SDSU linebacker Calvin Munson has something in common with the late great Tony Gwynn

Tony Gwynn is a legend whose life is interwoven with San Diego State University. As a student-athlete at SDSU, Gwynn was a stellar baseball player and surprisingly one of the most accomplished basketball players in Aztec history. It took the likes of now two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard to challenge Gwynn's records.

Upon graduation, Gwynn was recruited by both the San Diego Clippers (NBA) and the Padres. After deliberation, he chose baseball where he believed his career would last the longest. After retiring and achieving MLB Hall of Fame status, he went on to coach the SDSU Aztecs baseball team, and although his brilliant life sadly was cut short, he achieved legend status and will be known by every San Diego State University student not only as a great athlete, but also a great human being.

Recently, SDSU's own Calvin Munson, from St. Charles, Missouri, has generated a great deal of attention in football from both the Mountain West Conference, and the NCAA. The 6'1", 215 pound linebacker's defensive stats and performance have garnered plenty national focus. He is now considered an elite college football player. His abilities as linebacker make him a star and he likely has a bright future in the NFL. But like Tony Gwynn, Calvin Munson is very talented two-sport athlete.

It may be hard to believe, but Calvin Munson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals right out of high school. Munson is a MLB caliber right-handed pitcher who can throw a baseball up to 93 MPH. Instead of joining the ball club, he instead opted to attend San Diego State and play football which he has described as his first passion, along with baseball.

Normally, an elite athlete would not pass up an MLB opportunity, but Calvin Munson is anything but a normal athlete. His decision speaks to his confidence just as much as it does to his talent. Munson may face the possibility of playing in the NFL and MLB, like multi-sport legends Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. Unlike Bo and Deion, Munson can pitch. His throwing style is described as ideal for a closing pitcher, a quality that makes him one of a kind.

Calvin Munson looks forward to this fall's SDSU schedule, and he has an opportunity to finish his college football career with an exclamation point, by not only taking his personal statistics to the next level, and possibly helping the Aztecs to realize its best football season ever. He took this past baseball season off to fully concentrate on football during the spring and early summer.

There is a lot of potential and expectation placed on the Aztecs this year, and with teammates Donnel Pumphrey, Rashad Penny, and Damontae Kazee, Calvin Munson could help write the next chapter in SDSU sports history.