At long last, one of Auburn baseball’s greatest legends has a statue in front of Plainsman Park.
Frank Thomas, the only SEC player currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame, was honored in a ceremony on Saturday, with the unveiling of a statue in his honor immediately after.
“Growing up, my goal was to make it to college and do something special as an athlete,” Thomas said. “At Auburn, I became a man. I was so blessed to have coaches who pushed me to new heights, instilled toughness and had a will to win that I never knew existed until then.”
Not even a rainy day could stop the festivities, as the ceremony was moved into the Tiger Walk Club
Thomas becomes the first baseball player to have a statue in front of Plainsman Park and joins the likes of Bo Jackson, Pat Sullivan, Cam Newton, Ralph “Shug” Jordan, Cliff Hare, John Heisman, Pat Dye and Charles Barkley as athletic figures with statues on Auburn’s campus.
Thomas, nicknamed “The Big Hurt,” was Auburn’s first baseman from 1987-89. In his three seasons at Auburn, Thomas accumulated a .382 batting average — second only to Jimmy Barfield’s .385 average from 1963-64.
Following his three-year career at Auburn, Thomas spent 19 years in the Major Leagues, primarily with the Chicago White Sox. Thomas was a five-time All-Star. two-time American League MVP, and four-time Silver Slugger. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
“Auburn sent me on a path to my hall-of-fame career that resulted from hard work, dedication and commitment,” Thomas said. “I learned there, and I’ll say it again, there are no shortcuts to success.”
Thomas’s statue at Auburn is the second built of the Hall-of-Famer, with the White Sox commissioning one of Thomas at Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field in 2011.
“I just want to say I’m so humbled, and grateful and thankful for this esteemed honor,” Thomas said. “And not bragging here, but having two statues at two stadiums recognizing my college and pro career means the world to me.”
Attending the ceremony was a plethora of familiar faces for Auburn baseball, both past and present. Seven different speakers took the podium, with Thomas himself concluding the ceremony.
Auburn athletics director John Cohen used his time at the podium to put some of Thomas’s achievements into perspective.
“Only four players in Major League Baseball history have hit 500 home runs, coupled with 1,600 walks and a career batting average of .300 or higher,” Cohen said. “Four people have reached this lofty position in baseball history. To put this in further perspective, only 12 people have ever walked on the moon. So in my opinion, in so many ways, Frank, you’re our Neil Armstrong.”
One of the ceremony’s highlights was longtime Auburn baseball coach Hal Baird. Baird, who coached the Tigers from 1985-2000, was Thomas’s coach at Auburn. During his remarks, which lasted nearly 20 minutes, reminisced about his moments with Thomas, both lighthearted and serious.
“(Thomas) was simply great the day he walked on this campus and he was great the day he left,” Baird said.
The late Pat Dye, who recruited and coached Thomas as Auburn’s football coach, was remembered by both Baird and Thomas.
“And I just want to say thank you, starting from Coach Dye,” Thomas said. “I wish he was here today because he pushed me to go to baseball.”
Thomas’s statue was announced in April 2022. Nearly a year later, Thomas was able to celebrate the honor.
“I want to thank the Auburn Family for doing this for me,” Thomas said. “I’m so humbled, I’m thankful and God is good. And I’m so proud of this moment.”
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
