WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The cleats of the bronze Jackie Robinson were donated to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on Thursday.
The cleats were left behind when thieves cut the statue off at its ankles from Wichita’s McAdams Park back in January. Fire crews found burned remnants of the statue five days after the theft.
League 42 founder Bob Lutz says the sculpture is priceless.
“It had become kind of our gathering place, our sacred place, where teams would go after games and gather around the statue for their post-game talk,” Lutz said.
The damage is immeasurable, Lutz said.
“What we witnessed happen in Wichita on January 25th of this year left many of us sickened,” said Bob Kendrick, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President. “Out of despair comes hope.”
“It’s even hard for me now to look over to my right and see what’s left of the statue because it was so meaningful to our organization, but frankly, to me personally,” Lutz said.
The mold for the original statue still exists, and the MLB donated $100,000 for a new one as well as enhanced security.
A GoFundMe also raised another nearly $200,000.
Back in January, Bob Lutz, executive director of the League 42 nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture, said the museum was “enthusiastic” about incorporating the cleats into its display on Robinson.
Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He’s considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon. Robinson died in 1972.
The statue is being remade by a Colorado company.
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2024-04-11 17:23:10Z
CBMiVGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lmtzbi5jb20vbmV3cy9sb2NhbC9jbGVhdHMtZnJvbS1qYWNraWUtcm9iaW5zb24tc3RhdHVlLWRvbmF0ZWQtdG8tbXVzZXVtL9IBWGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lmtzbi5jb20vbmV3cy9sb2NhbC9jbGVhdHMtZnJvbS1qYWNraWUtcm9iaW5zb24tc3RhdHVlLWRvbmF0ZWQtdG8tbXVzZXVtL2FtcC8
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