Tony Gwynn

Where Is He Now?

Upon retirement in October 2001, Tony Gwynn was selected head baseball coach at San Diego State University (SDSU), his alma mater, which in 1997 named its new baseball stadium in his honor. He chose to serve one year as a volunteer coach before beginning a three-year contract term with the university. Gwynn called the coaching position "the dream gig for me."

During 2002, Gwynn moonlighted as a sports analyst for the ESPN television network. Tony and his wife, Alicia, also own Tony Gwynn Sports, and in 2000 the company bought 100 Church's Chicken restaurant franchises. They planned to build about seven stores per year, from San Diego to Bakersfield, California.

Tony and Alicia—who owns AG Sports, a company specializing in merchandising and graphic design—have continued their charity work. They routinely take disadvantaged children into their home, providing teens with job skills through Alicia's business. Their TAG Foundation supports a number of San Diego charities, including one that provides shelter for abused and abandoned children. Alicia told the Sporting News, "We both feel like we are blessed people and fortunate to be in the position we are in. We just try to do the right thing."