A major chapter, and major-league chapter, of Mobile’s history has now been preserved in bronze.
While Mobile’s history of civic, military and business leaders is well-known, what is not as well known is that Mobile has been the homeplace of a number of sports heroes. The City has now built a "Hall of Fame Walk" to honor its sports heroes with a statue of each Hall of Fame member.
The grand opening of that exhibit is on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in front of the Arthur Outlaw Convention Center.
Tourists visiting the convention center and the riverfront will also have the opportunity to see and walk through "Heroes Plaza." It is expected to become a tourist destination, drawing crowds just to walk among the unusual statues and read the stories of the sports heroes from Mobile.
The Hall of Fame Walk project broke ground in the fall of 2022 and is scheduled to open on Tuesday. It features bronze statues of Mobile's Hall of Fame baseball players: Hank Aaron, Satchel Paige, Billy Williams, Ozzie Smith and Willie McCovey. It also includes NFL Hall of Famer Robert Brazile, Jr. Others may be added later as they are inducted into the national halls of fame.
The sculptor of the nine-foot-tall, two-thousand-pound bronze pieces is Brett Grill.
HANK AARON
Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record for most career home runs at 714 and kept that record for years.
During his 23-season career, Aaron was named to a record 25 All-Star Games and was named the National League MVP for the 1957 season, leading the Milwaukee Braves to a World Series win.
Aaron held the all-time career home run record at 755 until 2008. Aaron still holds the MLB records for career runs batted in (2,297 RBIs), career total bases (6,586) and career extra-base hits (1,477).
Aaron died in 2021 at the age of 86.
SATCHEL PAIGE
Satchel 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."
Born in Mobile, Paige got his start in baseball with the Chattanooga White Sox, a Minor League team in the Negro League in 1926. He went on to play with eight different Negro League teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons for four seasons.
After Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 by becoming the first black player to play in a Major League game, Paige signed with the Cleveland Indians in 1948 and made his first appearance in the big leagues at the age of 42. He played a bit for the St. Louis Browns and Kansas City Athletics before retiring from baseball in 1966.
Paige was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971 after being chosen by the Negro Leagues Committee. He died in 1982 at age 75.
OZZIE SMITH
“The Wizard of Oz” was born in Mobile in 1954 before moving to Los Angeles as a child. Drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1977, Smith spent three seasons there before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1981. There, he became a 15-time All-Star, a 13-time Golden Glove winner and a World Series champion in 1982.
Billy Williams
Born in Prichard’s Whistler community, Williams got his baseball career started right at home with the semipro Whistler Stars team. He entered professional baseball in 1956 with four seasons in the minor leagues. In 1959, he was called up to the Chicago Cubs and played there with legends Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins and Ron Santo.
Williams made six all-star appearances, being named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1961 and winning the National League batting title in 1972. He finished his career in 1976 after spending two seasons with the Oakland Athletics.
Willie McCovey
McCovey was born in Mobile and got his start in baseball in 1955 when he signed at only 17 years old with the Sandersville Giants — a minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Four years later, he was called up to SanFrancisco. In his first major league game, McCovey got off to a fabulous start, hitting four for four, two triples and two singles. He spent the next 19 seasons in San Francisco. During the final years of his career, McCovey played with the San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics before returning to the Giants for his last three seasons.
McCovey made six all-star teams and won the National League MVP in 1969. He totaled 521 home runs and drove in 1,555 runs during his career.
McCovey died in 2018 at the age of 80.
Robert Brazile
Robert Brazille, Jr. is Mobile’s only member (so far) of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He graduated from Vigor High School and was recruited to play linebacker at Jackson State University. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers. He was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1975. He made two All-Pro first teams, four All-Pro second teams, and seven Pro Bowl teams.
Three of the honorees will be there for the opening of the exhibit on Tuesday. Smith, Williams and Brazile have confirmed.
The total cost of the project is approximately $11 million, according to City officials.
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 -- her 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 [email protected].
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