Jackie Robinson statue: MLB, teams will replace burned remnants
Jackie Robinson statue: Police found the charred remains of a Jackie Robinson statue that was stolen last week from a park in Wichita, Kansas. (Wichita Police Department /Wichita Police Department)
By Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
WICHITA, Kan. — On the day Jackie Robinson would have turned 105, a Kansas community on Wednesday received a gift from Major League Baseball and its 30 major league teams.
A day after a statue of the Hall of Famer was found burned and in pieces after being stolen from a Wichita park, MLB and its franchises said they would foot the bill for replacing it.
More than $166,000 already has been pledged since a GoFundMe was started to raise funds for a new statue.
The gesture by MLB and the terms was an emotional experience for League 42 founder and executive director Bob Lutz. League 42, which plays its games at McAdams Park in Wichita, derives its name from Robinson’s uniform number during his playing career with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956.
“You pull out a dictionary of emotions ... and I’ve covered them all, starting with disbelief and sadness and literally losing my breath to six days later,” Lutz told The Wichita Eagle on Wednesday. “Having hope in humanity and being thankful for the incredible outpouring of support.
“We have this incredible opportunity now in the wake of a disaster, and we’re trying to take advantage of that,” he said.
The statue, which was stolen from McAdams Park, was found approximately seven miles south in Garvey Park in the southern area of the city, the Eagle reported. Pieces of the statue were found in a trash can that was on fire in Garvey Park, according to KWCH-TV.
The Robinson statue was erected in 2021 and is the centerpiece of the Jackie Robinson Pavilion in the park, the television station reported. Approximately roughly 600 children play in the youth baseball league, The Associated Press reported.
The statue, valued at $75,000, was dismantled before it was burned, Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said, according to the Eagle.
In addition to paying for a replacement statue, MLB and the clubs will provide funding to League 42 to support its on-field and academic goals, MLB.com reported.
Jackie Robinson’s oldest surviving son, David Robinson, told KWCH that the theft and vandalism “seems to be a case of just human failure to think, to act with some kind of direction.”
“Jackie Robinson is a figure, renowned in American history for unification, for positive and successful working together,” David Robinson, 71, told the television station. “And so, the element of hatred or desire to destroy didn’t seem to be a possible motive.”
Robinson led the Dodgers to six National League pennants and one World Series title, according to Baseball-Reference.com. He was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1947 and was the league’s MVP two years later. The six-time All-Star was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Through the years Jackie Robinson, in military uniform, becomes the first African American to sign with a white professional baseball team. He signs a contract with the minor league club in Montreal, a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years Jackie Robinson shakes Branch Rickey's hand after signing his 1948 contract. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years 1949-Jackie Robinson during baseball practice. Robinson is shown bending to catch a ground ball. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years 4/10/1947-New York, NY-Jackie Robinson, first Black man to be signed by a Major League baseball team, is shown in post-swing position in front of the stands. Robinson changed uniforms after playing with Montreal in an exhibition game against the Dodgers. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years 4/11/1947-New York, NY: Youthful Brooklyn Dodger's rooters and fans, reach over from behind the dugout at Ebbets field, trying to get an autograph from Jackie Robinson, the first Black player to reach the Major League. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years circa 1945: A portrait of the Brooklyn Dodgers' infielder Jackie Robinson in uniform. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Through the years Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey talking to his second sacker Jackie Robinson at a team training camp in Vero Beach, Florida, 17th March 1949. (Photo by Curt Gunther/Keystone/Archive Photos/Getty Images) (Curt Gunther/Getty Images)
Through the years Jackie Robinson, of the Brooklyn Dodgers, slides home on a steal in the fourth inning of the first game of a double header with the Phillies July 2. Catcher Andy Seminick waits for the throw as Gil Hodges, at bat, steps aside. It was Robinson's first steal of home this season. Phillies took the first game 6-4, and were forced to accept a draw in the second, 8-8. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years American baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919 - 1972) during his time with the Brooklyn Dodgers, 28th August 1949. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Through the years Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson poses in his batting stance. Robinson broke baseball's color barrier when he joined the Dodgers in April 1947, going on to be named National League Rookie of the Year. Two year's later, Robinson was named National League Most Valuable Player. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years American baseball player Jackie Robinson (1919 - 1972) grounds a ball at first place while warming up for an exhibition game against the New York Yankees, Ebbets Field, NYC, 1950s. (Photo by Hulton|Archive/Getty Images) (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Through the years Jackie Robinson #42 of the Brooklyn Dodgers poses for a portrait circa 1947 - 1956. (Photo by Photo File/MLB Photos via Getty Images) (Photo File/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Through the years The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (L) and baseball Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson chat together before a press conference in New York, September 19th. Dr. King, who arrived to open a drive for funds and a northern "non-violent army" of clergymen and followers to battle segregation, said the "real showdown" in the segregation fight was the struggle to get African American James Meredith into the University of Mississippi. (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)