On a sunny, if somewhat chilly afternoon at Covenant Health Stadium, set to make its baseball debut next week, Boyd Sports unveiled a stunning array of statues paying tribute to the Negro Southern League Knoxville Giants. The east plaza, now dubbed “Giants Plaza,” includes six sculptures and the west plaza includes another. Each of the sculptures represents a tribute to the African-American baseball players who once called the community of The Bottoms, and nearby areas of east Knoxville, “home.”
Randy Boyd began the remarks by saying, “I’ve been to forty-five major league baseball stadiums, all across the country . . . A few days ago I was able to walk our stadium and look at various views and, maybe I’m a little biased, but I think we have the best view of baseball of any stadium in the country.” He pointed out a litany of other uses planned for the stadium, including “twenty soccer games for the men’s soccer team, One Knox, and ten games for the women. We’re also going to have high school baseball, college baseball and other sporting events . . . We’re also going to have music concerts, farmers’ markets, Christmas light shows, weddings and other events.”
He said it is also a place of remembering and celebrating community. “When we built James White Parkway, it felt like it separated downtown Knoxville from east Knoxville. This stadium is meant to be a connection, bringing our city together again. We couldn’t do it without recognizing the great history of this community. A big part of east Knoxville history is baseball. Here we’ll celebrate some of the great legends of Giant’s baseball.”
Mayor Kincannon said, “The creation of these statues . . . help re-live and retell the story of our local African-American history, which is Knoxville history.” She said the new stadium, beyond its entertainment value, “represents jobs and new economic opportunity for east Knoxville.” She said an important part of building the new stadium the “right way” was to honor those who came before and were displaced. “When you come to this ballpark, you can not only enjoy a game, but also learn and enjoy a cultural celebration . . . We are going to reconnect the communities that were broken apart by Urban Renewal with a two mile East Knox Greenway that will connect Harriet Tubman Park with the Botanical Garden and Covenant Health Park is going to be a part of that cultural corridor.”
County Commissioner Damon Rawls called the opening of the park “a homecoming.” He said, “It brings energy to this side of town. It brings jobs to this side of town, small business growth, and a renewed sense of what’s possible when we invest in neighborhoods.” City Council person Gwen McKenzie added, “I am thrilled today with the unveiling of these statues which is just the beginning of what we will see in the future, to celebrate not only baseball, but the history of African-American Negro leagues here in the city of Knoxville . . . This stadium will be the catalyst for the revitalization of Magnolia Avenue.”
Reverend Reneé Kesler, President of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center played a crucial role in providing the historical context for the statues, as well as some of the details included. She introduced the people represented by the statues saying that beyond statistics, she values the stories represented by each. She began her remarks by remembering Robert Booker who lived nearby and died last year. “He was so proud of what was happening right here.”
She introduced the various figures represented by the statues, starting with William M. Brooks who she noted does not have a uniform, but rather a suit. “He will be the first manager of the Knoxville Giants in 1920.” She pointed out that Green Elementary, visible from the seats inside the stadium, is where he was principal for many years.
Also represented, Claude Dickey, AKA “Steel-Arm Dickey,” a native of east Tennessee, who served as the first pitcher for the Knoxville Giants and was known as the “Pride of the South.”
She said her favorite was Forrest Maddox, AKA “One Wing Maddox,” so named because he played with one arm, having lost the other in an accident at age ten. Despite having only one arm, he lead the team in batting in that first year. “This park is about resilience. It is about people who would not give up.”
Jerry Benjamin, not on the first team, arrived in 1931 to play for the team. He became a three-time All American, getting his start with the Knoxville Giants. Also represented, William Nathaniel Rogers, who joined the Knoxville Giants in 1946, and who would became the oldest active player in organized baseball at age 52.
Jim Tugerson integrated the Knoxville Smokies in 1953 and went on to become the top pitcher in the league. He notched 29 regular season wins and four playoff victories. His brother Leander also later played for the team.
Reverend Kesler made special mention of the final statue which greets entrants on the west side of the stadium, where most people will likely enter. Honored there are the children who played for the local negro little league inaugurated in 1951. The Payne Avenue Little league included four teams represented by the four children in the statue in the west plaza.
More statues were teased, as well as QR codes to learn more about the history of baseball and of the area. Kessler referenced it as a living museum. Boyd said planning for the statues began perhaps as earlier as planning for the stadium.
Sculptor Bryan Hanlon offered a few remarks. Boyd introduced him as a “classically trained master sculptor.” His works stretch around the world, but he may be best known for his works in bronze of sports figures commissioned by major league baseball, the NFL, and the NBA. “The New York Times in 2018 called him ‘the sports Rodin’ for his work on athletic and sports” sculptures.
Hanlon expressed his appreciation for Knoxville and for Boyd, Doug Kirchhofer, and Reverend Kessler, calling them the “dream team.” He expressed appreciation for them pushing his vision. “If I’m not pushed, we’re not going to get beauty . . . I think the collection of artwork that stands here and what is to come is so spiritually and intellectually fit, that I think it is not an overstep to ask the Smithsonian Museum to give us a plaque recognizing the largest collection of African-American and civic statues in the country.” He said his attorney has already drafted the letter.
He noted that he has also sculpted non-athlete African Americans, including Fannie Lou Hamer and Harriet Tubman (twice). “This is a passionate theme of mine to create these historic pillars, these markers, to tell good stories.” Boyd concluded the proceedings by saying that Bryan will be back sometime this summer for more unveilings and that the sculptures revealed so far represent about half of the works that will ultimately be included in the stadium project.
I’ll add a final editorial word. The sculptures you’ll find are simply magnificent. The comparison to Rodin may border on hyperbole, but I’ve been to the Sculpture Garden in Paris and felt a similar effect to the feeling of walking among the new statues. I plan to return when I can spend more quiet time in the absence of crowds. The stories are there, but the people come to life. The detail draws the viewer in, but the faces become real.
Of particular poignance, the statue of the four boys, innocent, intent on their love of the game, packs a particular emotional punch. Look into their innocent faces. Think of the world they faced in segregated Knoxville. The impact of the work goes far beyond baseball. I’d encourage you, whatever your feelings about the sport, to spend time with these men and boys. I expected baseball, I hoped for music, but I never anticipated one of the major art installations in the city.