Willie Mays statue honors Don Logan, Birmingham Barons

A humble Don Logan was praised Wednesday during a Regions Field ceremony unveiling a statue of Willie Mays dedicated to Logan, the 2015 Legacy of Leadership honoree of the Alabama-Mississippi Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society.

The former Time Inc. CEO and current Birmingham Barons owner is the 17th honoree. He joins a list that includes John M. Harbert III, Joseph S. Bruno, Robert Hugh Daniel, Hall W. Thompson, Charles Linn and Fred Sington.

“It feels like they made a mistake and put somebody on who probably didn’t belong,” Logan said prior to the ceremony on the Serra Kia plaza at the main gate. “Other than that, I’m very happy to be included in that group. It’s a real honor and I am pleased that we were able to do something for the ballpark that is going to mean so much to the people of Birmingham.”

Birmingham statue honoring Willie Mays is tribute to Don Logan from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Logan opted to commission a statue not of himself but Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays, a native of Westfield. This is the first time in the history of the Legacy campaign that the honoree has opted to immortalize someone else in art.

Logan said he chose Mays because he is an iconic figure in baseball and of his links to the Birmingham Black Barons. He called the former outfielder one of the greatest players of all time.

“It’s going to be great to come out to the ballpark every day and be able to share a game with Willie,” he said.

Barons patrons will see another tribute to Mays as they arrive at Regions Field. First Avenue South from 14th Street to 16th Street was dedicated to the baseball great.

Mays was invited to be part of the festivities, but commitments to the San Francisco Giants, for whom he played in the Major Leagues, kept him from attending. But he left a lasting impression even in his absence, providing baseball equipment for the Titusville Youth Sports Association.

The new statue of Willie Mays at Regions Field calls attention to his outfield work, in contrast with other statues of Mays that depict his role as a hitter. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

Birmingham Barons owner Don Logan with Andrew Bell, president of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Alabama-Mississippi Chapter, at a Regions Field ceremony honoring Logan’s leadership in the fight against MS. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

Birmingham Barons owner Don Logan talks with The Birmingham Times’ Jesse Lewis at a ceremony unveiling a statue of baseball legend Willie Mays at Regions Field last year. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

A plaque beneath the new statue of Willie Mays at Regions Field explains that the statue was dedicated in honor of Birmingham Barons owner Don Logan. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

Two blocks of First Avenue South in Birmingham are newly dedicated to baseball great Willie Mays. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

Some of the baseball equipment donated by Willie Mays’ Say Hey Foundation and Coca-Cola to the Titusville Youth Sports Association. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

Birmingham Mayor William Bell stands with Titusville youth baseball and softball players. Baseball great Willie Mays has donated equipment to the Titusville sports program to coincide with a statue of Mays being unveiled at Regions Field. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr./Alabama NewsCenter)

The bronze statue is the work of Tuscaloosa painter/sculptor Caleb O’Connor and University of Alabama professor of sculpture Craig Wedderspoon.

O’Connor said he played baseball growing up in Hawaii and was excited by the chance to sculpt Mays. He chose to depict him making a leaping catch in the outfield, a contrast to other statues of the player at the plate.

“I really wanted to capture something that showed his versatility,” he said. “He was a really great hitter but he was an even more amazing fielder.”