San Diegans recall their favorite stadium memories.

From Bolts to Padres to Aztecs to Stones, plus romances in between

A boy in La Mesa some 50 years ago assumed 50,000-seat stadiums were as commonplace as corner drugstores.

Didn’t everyone grow up with a major league ballpark six miles from home?

You remember in sixth grade sitting under the scoreboard on Safety Patrol Night for an Aztecs football game. You don’t remember it so much for being head coach Don Coryell’s last season as for the popcorn being surreptitiously stacked on the top of Elaine Moore’s hat (the prankster had to be either Jerry Sullivan or Scott Anderson).

You remember seeing a “Sack Svare” sign at a Chargers game and thinking it referred to tackling a quarterback rather than realizing it meant fire the head coach.

You remember seeing a pitcher for the Padres who was left-handed like you with curly hair like yours (although his was permed) who can’t throw any harder than you but won 20 games in back-toback seasons.

You remember hot dogs tasting great, even though they probably weren’t very good.

You remember the cotton candy vendor always being swarmed with kids.

You remember a combination of the world’s largest playground and a circus that never leaves town, where you could watch something unforgettable on the field, keep a ball when it came into the stands or simply run around until you were exhausted.

You remember keeping dozens of balls in the early 1970s when they went into the stands and there was hardly anyone to retrieve them.

You remember a man in a chicken suit being as talented (or more) as those on the field.

You remember there being no better first job than selling sodas and peanuts at the ballpark.

You remember World Series games, Super Bowls, Holiday and Poinsettia bowls, soccer games and even a rugby match.

You remember hell freezing over for the Eagles.

You remember some games you’d rather forget.

You remember the last game but not the first.

Now, you just remember. Like all of you.

Here are stadium memories shared by Union-tribune readers:

There for first game, almost

The AFL Chargers opened San Diego Stadium vs. the NFL Detroit Lions, Aug. 20, 1967.

My family drives into the massive parking lot, sunlight glinting from thousands of cars, the magnificent edifice looming larger by the second.

From inside, a thunder of drums. The mighty NFL is finally here, today, in little San Diego! (I’ve waited nearly half of my 14 years for this moment) We get in line for tickets. Reaching the window, my dad sees the prices: General Admission $4.50.

“Four-fifty!” he explodes. “That’s ridiculous!”

We get in the car and drive home.

Fear not, I will eventually get inside. I see the Holy Roller, watch the Yankees complete a World Series sweep of the Pads, marvel at Marlon Mccree’s infamous fumble, stand on the sideline as the Aztecs lose a Holiday Bowl bid by blowing a 45-17 lead vs. BYU.

Yes, friends, the iconic San Diego sports moments we all hold so dear. And to this day, looking back on that halcyon August afternoon, I think wistfully: If there were more guys like my dad, Tom Brady would be selling insurance in the offseason. Just like the good ol’ days! JOHN DEBELLO SAN DIEGO

Spreading the joy

The date was Oct. 7, 1984, the day after Steve Garvey’s famed walk-off home run against the Cubs extended the NLCS and I was there to watch the deciding fifth game.

Down 3-0 after two innings, the Padres fought back with two in the sixth and four in the seventh inning before Goose Gossage shut down the Cubs for the save, sending the Padres to their first-ever World Series and the crowd at The Murph into a frenzy.

After the game, we were walking around the stadium perimeter. As we were passing the ramp where the visiting team’s bus parked, several Padres players who left their clubhouse appeared at the chainlink fence to celebrate with the fans.

Still in uniform but without cleats, I will never forget Tim Flannery shouting with joy as the crowd rushed to the fence. As my 71-year-old mind recalls, he was joined by Kurt Bevacqua, Craig Lefferts and several others.

We were stunned to see them sharing their joy with us just three feet away on the other side of the fence. How lucky it was for us to witness this rare spectacle. SCOTT HOPKINS CHULA VISTA

A great date

As a college student, I took a date to a Chargers game in 1967. Paid for parking, but at the box office was informed the game was a sellout.

Pondering our next move outside the stadium wall, a gentleman and his wife asked if we were looking for tickets. He had two in the press level. I said I could not afford those seats. He said, “No, I am giving them to you.” We followed them in and met their group of season ticket holder friends.

We were in the top row so the aisle was just behind me. I stepped over the back of my seat and went to get a soda. Upon returning, I stepped back over the seat and proceeded to spill the soda on the row below me. My date was mortified, the season ticket holders were gracious in accepting my apology, and I don’t remember who won the game.

I guess my date forgave me. We’ve been married 52 years and have had so many wonderful experiences at that great old stadium. CLIF YAUSSI EL CAJON

A great field trip

I was a teacher at Sherman Elementary in San Diego, from 1981 through 2002. During that time, I took almost all of my students to Padres games at the old stadium.

After obtaining parental permission, I would cook and wrap hot dogs in foil, pack some peanuts and candy, and load about six or seven students in my car at a time.

For most of my students, it was their first opportunity to attend a Padres’ game. We had loads of fun! Many of these students have become lifelong Padre fans. One even became a Padres batboy, through his high school and college years.

When I speak to these students today, most of them remember the trip to a game with me, as one of their fondest elementary school memories. TERRY PESTA SAN DIEGO

No. 1 Aztecs family

Although we were at the first Padres and Chargers games played at San Diego Stadium, the Ables are first and foremost an Aztecs family.

Members of our family were at every one of the 336 Aztecs football games played at San Diego/jack Murphy/qualcomm/sdccu Stadium over 53 seasons, from the first game in 1967 (a 16-8 win vs. Tennessee State) to the finale in 2019 (a 13-3 win vs. BYU).

My Dad, Tom, the greatest Aztecs fan of all time, was at every Aztecs game played at the stadium until his passing in 2017 — 320 straight.

I was at 332 of the 336 Aztecs games played at the stadium in the 53 seasons they called it home.

My favorite memories are of Aztecs games (and Aztecs wins!): the Florida State game in 1977 where Claude Gilbert outcoached Bobby Bowden in a 41-16 victory; the Pacific game in 1991 when freshman Marshall Faulk rushed for an Ncaa-record 386 yards; the 2010 Poinsettia Bowl win over Navy for the first Aztecs bowl victory since 1969; and the 20-17 blackout-delayed, comefrom-behind victory over No. 19 Stanford in 2017, celebrated by Aztecs fans rushing the field after the win. KEN ABLES SAN DIEGO

Chicken saved San Diego

So ... what do you do when you have early/mid 1970s Padres season tickets ... and they don’t exactly have what legitimate sportswriters might call a “team?” You arrive with a pound of salted peanuts, purchase a beer, and watch the Chicken.

Ted (the KGB, then San Diego Chicken) was everywhere ... behind home plate, then in the cheap seats, then on the field, and always swallowing children’s heads. Always spontaneous, hilarious, and certainly more entertaining than the Padres!

The Chicken threw hot dogs with more accuracy than all of our pitchers, save for Randy Jones. He mocked the umpires. He was on top of the dugout. He warmed up the pitcher at the bottom of the inning.

And ... he became THE San Diego Chicken, hatching from a Styrofoam egg on the infield.

Thank you Ted ... thank you for saving the Padres. JOHN PEARSON SAN DIEGO

One of the lucky ones

I grew up in San Diego and was almost 11 years old when the stadium opened. I was a big Chargers fan, even at that age, and attended an exhibition game there in 1968.

I moved to Phoenix when I was 12 and rooted for the Chargers, Padres and Aztecs from the desert.

I returned to San Diego on a football scholarship and played two seasons for the Aztecs under a great coach — Claude Gilbert. I was on the 1977 team that upset No. 12-rated Florida State on that field and ended up 10-1 and ranked No. 16 in the nation.

I later attended Padres World Series games there in 1984 against the Tigers and in 1998 against the Yankees.

I played on that field. Great memories as a player and as a fan. I was one of the lucky ones. DAN MOODY LAKESIDE

Role models

I was 7 when the Padres went to the World Series in 1998. That year I had the privilege of going to Game 3 of the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves.

I remember everyone in the stadium waving those white rally towels together as a unit and that is still one of the most magical moments of my life. My dad and I still talk about how spectacular that moment was. It made me a sports fan.

I was so lucky to have grown up looking up to three amazing athletes in Trevor Hoffman, Tony Gwynn and Junior Seau. While San Diego wasn’t blessed with winners often, it was truly a blessing to have those three as role models growing up not only on the field, but off the field.

I truly love the Q and it gave me so many memories I will cherish forever. THOMAS FREY BAY PARK

Making stadium sparkle

Sadly Qualcomm is gone. The end of an era. But what wonderful memories I have of that dear place. Taking my son to Monster Truck rallies, the 1998 World Series, to Chargers games. But my greatest memories have nothing to do with any sporting event that took place there.

For over 30 years our family attended the annual conventions held there as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Just prior to these conventions, 5,000 of us volunteers cleaned every inch of the stadium, taking putty knives and removing gum from every step and walkway. We washed every restroom and seat from front to back and top to bottom, cleaning every cupholder, walkway, stairway and breezeway.

These conventions were a place of community, harmony, and scriptural instruction. We would reunite with old friends and make new ones. It became a highlight of our year, a part of our family’s traditions, like celebrating a special occasion at the Marine Room and watching the sunset from Mt. Soledad.

The Q may have been made of steel and concrete but there’s a soft spot in our hearts for that faithful servant of all San Diegans. She may be gone but the memories she gave us will live on. GEORGE WALLIS OCEANSIDE

Scouts outside the stadium

Among all the racing that happened at the Stadium, perhaps none had such exuberant winners as the annual San Diego 500.

Each spring for a long run ending in 2017, the local Boy Scouts of America Council hosted its annual Scout Fair at the Stadium’s west parking lot.

Troops would offer free samples of their Dutch oven recipes, rope bridges were strung, ham radios were set up, and hand-made catapults heaved water balloons across the grounds. But the top draw every year was the eight-lane, 50-foot long Pinewood Derby track on which the champion of every Cub Scout Pack in the county was invited to compete.

Kevin Kasner and his team of volunteers spent the Fridays before the Scout Fair assembling that giant track, as well as a repair station where broken wheels, loose weights and fallen Lego drivers could be reattached.

On Saturdays, several hundred excited Cubs brought their cars and raced heats throughout the day until a county winner was declared — often not much taller than that first place trophy. It was some of the best racing ever seen at the stadium — with cars that could weigh no more than 5 ounces. JIM TRAGESER SAN MARCOS

They met at a bar

Boy meets Girl ... Betty had moved to San Diego from cold, snowy New York in ’76. I needed a job while attending SDSU in ’77. She got a job at San Diego Stadium through her sister; a college buddy of mine suggested we should apply for a vendor spot. I got the job, he was passed over.

Betty and I both worked behind a portable beer and wine jockey box on Plaza Level and other locations. We were paired up to work together quite often and from there we eventually began dating.

We later got bartending positions and worked different locations in the stadium; she became the very first Stadium lady bartender, which included a bit of harassing from the old-timer bartenders but she persevered.

Working Padres, Chargers and Aztecs scheduled games — in addition to three Super Bowls, two World Series, two All-star Games and numerous Holiday Bowl games later — we met a lot of awesome people throughout the years and maintain many friendships to this day.

Betty served up drinks for over 30 years at the Stadium’s bars while I took care of thirsty sports fans for nearly three decades. The final years working at the Stadium, she and I again worked together in Murphy’s Bar. Stories abound!

So, the Stadium and the days working there were truly memorable to us and is forever in our hearts. It is difficult to see the Stadium turn to rubble.

A big chunk of our lives were spent at the Stadium. We’ll be celebrating 41 years of marriage in a few months and I guess you can say the proverbial “we met at a bar!” BETTY & KIM HELLSTROM SAN DIEGO

Inducing labor

Although my wife and I have many, many memories about the stadium (we have lived up Mission Village Drive for 49 years), one is special to us.

My wife, Barbara, was pregnant with our first child in the summer of 1971 with her due date of Aug. 14. But even though that date was the day after a Padres game on Friday night (a 5-2 loss to the Phillies), we still decided to go to the game.

Our seats were on the field level, and after all the walking into the stadium and many trips to the bathroom, up and down the stairs to field level, early the next morning she woke up and had serious contractions and we rushed to Scripps La Jolla.

About 14 hours later, she gave birth to our son Eric. He’s fine today and will celebrate his 50th birthday in August, with all the family in Hawaii, COVID permitting. HARRY MELKERSON SERRA MESA

Junior Padre

My fondest memory of the stadium goes back 40 years and involved an unheard of option that would never be available to youngsters today.

In the late 1970s, anyone under 14 years old could purchase a Junior Padres Plan. This plan provided the opportunity to see every National League team once at the ineffable price of $1.

As callow 10-year-olds, my best friend and I made the hasty and financially sound decision to purchase what amounted to our own mini-season ticket plans.

His mom would drop us off at the 7-11 and we would make our eager way to the Stadium.

We weren’t as much interested in the actual game of baseball, but more so in acquiring batting practice home runs and fouls down the first- and third-base lines.

Four or five innings in, we had to call my mom to retrieve us since it was typically a school night. As we made our sullen journey back, we would play catch (and miss) with our collected baseballs. PAUL TESSARO MISSION HILLS

Jammin’ with the Stones

Lots of memories from going to the stadium since the early 1970s.

But my favorite nonsports memory was from a Rolling Stones concert Feb. 3, 1998. They had a huge stage set up on the scoreboard end of the stadium.

It was an El Niño year and had been raining on and off during the concert. My wife and I were in our raincoats with hoods and boots standing on the field shoulder-toshoulder with other fans for the entire show looking up at the stage.

The 19th and final song before the encore was “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Mick was running around the stage with microphone in hand singing “I was born in a cross-fire hurricane, And I howled at my ma in the driving rain.”

And the skies just opened up. It was pouring buckets! The infield was a muddy mess and everyone was going crazy. It was my Woodstock moment, but it was at San Diego Stadium! Will never forget that night. SAM DOVE SAN DIEGO

For more memories, read the full story online at sandiegounion tribune.com/sports

1984 AP FILE PHOTO Padres catcher Terry Kennedy leaps into the arms of Goose Gossage after the Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 to win NLCS.

LENNY IGNELZI AP The San Diego Chicken was always entertaining, even when the Padres weren’t. He roamed around the stadium, making everyone laugh.

SIMON MAIERHOFER Jehovah’s Witnesses would clean the stadium from top to bottom before their annual conventions.

COURTESY PHOTO The local Boy Scouts of America Council hosted its annual Scout Fair at the Stadium’s west parking lot.