THE YEAR IN REVIEW : In San Diego, Visitors Co-Star With Newcomers : If You Want to Know the Story of 1988, Then Read Our Lists

In a unique year, 1988 will go down in San Diego history as the one in which outsiders (or newcomers) provided the highlights and biggest news.

For example . . .

- Doug Williams and his sidekicks with the Washington Redskins put together a record-smashing 35-point second quarter en route to a 42-10 victory over Denver in Super Bowl XXII before a crowd of 73,302 in January.

- Michael Fay and his Kiwi cronies stirred up controversy after controversy in America’s Cup yacht racing but got blown away in two races by Dennis Conner and Stars & Stripes in September.

- Bruce Hurst and Jack Clark were acquired by the Padres after a 1988 season in which they responded to Jack McKeon’s management and rallied from a miserable start to a third-place finish in the National League West.

- Oklahoma State junior Barry Sanders became the first Heisman Trophy winner to appear in the Holiday Bowl, and he showed everybody why he had won the award. Sanders gained 222 yards rushing and scored five touchdowns as Oklahoma State rolled to the most lopsided victory in the game’s history, 62-14 over WAC champion Wyoming.

Otherwise, the biggest news hereabouts seemed to be who was getting fired lately and by whom.

The Padres’ Larry Bowa was the first to go, getting the ax on May 28 with his team wallowing in fifth place with a 16-30 record. Under McKeon, the Padres were 67-48 . . . and encouraged enough to make the moves they hope will make them contenders in 1989.

Next was Padre President Chub Feeney, who “resigned” in September after making an obscene gesture to heckling fans. The club has not named a successor, though Dick Freeman, the interim president, has been instrumental in both the trade for Clark and the signing of free agent Hurst.

It was a tough year for football coaches. San Diego State fired Denny Stolz and the Chargers fired Al Saunders. Stolz was replaced by Associate Athletic Director Al Luginbull, and Saunders has not been replaced.

Juli Veee, the player who made the Sockers part of the San Diego sporting landscape, was not offered a new contract after the team won its sixth indoor championship in 7 years. The Sockers themselves struggled through a summer in which they went through bankruptcy and barely survived.

Taking himself out was Dan Fouts, who ended his Hall of Fame career as the Chargers’ quarterback. He retired in March; the team retired his uniform No. 14 on Nov. 28.

Most spectacular, though, was clearly the Super Bowl. Nothing in the aftermath matched it, just as nothing Denver did could match that 35-point Redskin second quarter.