A resolution to honor San Diego baseball great Tony Gwynn by naming a five-mile stretch of Interstate 15 after him unanimously passed the state Assembly Thursday.

The state Senate must still approve the resolution and the governor must agree before signs can be erected calling the stretch of highway from Pomerado Road south to Scripps Poway Parkway/Mercy Road the Tony Gwynn Memorial Freeway.

Gwynn, who died last year from cancer at the age of 54, spent his entire professional baseball career playing for the Padres and later became coach of the San Diego State Aztecs baseball team. He lived in Poway for nearly 20 years, not far from Interstate 15.

Shortly after his death on June 16, 2014, there was a movement to rename part of Ted Williams Parkway after Gwynn, but that effort failed after it was determined it would cost $400,000 to replace dozens of freeway signs.


Sponsored by Assembly Member Brian Maienschein, the resolution naming the section of the freeway will not cost the state anything.

The county’s Board of Supervisors last year approved allocating $7,452 to the California Department of Transportation to construct and install two freeway memorial signs.

The resolution says in part: “Whereas, the greatest San Diego Padre of them all and one of the greatest hitters in the history of Major League Baseball, Tony Gwynn was the first ever unanimous selection to the Padres Hall of Fame upon his retirement in 2001 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2007…

“Tony Gwynn’s unwavering loyalty to the San Diego Padres and his undying devotion to the San Diego community further cemented his standing as “Mr. Padre” and one of the greatest ambassadors the game of baseball has ever known…”