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SportsBiz Tony Gwynn is ready to take on his ‘first real job’



Callaway Teams With Tadpole to Introduce Its Trade In, Trade Up Program

When Tony Gwynn plays his final game as a San Diego Padre on Oct. 7, it will mark his retirement after 20 years in major league baseball.

But that retirement will be short-lived. Oct. 8 will mark the beginning of what Gwynn calls his first real job.

Although he won’t officially take over as head coach of the San Diego State University baseball team until after the 2002 season and current coach Jim Dietz retires, Gwynn plans to be visible on campus as soon as the Padres season ends.

He’ll be a volunteer coach for the upcoming season under Dietz, and plans to take every note possible from his former coach.

When asked why he chose this job as opposed to something more high profile, such as broadcasting, Gwynn said he could think of no other place he wanted to be.

“This is what I wanted to do, period,” Gwynn said. “Personally, I can’t think of any place to do that than at my alma mater.”

Gwynn signed a three-year, $100,000 contract as the team’s fourth head coach. That salary, although substantially lower than his salary as a Padre, is the highest base salary in the Mountain West Conference and puts Gwynn among the top percentile of college coaches in the country.

Gwynn said he expects his biggest challenges on the job to be fund-raising and recruiting. He said he wouldn’t be surprised to walk into a few homes on recruiting trips and be asked to sign baseballs in the beginning.

“That will die down,” Gwynn said. “I have to sell this program. The bottom line will be are we playing quality baseball.”

SDSU Athletic Director Rick Bay thinks Gwynn will do just fine with his off-campus responsibilities.

“Fund-raising should be easier for him because he has tremendous name recognition, and I think people will be accessible to him,” Bay said. “I think they will be anxious to become involved with the program.”

Bay and Gwynn continually pointed out the team’s budget is limited. The coach is expected to bring in extra funds for travel expenses, recruiting and scholarship dollars.

Gwynn also wants to update the coaches’ facilities with new computers and office equipment. Although he has given plenty of money to the school in the past, that would have to stop when he becomes a member of the staff.

“There was no problem as an Aztec alumni putting my own money into the program, but now as a coach, I can’t do that,” Gwynn said. “I have a lot of connections with other athletes, and those guys know that I’m coming.”

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Day Trading:

A program recently introduced by Callaway Golf Co. should make golfers think twice about throwing out their old clubs.

The Carlsbad-based golf equipment manufacturer’s new Trade In, Trade Up program, with Tadpole Golf Corp., allows consumers to trade their pre-owned clubs in exchange for credit with other club retailers in several test markets.

Consumers will also be able to purchase certified pre-owned Callaway clubs from Tadpole Golf at the (callawaygolfpreowned.com) Web site. The clubs available on the site include Callaway’s recent product lines, as well as classic, collectible clubs.

Under the program, golfers can take their Callaway products to participating retailers and receive a fixed credit toward the purchase of any new Callaway clubs. The test markets for the program will be Edwin Watts and Golfsmith stores in Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio.


On Guard:

Increased security and thorough inspections were implemented during the Chargers’ first home game since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on this country. Elite Security, which typically uses more than 400 security guards per game, increased manpower by 25 percent for the Chargers’ Sept. 30 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The San Diego Police Department also beefed up its presence both in the stadium and in the parking lot.

The new security measures, which were said to be continuing indefinitely, were expected to cause some delays.

“My tip to fans is to come early to the parking lot because it will be full more than half an hour before game time,” said Qualcomm Stadium manager Bill Wilson.

Wilson urged fans to end tailgate parties a little earlier, or face the possibility of missing the beginning of the game.

The Chargers would not disclose how much the increased security cost, but said it was almost staggering.

“Any time you increase security or police, it’s a substantial increase cost wise,” said Sean O’Connor, the Chargers’ director of marketing and events.

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ring For A Cause:

Every time the Chargers score a touchdown this season, the Make-A-Wish Foundation will score as well.

Computer training institute MicroSkills, KFMB 760-AM and Marvin K. Brown Cadillac, have partnered to contribute various funds per touchdown to help grant wishes of critically disabled children in San Diego through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation relies completely on donor contributions to grant wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses.

The deadline for the next Sports Biz column is Thursday, Oct. 18. Send related items to dward@sdbj.com.

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