Today I join the sporting world in mourning the death of Tony Gwynn, one of histories’ all time great baseball players. A dual sport star (his basketball talents were NBA worthy) at San Diego State in the late 70’s and early 80’s he went on to become one of the purest hitters to ever grace major league diamonds over a twenty year career as a San Diego Padre. Gwynn passed away in California at the young age of 54.
What has this got to do with the Fusion blog, advertising, design, and Winnipeg?
About ten years ago we were approached by a local entrepreneur to help create an identity and marketing materials for a sports grip-enhancement product he had invented. Tony Gwynn was among a small group of former sports stars our client hired to endorse the product. Packaging and primary sales materials revolved around his image and words.
I was lucky enough to work on the account, and actually flew to San Diego at one point for a photo shoot. A baseball autographed by Tony Gwynn is proudly displayed in my home.
Much like most of the ephemeral offerings of the advertising world, Tony Gwynn’s life came and went relatively quickly. But the impact he made in his time as an athlete, and on the young people he surely touched as a college coach following his playing career, will stand the test of time. Though I barely crossed his path it made me a little sad to learn of his passing.
