Templeton discusses extraordinary season, role in Padres' history

Padres Hall of Fame inductee Garry Templeton stopped by Padres Social Hour on Saturday, just before a special pregame ceremony honoring his place in Padres history, and sat down to discuss his career with the San Diego ballclub.

Templeton, who is remembered as one of the greatest shortstops in franchise history and has been touted for his leadership and pivotal role as a veteran leader of the 1984 National League Championship team, was happy to reminisce about his time with the ballclub during San Diego's first playoff run.

"It was a special year for us," said Templeton. "That '84 year was the year that [manager] Dick Williams and [general manager] Jack McKeon sat me down and told me they wanted me to take a leadership role, because of the younger players we had on the team. It made me focus on what I had to do. We had Goose Gossage and Craig Nettles, too, and they brought the winning attitude … and it just added to everything."

The 1984 Padres had a lot of great talent and, as many may recall, it was Templeton's job to serve as "the glue" between the young talent and the strong-willed veterans, who found themselves together on a championship caliber team.

"You had Gossage and [Steve] Garvey, who were older and. … I was that bridge [for younger players]. I look back and I remember, man, I was right in the middle at that middle age, and you know, I just tried to keep the team together."

Thinking back to his time with young players like Tony Gwynn, Alan Wiggins and Kevin McReynolds that year, Templeton laughed and said "I had an opportunity back then to talk to those kids, and you know -- back then those kids listened!"

To hear Templeton's experiences with former Padres Manager Dick Williams and the process of building the 1984 Padres and the subsequent expectations and drama of the 1985 club, watch the interview in the video above. For more interviews, highlights and Padres content like this, check out padres.com/socialhour.