Tony Gwynn first made national headlines 39 years ago, when newspapers across the country picked up on a wire story that said Gwynn was the first college athlete drafted in two different sports on the same day.
A headline in the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News said it best: “Only the Army didn’t draft Tony Gwynn.”
On June 9, 1981, Gwynn was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the third round (58th overall) of baseball’s June draft. Just hours later, the San Diego Clippers selected him in the 10th round (210th overall) of the NBA Draft.
“I’m happy to be drafted in both sports,” Gwynn said when contacted at home by The Associated Press.