The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Tuesday they’re set to unveil a statue of Jackie Robinson outside Dodger Stadium in 2016.
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, California-based sculptor Branly Cadet has been tabbed to create the statue, which will reportedly be nine-to-10 feet tall and based around the concept of “Leveling the Playing Field.”
“I am so honored to have the opportunity to design a sculpture memorial to Jackie Robinson for the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Cadet said, per Gurnick. “He is an icon of American history being celebrated by a legendary team in a grand city. I’m excited to create a design that is both befitting of this context and pays homage to his legacy as a sports hero and civic leader.”
The statue will be the first at Dodger Stadium, according to the Los Angeles Times‘ Steve Dilbeck. Its location is yet to be determined.
“The Dodgers have a rich history of breaking barriers, and it all began with Jackie Robinson in 1947,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said, according to Gurnick. “Therefore, it is altogether fitting that our first statue at Dodger Stadium be of Jackie.”
Robinson famously broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier on April 15, 1947, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 following a historic 10-year career with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
MLB has paid tribute to Robinson in a number of ways over the past two decades, including the decision to retire his number league-wide on the 50th anniversary of his historic debut. In recent years, MLB has celebrated Robinson’s legacy by allowing all players to don No. 42 on April 15.
Arguably the most important player in MLB and Dodgers history, it’s fitting Robinson and his many accomplishments will be enshrined for good outside one of the sport’s most iconic stadiums.
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