First a Wheaties box, now a bronze statue. Eight days before his entering the baseball hall of fame, Gwynn witnessed the unveiling of a statue of his likeness just beyond the outfield wall at Petco Park.

Gwynn admired the 9 1/2-foot statue, which shows the batting star in mid-swing. The base bears the inscription “Tony Gwynn, Mr. Padre” on the front and a quote from his late father, Charles, on the back: “If you work hard, good things will happen.”

Gwynn is arguably the San Diego Padres’ most famous alumni and one of the greatest hitters ever to play the game with a career total of 3,141 hits and a .338 average.

“THE COLONEL” (Jerry Coleman)

Coleman, sadly who passed in 2014, was rookie of the year in 1949 for the New York Yankees, where he played 2B. In his baseball career, he reached the World Series six times, earning four rings. He was also named an All-Star and World Series MVP. A military hero in the Marine Corps, Jerry Coleman had a short run as manager of the San Diego Padres (1980). Oh Doctor!

Coleman earned the statue, however, for his 40-year service as a Padres broadcaster. “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” Coleman said when he saw it. Though he never played for the Padres (they were not even a team when he played), he is a respected and beloved figure in the community.

Depicted in his military uniform, Coleman’s statue stands before three images, titled “The Marine,” “The Teammate” and “The Voice.”

“TREVOR TIME“ (Trevor Hoffman)

For hardcore local fans, the pain of longing to see lights-out Padres legend Trevor Hoffman in Petco Park again is over. Add the brand new (2018) Trevor Hoffman statue to the many reasons any baseball fan will love visiting Petco Park. Its a must-see monument that’s rich with the baseball history and class.

Trevor Hoffman may be the most famous pitcher to ever wear a San Diego Padres jersey, and is arguably one of the most well known athletes in San Diego sports history alongside Tony Gwynn. Hoffman was a seven-time all star who retired with the highest strikeout rate of any relief pitcher, a record fourteen 30-save seasons and nine 40-save seasons, and 601 career saves (2nd only to the great Mariano Rivera). The Padres retired his jersey number 51. This year, Hoffman was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

No baseball fan in San Diego can hear the opening to AC/DC’s Hells Bells without thinking, “It’s Trevor Time.”

The Statue
Weight nearly half a ton and standing nine feet tall upon a five-foot mount, the bronze statue depicts Hoffman about to hurl some trademark thunder. It is located just beyond the bullpen. Hoffman’s statue joins Tony Gwynn’s statue (located in the Park at the Park) — both designed by North Carolinan William Behrends, and broadcaster Jerry Coleman’s statue in the growing roster of San Diego’s stone monuments of baseball history.

Tatis Signs ‘Statue Contract’