Sept. 20, 2001
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Photos and Quotes From Tony Gwynn Press Conference
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State University executive director of athletics and special assistant to the president Rick Bay has named Tony Gwynn as the University's new head baseball coach. The official announcement was made Sept. 20th in the newly-completed Aztec Athletics Center.
Gwynn, who was a basketball standout as well as a baseball player at San Diego State, will have a three-year contract with the University, beginning June 1, 2002. He will become just the fourth baseball coach in the history of the Aztec program, dating back to 1936.
Jim Dietz announced during the spring that he will retire after the upcoming season, his 31st as head baseball coach at the University. Dietz is a 2001 inductee into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
"Tony Gwynn is one of San Diego State's most famous alumni and one of the city's true icons," said Bay. "The passion he carries for this University, and for the baseball program in particular, is obvious to all who know him. He has the abilities and the energy to be a successful head coach and the people skills to galvanize the community in an effort to take Aztec baseball to the highest level."
With the hiring of Gwynn, San Diego State has a baseball pedigree unique in college athletics. Gwynn will become the 17th former big leaguer to currently head up a college baseball program and easily the most recognizable. Bay has served two stints in Major League Baseball. He was executive vice-president and chief operating officer of the New York Yankees and he served as president and CEO of the Cleveland Indians when that operation was recognized as the Major League Baseball organization of the year.
The hiring of Gwynn marks a true homecoming on several levels. One of the players that Gwynn will inherit at San Diego State is his son, Anthony, a sophomore centerfielder. The team plays its games in the 3,000-seat Tony Gwynn Stadium and he will be replacing Dietz, the man who coached him at San Diego State.
Gwynn and his wife, Alicia, have two children. Anthony and a daughter, Anisha, who is 16-years-old.
Tony Gwynn as an Aztec
* Played three seasons of baseball (1979-81) under current head coach Jim Dietz
* Competed primarily as a left fielder and designated hitter
* Career batting average of .398 is the best for an Aztec since San Diego State joined Division I in 1969
* Hit .301 as a freshman in 1979
* Led San Diego State in hitting in both 1980 and 1981
* In 1980, hit .423 with six home runs and 29 runs batted in
* Named third team All-American by Baseball News in 1980
* Batting average of .416 with 11 home runs and 62 runs batted in 1981
* His 62 RBI in 1980 still ranks 10th on the Aztec single season list
* NCAA All-American in 1981
* First team All-Western Athletic Conference outfielder in 1981
* Played point guard for the SDSU basketball team for four seasons (1977-81)
* Named All-Western Athletic Conference second-team guard as a sophomore and junior
* Set the Aztec single-game assist record with 18 vs. UNLV on Feb. 5, 1980
* Also holds the SDSU single-season (221 in 1979-80) and career (590) assist marks
* His average of 8.2 assists per game in 1979-80 is the best ever for an Aztec
* Averaged 5.5 assists over his four-year SDSU career
* Drafted by the San Diego Padres (3rd round) and San Diego Clippers (10th round) on the same day (June 10, 1981)
Career Baseball StatisticsYear G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-CS AVG1981-83 132 400 106 159 28 7 18 102 46 21 35-47 .398
Career Basketball StatisticsYears G-GS FGM-FGA FG% FTM-FTA FT% REB/AVG AST ST PTS/AVG1977-81 107-61 340-716 .475 236-344 .706 215/2.0 590 141 933/8.4
A History of San Diego State Baseball CoachesCoach Years Record PctCharlie Smith 1936-64 555-289-10 .656Lyle Olsen 1965-71 181-134-9 .573Jim Dietz 1972-present 1188-727-18 .619
Tony Gwynn as a Padre
* Is in his 20th year with the San Diego Padres and is one of only 16 players (including only four National Leaguers), to have played at least 20 seasons and spent their entire careers with one team.
* Was the fourth pick of the third round by the Padres in 1981. He was chosen after Aztec teammate Bobby Meacham, who was the eighth pick of the first round by the Yankees
* After being drafted in 1981, joined the big league club in 1982, hitting .289 in 54 games
* Made permanent move to the Padres during the 1983 season and has hit over .300 in his 19 seasons (including 2001) since then
* Career major league batting average of .338, career minor-league mark of .347
* His average of .338 leads all active players in batting
* By hitting above the .300 mark for 18 consecutive seasons, he surpassed Honus Wagner's record set from 1897-1913
* Recorded his 3000th hit on August 6, 1999 at Montreal
* His 3,137 hits rank 16th all-time among major league players
* Among active players, is second in doubles (542), third in triples (85), and fourth in career games played (2425), at bats (9275) and runs scored (1383)
* He is one of only 19 players ever to have 200 or more hits in a season five times
* Has won a record-tying eight National League batting titles (1984, 1987-89, 1994-97)
* Is a 15-time N.L. All-Star and was voted to start the All-Star Game 11 times, most ever by a National League outfielder
* Named to the Sporting News Silver Slugger team on seven occasions, most in team history
* Winner of five Rawlings Gold Glove awards for defensive excellence, a team high
* Selected to the Sporting News all-league team a club-record five times
* Named team MVP a record seven times
* 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
Career Statistics *Years Gms AB Runs Hits 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-CS AVG20 yrs. 2425 9275 1383 3137 542 85 135 1135 788 432 319-437 .338 *through game of Sept. 18, 2001