San Diego Chicken to Retire? Say it Ain’t So!

He’s as famous a sports figure as there is…on par with Ali, Jordan and the Babe.

And after a 35 year run, the San Diego Chicken is thinking about hanging them up.

Well, at least the man in the suit is.  The same man who has worn that chicken outfit for all 35 years–55 year old Ted Giannoulas, a London, Ontario native–is thinking about retiring.

The wear and tear of performing is getting to Giannoulas, who doesn’t quite heal as quickly as he used to.  Luckily for him the gigs are down from the 250 per year in his heyday, to about 50 a year, mostly in the summer.

The Chicken plays mainly minor league ballparks between June and September, usually 3 to 4 nights a week.  He expects to pull in six figures this year.

Not bad for running around in a damn chicken suit.

But there’s more to the slapstick and routine than just donning the suit and performing.  Giannoulas routinely shows up 3 hours before the first pitch to go over plans with umps, coaches and players.

It hasn’t always been fun though.  Giannoulas had to pay a Bulls cheerleader $300,000 in 1991 after allegedly injuring the woman after tackling her.  And there was the time Giannoulas was sued by the producers of “Barney and Friends” after beating up a Barney look-alike.  The Chicken won.

Giannoulas will decide at the end of the season whether to bring the Chicken back for one more year.