For nearly three decades, Essy Ghavameddini has created a pictorial history of San Diego’s sports and entertainment scene as the official photographer of the San Diego Sports Arena.
“Anything that happened at the sports arena I was able to photograph; the Sockers, basketball, roller hockey and concerts,” Ghavameddini said.
Essy first came to San Diego in 1979.
“I was in Kansas City at the time and came to visit my brother. He lived in the Oakwood Apartments at the time. The San Diego Sockers players also lived there. Because of that, I was able to get to know them and became the unofficial photographer for the team,” he said.
Ghavameddini remained in San Diego and graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts with an emphasis on photography and graphic arts.
“Before I moved out here I bought a camera, a Momia 35mm for $100. It had a special lens,” he said.
The Sockers were originally an outdoor soccer franchise that played outdoors in the North American Soccer League (NASL) calling Qualcomm Stadium home. The franchise eventually joined the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and went on to become an indoor soccer dynasty, winning 10 championships in 11 years under head coach Ron Newman.
The Sockers eventually folded in 1996 but Ghavameddini was the Sockers’ team photographer and earned his own championship ring on three different occasions. The Sockers returned from 2001-04 under head coach and former player Brian Quinn before the team folded in midseason.
From 1979 to 1989, Essy worked as a free-lance photographer but was hired as the San Diego Sports Arena’s official photographer in 1989, covering not only the Sockers but San Diego Gulls hockey, minor league basketball Wildcard and Stingrays, roller hockey, the Arena Football Riptide and San Diego Barracudas.
“My first assignment as the official photographer was the Davis Cup. It was Andre Agassi’s first big tournament. John McEnroe was also there. The United States defeated France that year,” Ghavameddini said.
Since that time, he has photographed hundreds of events and popular sports figures which include Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He was also sent to Paris in 1998 to snap photos for the World Cup and was able to get panoramic shots of its new soccer stadium, Parc de Prince, on opening night.
“The last concert I covered was ‘American Idol.’ I usually don’t ask for autographs but a friend asked me for one so I asked one of the singers if I could get one. He said he wouldn’t going to sign because [he thought] I would sell it. I told him how can I sell it? You aren’t famous yet,” Ghavameddini said.
“I ran into him [again] after the concert. He asked, ‘Are you Easy? I said, No, I’m Essy. He said, ‘I didn’t know who you were but now that I know, I’ll sign it.”
The San Diego Sports Arena, over 40 years old, is not the home of any sports teams presently. But the arena does sport Ghavameddini’s photographic collection, capturing nearly 30 years of San Diego history in its halls and offices. Ghavameddini is also in the process of starting his own school of photography.