ACR 63, as amended, Maienschein. Tony Gwynn Memorial Freeway.
This measure would designate the portion of Interstate 15 frombegin delete Pomerado Roadend deletebegin insert Camino Del Norteend insert to Scripps Poway Parkway/Mercy Road in the County of San Diego as the Tony Gwynn Memorial Freeway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.
Fiscal committee: yes.
P2 1WHEREAS, The greatest San Diego Padre of them all and one
2of the greatest hitters in the history of Major League Baseball,
3Tony Gwynn was the first ever unanimous selection to the Padres
4Hall of Fame upon his retirement in 2001 and was inducted into
5the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2007; and
6WHEREAS, Tony Gwynn was named the head baseball coach
7at San Diego State in September 2001, succeeding the head coach
8for whom he played for three years during his collegiate baseball
9career. In 20 seasons (1982-2001), the man who will be forever
10known as “Mr. Padre” won a National League record-tying eight
11batting titles and was selected to 16 All-Star teams. The San Diego
12Padres retired his number 19 jersey in September 2004; and
13WHEREAS, A native of Long Beach, Tony Gwynn attended
14Long Beach Poly High School before arriving at San Diego State
15in 1977 as a highly recruited basketball point guard. After not
16playing baseball during his freshman year in order to concentrate
17on basketball, Tony Gwynn was given the chance to play baseball
18in 1979. Tony Gwynn became a two-time All-American outfielder
19and led the Aztecs in hitting in each of his final two seasons. Tony
20Gwynn was also a point guard for the Aztec men’s basketball team
21for four seasons and was named to the All-Western Athletic
22Conference team twice; and
23WHEREAS, On June 10, 1981, Tony Gwynn was drafted by
24both the San Diego Padres in the third round of the Major League
25Baseball draft, and by the San Diego Clippers in the 10th round
26of the National Basketball Association draft. After signing with
27the San Diego Padres, Tony Gwynn made his major league debut
28on July 19, 1982. He retired with a .338 career batting average and
293,141 hits in 2,400 games. The San Diego Padres career leader in
30virtually every offensive category, Tony Gwynn retired at 17th on
31the all-time hit list, 17th on the all-time doubles list, and eighth
32on the all-time singles list, and his .338 career batting average is
3322nd of all-time; and
P3 1WHEREAS, Tony Gwynn played on the first three San Diego
2Padres Division Championship clubs (1984, 1996, and 1998) and
3batted .371 in the club’s two World Series appearances. Tony
4Gwynn’s list of honors off the field is just as impressive, as he
5received the Roberto Clemente Man of the Year Award in 1999
6and was awarded the 1999 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. In 1995,
7Tony Gwynn was presented the Branch Rickey Award as the top
8community activist in Major League Baseball, as well as the
9inaugural San Diego Padres Chairman’s Award. Tony Gwynn also
10was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame
11in 1999; and
12WHEREAS, Tony Gwynn was also extremely committed to
13community service in the San Diego area. With his wife, Dr. Alicia
14Gwynn, Tony Gwynn established the Tony and Alicia Gwynn
15Foundation, which provides programs and services to underserved
16children in the areas of STEAM (science, technology, engineering,
17arts, and math). Only the 17th player in history to spend his entire
18career of 20 or more seasons with one club, Tony Gwynn’s
19unwavering loyalty to the San Diego Padres and his undying
20devotion to the San Diego community further cemented his
21standing as “Mr. Padre” and one of the greatest ambassadors the
22game of baseball has ever known; now, therefore, be it
23Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
24thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
25portion of Interstate 15 frombegin delete Pomerado Roadend deletebegin insert Camino Del Norteend insert
26 to Scripps Poway Parkway/Mercy Road in the County of San Diego
27as the Tony Gwynn Memorial Freeway; and be it further
28Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested
29to determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the
30signing requirements for the state highway system showing this
31special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
32sources sufficient to cover that cost, to erect those signs; and be it
33further
34Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
35of this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
36for appropriate distribution.
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