June 16, 2014

Tony Gwynn CBI Interview from 2003 CWS

College Baseball Mourns Loss of Gwynn

By Sean Ryan

sean@collegebaseballinsider.com @collbaseball

In addition to being regarded as the finest hitter of his time – as well as one of the best in baseball history – Tony Gwynn was known as being the consummate professional, a passionate player who simply loved to play the game of baseball.

The same can be said about his career as a college baseball coach.

“He was the way the game was supposed to be,” New Mexico coach Ray Birmingham said. “He taught me a lot. He taught everybody a lot…he coached the way he played.”

Added Saint Mary’s coach Eric Valenzuela: “He did it the right way. He wanted to teach these boys how to do it the right way, do it with class.”

Gwynn, a baseball Hall of Famer who spent the past 12 years as the head coach at his alma mater San Diego State, passed away Monday morning at the age of 54. Gwynn, diagnosed with cancer in 2010 that he attributed to his years of chewing tobacco, had been on medical leave from his Aztecs post since late March – his final team overcame the loss of its coach to claim the Mountain West Conference tournament title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

“He was a great player, a great teammate, a great mentor to me,” said Pacific coach Ed Sprague, who spent parts of the 2000 season playing with Gwynn and the San Diego Padres.

Gwynn starred in basketball and baseball for San Diego State, becoming the only athlete in Western Athletic Conference history to be named an all-conference performer in two sports.

He was the Aztecs’ point guard for four seasons and holds the school marks for assists in a season (221) and career (590). Gwynn once had 18 assists in a game against UNLV in 1980.

But it was baseball that would make Gwynn one of the stars of his generation.

At San Diego State, Gwynn honed his sweet-lefty swing by hitting .423 with six homers and 29 RBI and .416 with 11 homers and 62 RBI his final two seasons. A first-team All-American, Gwynn was drafted by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 Major League Draft.

For the next 20 seasons, Gwynn wreaked havoc on Major League pitchers. He hit better than .300 for 19 straight seasons and ranks 19th on Major League Baseball’s all-time hits list – fitting, considering “Mr. Padre” wore No. 19. Gwynn never struck out more than 40 times in a single season and wore out the hole between shortstop and third base – what he called the 5.5-hole. He won eight batting titles, was a 15-time All-Star and inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

“Tony was quiet, he was to himself,” Sprague said of his time as a teammate of Gwynn’s. “As a player, you had to know the questions to ask. He wasn’t just going to come out and share his knowledge. You had to pick his brain.”

He added, “I think that’s why Tony and Ted [Williams] had such a special relationship.” Sprague said, “They got each other,” that they were “two quiet souls” and “they knew the questions to ask each other.”

Sprague, who spent 11 years in the Major Leagues, remembers picking Gwynn’s brain early in his coaching career at Pacific when the Tigers met the Aztecs.

“As a new coach, I’m trying to get some guidance from a new coach who was also a player, a much better player than I was,” Sprague said.

He recalled Gwynn, who started at San Diego State one year before he began coaching at Pacific, as saying, “I don’t know anything about hitting.”

“He was frustrated trying to get across his knowledge about hitting,” Sprague said.

That certainly would change as Gwynn settled into his new role, coaching in a stadium that bears his name.

“His hitting philosophy: You would think as an outsider that it would be very technical and difficult and very scientific,” said Valenzuela, who coached with Gwynn for four years before being named the head coach at Saint Mary’s before this season. “His hitting philosophy was pretty simple; he kept it simple for our guys.”

Gwynn finished with a career record of 363-363 – he hit better than .363 four times in his Padres career – but the Aztecs clearly were headed in the right direction.

His 2009 team, featuring Stephen Strasburg, finished 43-21, and Gwynn’s teams reached the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014. Assistant Mark Martinez, who joined the Aztecs in 2005, guided San Diego State when Gwynn stepped aside in March. The team rallied around a Tony Gwynn bobblehead and won three straight games out of the losers’ bracket to capture the MWC tourney title.

“Tony was such a special person, much more than a Hall of Fame baseball player,” TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “He always impressed me as a great father, husband and friend. His laugh and energy were infectious.

“Professionally, he was truly invested in college baseball. Because of his fame, he was a great ambassador for college baseball nationally, the Mountain West Conference and San Diego State.  He was a progressive thinker and was always very involved in our conference meetings in a positive way. On the field, his teams played hard and it was always friendly competition when Tony was involved.”

Valenzuela, who joined San Diego State the same year Gwynn was diagnosed with cancer, cherishes the laugh and the great man who was always positive, always smiling, always happy and enjoying the game. He also embraces the Hall of Famer’s unselfishness.

“Being the fact that he was Tony Gwynn, the Hall of Famer, you got that out of the way,” Valenzuela said. “He never wanted that to be in the way of why we were there.”

Birmingham said, “His humility, his ability to ask about you first. He loved kids, he loved the game, he loved the young men and he loved San Diego State University…He didn’t want it to be about Tony Gwynn. He wanted it to be about the kids on the field and San Diego State University.”

Gwynn is survived by his wife Alicia, son Tony Jr., a player with the Philadelphia Phillies, and daughter Anisha.

He’s also survived by his Aztec players, which included his son, and countless friends he made in the college coaching business.

“My best memories of Coach were sitting in the dugout prior to our games just sharing stories about living life and spending time with our family and friends,” Air Force coach Mike Kazlausky said. “I know when I think of Tony, I will always think of his infectious laugh. I believe at times we can really get caught up in competing and winning, but Coach really understood what was most important. Speaking for his Air Force friends and competitors alike, he will be greatly missed.

Schlossnagle, whose Horned Frogs are playing in the College World Series in Omaha, said, “I was truly shocked by his passing, really took my breath away. It’s truly an honor to have known him and competed on the same field with such a special person.”

Added Birmingham: “God made only one Tony Gwynn. Fortunately for me I was able to spend part of my life with him. He made us better men. I will miss him.”

Click here for AP story on SDSU site.

Click here for CSNPhilly.com Father's Day story on Tony Gwynn Jr. and his father.