William Frederick Behrends (born 1946) is an American sculptor who is best known for creating statues of iconic American sports figures, notably baseball players.[1]

William Behrends
Bornc. 1946
EducationNorth Carolina State University (B.A.)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (M.F.A.)
Known forSculpting statues of baseball players
Websitewilliambehrendssculpture.com

Notable works

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Behrands created all the statues for the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park:

He also created the statue of Tom Seaver at Citi Field,[7] the statue of Tony Gwynn at Petco Park,[8] the statues of Hank Aaron and Buck O'Neil at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum,[9] and a statue of Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson in MCU Park in Brooklyn.[10]

He also created the busts of Spiro Agnew, Al Gore, and Dick Cheney for the U.S. Senate's vice presidential bust collection.[11]

Additionally, Behrands annually sculpts the faces of winners of the Indianapolis 500 race onto the Borg-Warner Trophy.[12]

Personal life

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A native of North Carolina, Behrends maintains a studio in Tryon, North Carolina. He studied architecture at North Carolina State University and earned a master's degree in fine arts and sculpture at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

References

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  1. ^ "From Willie Mays to Juan Montoya: The sculptor of sporting history". Fox Sports. October 23, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Epstein, Edward (August 7, 1998). "All Choked Up: Giants Legend Willie Mays Is Moved By Statue of Him for New Ballpark". San Francisco Chronicle.
  3. ^ Schulman, Henry (May 5, 2003). "Emotional unveiling of McCovey statue". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Dickey, Glenn (May 22, 2005). "'Dominican Dandy' gets due -- statue unveiled at SBC". San Francisco Chronicle.
  5. ^ Shea, John (September 7, 2008). "Cepeda honored with his own statue at the ballpark". San Francisco Chronicle.
  6. ^ "Gaylord Perry statue to be dedicated at AT&T Park's 2nd & King Streets entrance". MLB.com (Press release). August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Schreiber, Jay (April 15, 2022). "Tom Seaver's Statue Stands 10 Feet Tall. Just Like Seaver". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Gwynn 'thrilled to death' with statue at Petco Park". ESPN. Associated Press. July 22, 2007.
  9. ^ Francis, Bill. "Standing Tall: Hank Aaron statue debut brings stars to Cooperstown". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
  10. ^ Gilberto, Gerard (January 30, 2022). "Robinson's legacy enhanced by sculpture". MiLB.com.
  11. ^ "Albert A. Gore, Jr". United States Senate. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  12. ^ Martin, Bruce (June 12, 2023). "Indy 500 sculptor gets his own 'Baby Borg' after completing his 33rd winner's face". NBC Sports.
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