Cam Newton will never leave us. At least, his replica never will.
Newton, along with Bo Jackson and Pat Sullivan, are being honored with bronze statues in their likeness.
Invidually, the statues weigh 1,900 pounds and cost around $100,000.
Scheduled to be unveiled sometime during the fall, the statues will be one and a half times life size.
"We have received delivery for both the Jackson and Sullivan statues," said Jeff Steele, associate athletic director for facilities and operations. "They are currently in storage here at the athletic department."
The Cam Newton statue is still being completed, but it will be revealed at the same time as the other statues.
Do not expect to see the statues on the opening day of football, but keep a look out for them throughout the season.
"They plan to have a ceremony--an unveiling ceremony--and invite the general public as well as dignitaries and do that sometime this fall," Steele said.
Before Cam Newton's success, the plans were already in place for the Jackson and Sullivan statues.
Steele said many prominent people from Auburn came together to discuss what would be a great way to continue portraying the traditions and heritage that the University is known for.
"One of the concepts that came up was honoring some of our Heisman trophy winners in some way, and of course the statues came to mind," Steele said. "That's how the ball got rolling."
Steele considered many firms and recommendations before deciding who to hire to build the statues. The job ultimately went to sculptor Ken Bjorge.
"He did a statue for the University of Washington for Coach Owens, one of their prominent coaches," Steele said. "He also did a statue for University of Texas of Earl Campbell that is pretty well known."
Bjorge, native of Montana, said he was contacted in February 2010 about creating the Sullivan and Jackson statues, and in March he was asked to sculpt Newton's statue as well.
The statues, which took 3 months each to create, will be classic brown with polishes so they aren't monotonous, Bjorge said.
"I'm terribly honored to be asked to do this commission," Bjorge said. "I had the most fun."
Those privileged enough to see the statues won't say much about them, so others will just have to wait to what they will look like.
Melisa Hardie, senior in exercise science and Trey Goodwin, sophomore in chemical engineering, said they would love to see all three statues in the famous Heisman pose.
Along with the statues, fans will see other changes to the stadium, especially on the east upper deck.
"The east upper deck is receiving extensive work this summer," Steele said. "We will put TVs on that concourse. We are reconditioning the rest rooms. We're improving concessions."
Another important addition to the stadium will be new signs and artwork incorporating the two national championship teams.
Steele said this is also to display Auburn's history and heritage.
"People will notice more murals, more highlights of Auburn greats from the past in the stadium," Steele said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
