When 17-year-old Jarmon Sanford of John Muir High School heard about its return, he jumped onto his seat and ran outside to see it.

"It's everything," said Sanford, a senior who played football at Muir. "It means a lot. We play for it against our biggest rivals every year."

The Victory Bell has attained mythical status as the traveling trophy for the annual "Turkey Tussle" rivalry game between Muir and Pasadena High School. The bell was stolen in June when vandals ransacked a Muir trophy case and spray-painted "PHS" in the school's hallways.

The two school communities treat the bell with reverence, and stealing it was viewed as blasphemy. Alumni offered rewards for its return, as well as other bells that could be used as replacements.

Ringing the Victory Bell is the euphoric highlight of the annual gridiron battle between the two schools, which are separated by about 5 miles. The brass bell sits on a wheeled cart near the end zone during the game until it's awarded to the winning team, which rings it madly before taking it home.

November's Turkey Tussle ended with Muir players pretending to ring the bell. It was the first time since 1954 the stadium was without its resounding clanging.

The bell was found by a cleanup crew at about 9 a.m. Wednesday in a ravine near Chaney Trail, north of Alzada Road in Altadena. Dan Busbee, project supervisor for Patriot Environmental Services, said the crew was hired by the National Forest Service to recover a drum from the bottom of an embankment.

From the road they spotted the bell partially hidden by garbage bags, he said.

The crew used a crane to haul the bell to the road, where they saw the plaques listing the scores of more than 50 years of football games. Muir leads the series 33 to 17, with two ties.

By 11 a.m., the bell was back at Muir, where students and employees greeted it with cheers and smiles.

The entire school and many of its alumni reunite every year for the Turkey Tussle, said Nettie Piggee, senior security official at Muir.

About 7,000 fans attend the game, which is held at the Rose Bowl to accommodate the crowd.

"We were all just thumbs down" when the bell was stolen, Piggee said. "It was just before graduation. It just drained you for everything."

School officials reported the crime to the Pasadena Police Department, and authorities said they will continue the investigation now that the bell has been found.

In two spots, the numbers "05" were spray-painted in black on the bell and graffiti was scratched in its blue base. But it would soon be restored to its original luster, school officials promised.

Kenny Howard, Muir's football coach, said he wasn't concerned about finding the people who stole the bell.

The most important fact is that it's back, he said.

When it goes on display again, it will likely be chained to the display case, Howard said.