A portion of Interstate Highway 80 in San Francisco has officially been renamed to honor the legacy of baseball legend Willie Mays, the San Francisco Giants announced Wednesday.
State Sens. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, and Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 169, designating a stretch of I-80 extending from the Bay Bridge near Treasure Island to the Giants’ ballpark Oracle Park as the Willie Mays Highway.
Mays, a Hall of Famer who played for the Giants between 1958 and 1972, died in June 2024.
Over the course of his career, Mays hit 660 home runs, was the National League Most Valuable Player twice, and was named to 24 All-Star teams.
Outside of his playing career, Mays also established the Say Hey Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting baseball among underserved youth.
“Willie Mays was a San Francisco original,” said Wiener in the news release. “He dedicated untold hours to serving his community and empowering young people from humble beginnings to play sports. He broke barriers as one of the first Black players in Major League Baseball, empowering generations of athletes to follow their dreams.”
“What an incredibly special way to honor Willie’s legacy,” said Larry Baer, president and chief executive officer of the Giants. “For generations, this portion of I-80 on the Bay Bridge has carried Giants fans into San Francisco, and now it will forever carry Willie’s name — a lasting reminder of the joy and inspiration he brought to this city.”