A lasting reminder of the joy and inspiration he brought to this city
On what would have been his 95th birthday, Willie Mays — the Hall of Famer whose joy and brilliance redefined what baseball could look like — was given a permanent place in the landscape of the city he helped define. A stretch of Interstate 80 near the Bay Bridge and Oracle Park now bears his name, ensuring that generations who never watched him play will nonetheless encounter his legacy at the threshold of San Francisco. It is the kind of tribute that turns geography into memory, and a highway into a quiet act of gratitude.
- Nearly a year after his death, the urgency to preserve Willie Mays' legacy before living memory fades has moved from sentiment into concrete action.
- The designation transforms one of the Bay Area's busiest corridors — a route traveled by thousands of Giants fans daily — into an ongoing, unavoidable encounter with his name.
- The Giants, the Say Hey Foundation, and state legislators aligned to push the tribute through official channels, turning a birthday into a legislative milestone.
- Signs are already installed, making the honor immediate rather than ceremonial — Mays' name is now physically present on the road into San Francisco.
- The Willie Mays Highway lands alongside the Willie Brown Jr. span, turning the Bay Bridge approach into a corridor honoring two towering figures of San Francisco's civic and cultural life.
On what would have been Willie Mays' 95th birthday, the San Francisco Giants announced that a stretch of Interstate 80 near the Bay Bridge — the very road that carries fans past Oracle Park and into the city — now carries his name. The Willie Mays Highway designation emerged from a collaboration between the Giants, the Say Hey Foundation, and state legislators who recognized the fitting symmetry of naming a gateway to San Francisco after one of its most defining figures.
Mays arrived with the Giants in 1958 and spent more than five decades shaping the culture of the Bay Area. The statistics are staggering — 24 All-Star selections, two MVPs, 12 Gold Gloves, 660 home runs — but those who watched him play insist the numbers miss something essential: an infectious joy that made him impossible to forget.
Giants president Larry Baer noted the poetic coincidence that the same span is named for former mayor Willie Brown Jr., making the corridor a tribute to two great San Franciscans. Jeff Idelson of the Say Hey Foundation called Mays a national icon woven into the fabric of the city, his legacy vital enough, nearly 53 years after retirement, to warrant public honor at this scale.
State Senator Bill Dodd, who introduced the legislation, said he could think of no one better suited to welcome travelers crossing into San Francisco. Signs are already installed along the freeway — making the designation not a promise but a present reality, and ensuring that future generations will encounter Mays' name, and with it, a reason to learn about a player whose talent, grace, and character remain rare in the sport's long history.
On what would have been Willie Mays' 95th birthday, the San Francisco Giants unveiled a tribute that will greet travelers for generations to come. A stretch of Interstate 80 near the Bay Bridge—the very route that carries fans into the city and past Oracle Park—now bears his name. The Willie Mays Highway designation was announced Wednesday afternoon, the result of collaboration between the Giants, Mays' Say Hey Foundation, and state legislators who saw the fitting symmetry in naming a gateway to San Francisco after one of the city's defining figures.
Mays arrived in San Francisco with the Giants in 1958, and what followed was more than five decades of presence that shaped the culture of the Bay Area as much as any politician or artist. The numbers alone tell part of the story: 24 All-Star selections, two MVP awards, 12 Gold Gloves, and 660 home runs—the sixth-most in baseball history. But the statistics miss something essential about how Mays played the game. He combined speed, power, and defensive brilliance with a quality harder to quantify: an infectious joy that made him unforgettable to anyone who watched him.
Larry Baer, the Giants' president and CEO, spoke to what the highway designation means for the franchise and the city. For more than sixty years, that stretch of I-80 has carried Giants fans across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco. Now it carries Willie's name—a permanent reminder, visible to thousands daily, of the inspiration and happiness he brought to this place. Baer noted the poetic coincidence that the same span is named after Willie Brown Jr., a former San Francisco mayor, making it a corridor honoring two great San Franciscans.
Signs have already been installed along the freeway, making the designation official and immediate. Jeff Idelson, executive director of the Say Hey Foundation, emphasized that Mays transcended baseball. He was woven into the fabric of San Francisco culture, a national icon whose contributions extended far beyond the diamond. Nearly 53 years after his retirement, his legacy remains vital enough to warrant this kind of public honor.
State Senator Bill Dodd from Napa, who introduced the legislation that made the designation possible, reflected on what Mays meant to those who grew up watching him. He could think of no one better suited to welcome travelers crossing the Bay Bridge into San Francisco. The highway designation ensures that future generations of baseball fans—those who never saw Mays play—will encounter his name and, with it, a prompt to learn about a player whose combination of talent, grace, and character remains rare in the sport's history.
Notable Quotes
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.— Larry Baer, Giants president and CEO
Willie was more than a baseball great, he was a part of the fabric that helped define San Francisco culture for more than a half century.— Jeff Idelson, executive director of the Say Hey Foundation
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a highway designation matter more than, say, a statue or a museum exhibit?
Because it's unavoidable. A statue sits in one place. A highway sign reaches thousands of people every single day, whether they're thinking about baseball or not. It becomes part of the landscape, part of how people experience the city.
The announcement came on his birthday. Was that intentional?
Yes. He would have turned 95 that day. It's the kind of timing that makes the tribute feel less like an obligation and more like a celebration—like the city was saying, on this particular day, we're remembering who you were.
Mays left San Francisco in 1973. That's a long time ago. Why is he still important enough to name infrastructure after him?
Because he didn't just play baseball here. He was part of what made San Francisco itself. The Giants came to the city in 1958, and Mays was the face of that arrival. For over fifty years, he was woven into the culture. That kind of presence doesn't fade.
The highway runs past Oracle Park. Is that significant?
It's everything. Every fan entering the city to see a game now drives under his name. It connects the past—Mays' era—to the present, to the stadium where the Giants still play. It's a through-line.
What does the Say Hey Foundation do?
It carries on his legacy beyond baseball—community work, cultural impact. They were part of this announcement because the designation isn't just about his statistics. It's about what he meant to San Francisco as a person, as a presence.
Will younger fans actually know who Willie Mays is when they see the sign?
That's the hope. The sign becomes a question mark. Why is this highway named after someone? That curiosity might lead them to find out about a player whose combination of talent and character was genuinely rare.