Promotion Watch: San Diego Gulls To Have "Bill Walton Legacy Night"

We’re getting close to hockey season. Although the NHL schedule has been released for a little while now, teams everywhere are starting to release their promotional schedules so lucky fans can see what giveaways will bring them out to games.

For example, the Detroit Red Wings announced their popular “gravy boat” giveaway will be returning for a second year.

The San Diego Gulls, the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, released their promotional schedule on Wednesday. On the list is a “Bill Walton Bobble Head” game scheduled for the January 31st game against the Toronto Marlies.

Bill Walton wasn’t a hockey player, but an NBA legend that transcended generations in his later career as a broadcaster. He won the 1977 NBA championship with the Portland Trailblazers and followed that up by being the 1977-1978 season NBA MVP. Walton passed away earlier this year.

The San Diego Gulls are goinig to honor Will Walton this season

Walton is well known for being a San Diego sports legend growing up in the San Diego suburb of La Mesa. He even spent part of his NBA career playing for the then-San Diego Clippers and in retirement was often quoted as saying “I love my bike, I love San Diego and I love solar power”. 

After this death, the San Diego Union-Tribune even called him the city’s “greatest ambassador”. Walton would be seen at San Diego Padres games and was photographed with hockey trailblazer Willie O’Ree at a San Diego Gulls game in 2021.

The Gulls will also be wearing a special jersey for what is being billed as “Bill Walton Legacy Night”. The jersey has yet to be released, but anyone who knows anything about Bill Walton knows he was a beyond passionate fan of the “Grateful Dead” rock band, so maybe we will see some of those colors and designs come out. Maybe even some tie-dye will be thrown in.

The now Los Angeles Clippers G-League team is moving to San Diego to rebrand as the San Diego Clippers so maybe some of that design will make an appearance as well.

The Gulls do a very good job with their commemorative and special edition jerseys. We’ve previously taken a look at their St. Patrick’s Day and 1970’s Disco Era jerseys.

We expect this will be the hottest giveaway item for San Diego sports fans all year. The Gulls website says only 8,000 Walton bobbleheads will be given out.

Considering how beloved Walton was in San Diego, we can expect much more than that in attendance, with a “Grateful Dead” tribute band playing at intermissions.