It’s been 35 years since the 2014 celebrity inductee The San Diego Chicken was “hatched” in front of more than 47,00 fans. Today, he’s as beloved as he was in front of that initial crowd at Jack Murphy Stadium.
Former San Diego Padres pitcher John D’Acquisto; “I can remember that The San Diego Chicken was like the 26th man on our roster as the ‘Head Rooster’. He kept us loose and was always high energy. We enjoyed The Chicken probably more than the fans or at least as much as the fans. When asked by The San Diego Chicken to carry him off the field with Kurt Bevacqua, I considered it an honor to be a part of my friends rebirthing from an egg. Ted is my friend and we share great memories of The San Diego Chicken’s dynasty. Congratulations to The San Diego Chicken and my good friend Ted (Giannoulas).”
Author of Baseball Fantography Andy Strasberg: “The Chicken’s talent is to captivate every audience at just the right moment when entertainment is needed, always complimenting the event and not totally stealing the limelight of the event. His appeal ranges from the infant carried by his parents to the ninety year old standing with the aid of a walker. He is universally loved for his antics and his comedic timing. He is one in a million, plus he’s a great egg!”
Markus Heinsohn, lead developer for Out of the Park Developments: “A streak of appearing at over 500 consecutive Padres games is worthy of some kind of recognition, right? Kudos to The Chicken for entertaining so many baseball fans and for opening the door to mascots throughout baseball.”
Baseball Bloggers Alliance President Dan Shoptaw: “When you think of mascots, you think of The Famous Chicken. He’s the groundbreaker, the one that all mascots that followed him looked to as an example. His popularity is plain in the fact that he travels the country to fans that are always excited to see him.”
Do you have any thoughts on The San Diego Chicken? Feel free to share them below!
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The Hall of Very Good™ Class of 2014 is presented by Out of the Park Developments, the creators of the wildly popular baseball simulation game Out of the Park Baseball. Out of the Park Developments has made a generous donation to The Hall.
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