Mobile has been the homeplace of an unusually large number of sports heroes. The City is erecting a "Hall of Fame Walk" to honor its sports heroes with a statue of each Hall of Fame member.
The first two statues arrived on July 2. They will become the centerpieces of the growing walk outside the Mobile Convention Center near the riverfront downtown — "Heroes Plaza."
The Hall of Fame Walk project broke ground in the fall of 2022. It will feature bronze statues of Mobile's Hall of Fame Baseball players, Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Ozzie Smith and Willie McCovey. The statue will also portray NFL Hall of Famer Robert Brazile Jr. Others may be added later as they are inducted into the national halls of fame.
The sculptor, Brett Grill, was in Mobile Tuesday as his first nine-foot statues arrived — Hank Aaron and Satchel Paige. Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record for most career home runs and kept that record for years. Paige was a record-setting pitcher. The street to Mobile's former baseball stadium was named "Satchel Paige Drive." The stadium is Hank Aaron Stadium, locally called "The Hank."
These first two statues will remain in storage until they're ready to be erected as part of the ongoing project.
In addition to the statues, the Hall of Fame Walk will include upgraded landscaping, lighting, security, and traffic and sidewalk features. The Hall of Fame Walk is scheduled to open in late 2024.
Mobile has more inductees per capita in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame than any other city.
Jim' Zig' Zeigler's beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama. He writes about Alabama people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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