 Former
major league all-star and San Diego
State All-American Tony Gwynn will
serve as a volunteer coach during
the 2002 season as he prepares to
take over the head coaching duties
in June. Gwynn was named to head up
the Aztec program last fall after
Jim Dietz announced that the 2002
season would be his final campaign
at San Diego State...Book
Tony Gwynn for Your Event
The
41-year-old Gwynn concluded a
20-year career with the San Diego
Padres last October as one of only
16 players (including four National
Leaguers) to have played at least 20
seasons and spent their entire
career with one team.
A
native of Long Beach, Calif., Gwynn
attended Long Beach Poly High before
arriving at SDSU where he played
both baseball and basketball.
Primarily a left fielder and
designated hitter, He was a two-time
All-American as an outfielder after
leading the Aztecs in hitting his
final two seasons. His .398 career
batting average is the best for an
SDSU player since the school began
Division I competition in 1981.
In
1981, Tony Gwynn batted .416 with 11
homes runs and 62 runs batted in.
His RBI total that season still
ranks among the top 10 on the Aztec
single-season record list. He was
named to the All-Western Athletic
conference first team as well as an
NCAA All-American that year.
In
addition to three years of baseball,
Tony Gwynn was also a point guard
for the Aztec basketball team for
four seasons and was named to the
All-Western Athletic Conference
twice. He tied the school record for
assists in a game with 18 against
UNLV in 1980. He also still holds
the SDSU records for assists in a
season (221) and career (590), and
averaged 5.5 assists per game over
the course of his career.
Gwynn finished with a major league
career batting average of .338 after
hitting .347 as a minor league
player. He hit above the .300 mark
for 18 consecutive seasons, and in
doing so surpassed Honus Wagner’s
record set from 1897-1913. He joined
the 3,000 hit club in 1999 and his
total of 3,137 ranks 16th all time.
During his illustrious pro career,
Gwynn won eight National League
batting titles and was an all star
on 15 occasions. He was named to The
Sporting News Silver Slugger team
seven times and won five Rawlings
Gold Glove awards for defensive
excellence.
The list of Gwynn’s honors off the
field is just as impressive. Tony
Gwynn received the Roberto Clemente
Man of the Year Award in 1999 for
combining sportsmanship and
community service with excellence on
the field. Other honors include the
1999 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, 1995
Branch Rickey Award, and induction
into the World Sports Humanitarian
Hall of Fame.
>>>
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