michelle, now five, are doing fine. So are their brothers, Robbie (20), Trevor (16) and Mike (11).

Ickes’ wish for Christmas is to win the lottery. But if it came true, his own family would have to wait its turn.

“The first thing I would do would be to put Astroturf on our field at Mater Dei,” Ickes said. “I spend hours working on that field, and Astroturf would make my life a lot easier. My family knows this, and they’ve resigned themselves to the fact the first $2 million would go to the field.”

PEEPING JOHN

When Los Alamitos football Coach John Barnes was 5, Christmas was a mixture of fear and loving.

In the middle of the night, Barnes decided to sneak a peak at what Santa Claus had left. What he saw was a football uniform--a Paul Hornung uniform to be exact--which was something Barnes wanted.

But Barnes was a little apprehensive because the uniform of the former Green Bay Packer was arranged sitting in a chair, which made it look human.

“It was sitting up in the chair, just like a real person,” Barnes said. “The helmet looked just like a head and everything. I was so scared, I wanted to tell my parents that there was someone in our front room, but at the same time I knew I’d get in trouble when they found out I snuck a look. I finally decided to keep it to myself. But for the next few hours I lay in bed awake, extremely nervous about what was going to happen.”

SLASHING THROUGH THE SNOW . . .

Marina’s Cherokee Parks, the 6-foot-11 center who is headed for Duke on a basketball scholarship, would just as soon forget his Christmas memory.

“When I was in the third grade and my sister was a sixth-grader, we went out and popped a bunch of tires on the cars around the neighborhood, and our mom had to pay to get them fixed,” Parks said. “She used our present money to pay for the tires. All we got that year were a pair of sweats. I was a little vandal at age 10.”

And his Christmas wish?

“Linda Evangelista, the model. But I know I couldn’t have her. I’d take a 1990 Ford Bronco, midnight blue, 5.8-litre engine. I’ve been begging my mom for one since I was 16.”

For now, Parks is getting around in his 1986 Volkswagen Jetta . . . and all four tires are intact.

DOWNHILL RACER

Stan Thomas, Southern Section commissioner, recalled that his favorite Christmas was a family skiing trip to Lake Tahoe.

“Everyone in the family got new skis,” Thomas said. “My youngest daughter (Cindy) was 10 years old, and she took three runs down the tow lift. She decided to try and conquer the Squaw Mountain run, and I had to chase her all the way down the mountain. It took an hour and a half to finish the run, but she made it without any broken bones.”

Thomas also recalled the 1974 season at Neff High, when he led the football team to the 2-A Division title, as another holiday favorite.

“In those days, you had to go five rounds to win a football title,” Thomas said. “We had a five-week run where it was Christmas every weekend.”

Thomas has three Christmas wishes for the holidays.

“The most important thing is that we get the crisis resolved in the Middle East,” Thomas said. “Second, good health to everyone. And then, hopefully, continued success in the Southern Section.”

FAMILY MAN, AGAIN

Jim Harris, Ocean View basketball coach, thinks this Christmas will be very special with the addition of his 1-year-old daughter, Kelsey.

“It has been so long since we’ve had little toys out for Christmas in our family,” Harris said. “There won’t be anyone sleeping on Christmas Eve. I’ve had to learn how to put toys together again.

“I have two older kids who aren’t living at home for the first time, so there’s going to be a regathering of the family, which is always nice.”

Harris’ wish is for a reunification of the family during the holidays.

“I had a young girl break down in one of my classes today because her mother and father have decided to get a divorce,” he said. “Her parents will be separated during the holidays. In general, I wish families were together.”

GENERATION GAP

Greg Coombs, Century basketball coach, fondly remembers his first Christmas with his daughter, Lindsey, two years ago.

“She was a little peanut (5 pounds 10 ounces) when she was born, and that Christmas was the best,” Coombs said. “My parents and 91-year-old grandfather were there. We had four generations present.

“I’ve got drawers full of pictures and videotapes of the day. I’ll never forget it.”

When asked his Christmas wish, Coombs’ thoughts were also in the Middle East.

“Our students have been writing to the troops in Saudi Arabia, and we published some of the letters that the servicemen wrote to some of our students in today’s school paper,” Coombs said. “The letters put things into perspective as to what is important and not important. I’d like to see all of our troops come home.”

A REDSHIRT YEAR?

Los Amigos basketball Coach Clayton Olivier wants the impossible for Christmas.

“If I could get a wish it would be to have eligibility left so I could play for Los Amigos,” said Olivier, who was a 6-10 center for USC.

The Lobos have yet to win for their first-year coach.

WHERE’S THE BEEF?

In his first year as coach, Mike Roark turned around the Brethren Christian football program. The Warriors rebounded from a 3-7 record to finish 7-3.

Roark had only 17 players, none weighing more than 195 pounds.

“My Christmas wish? At least two kids over 200 pounds for next year,” Roark said. “I guess we want more kids, period. We need more than 17.”

FAMILY CIRCLE

Karl Van Reusen was more than just a volleyball player last year at Edison. He was one of the more outspoken students on campus, a member of the debate team. Politics, music, ethics. You name it, Karl knows it. Now a freshman on the Cal State Long Beach volleyball team, Van Reusen shares his favorite Christmas.

“The last time my entire family was together was on Christmas (1984),” he said. “My parents got a divorce after that, and my uncles and grandparents moved away. When everyone was together, it was one of the best Christmases ever. We had a huge ceiling in our house, and we had a 12-foot tree. Everybody in the family got together to decorate it. That’s what Christmas is about, being with your family.”

Van Reusen said he had several Christmas wishes for the upcoming year.

“I wish that Long Beach State makes the NCAA men’s volleyball finals again so we can have a rematch with USC. That’s a given wish. This one sounds corny, but I have some friends who are serving in Saudi Arabia, and I wish this thing would end so they wouldn’t get hurt. I also hope all my friends back in Huntington Beach have a Merry Christmas. I don’t get to see them very much any more.”

PEACE ON EARTH

Patton’s Christmas wish is simple.

“Three players that I have coached are in Saudi Arabia right now,” he said. “I just want to see them and all our boys come home.”

Times staff writers Tom Hamilton, Barbie Ludovise and Fernando Dominguez contributed to this story.