Baseball Hall of Fame legend Tom Seaver honored with memorial highway in hometown Fresno

Tom Seaver could always draw a crowd.

And he did again Friday, when California Assemblyman Jim Patterson, friends and even a former coach of the local baseball legend gathered to announce a section of Highway 41 will be named “Tom Seaver Memorial Highway” in Fresno.

The naming of the section — a two-mile stretch of 41 between Jensen and Ventura avenues — commemorates the life of Seaver, who passed away last year at the age of 75.

A unanimous Baseball Hall of Fame selection in 1992, Seaver first played the game at Fresno High and Fresno City College.

In his big-league career, Seaver compiled 311 wins and won three NL Cy Young Awards as the league’s best pitcher. He’s also regarded as the leader of the New York “Miracle” Mets’ World Series championship team in 1969, when he won a major league-leading 25 games during the regular season.

Len Bourdet, Seaver’s coach at Fresno City College, was on hand in Fresno on Friday to remember his star pitcher and share in the honor of the memorial sign naming.

Bourdet is now 95.

“I can’t think of anything better than to have things honored to him for what he left behind,” Bourdet said, “so I’m very proud to be part of that legacy.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.