Saban statue to be completed within 2 weeks

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900-pound bronze sculpture will be unveiled in August

Dusty Compton | Tuscaloosa News

National Championship winning coaches are seen on the Walk of Champions in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Jan. 28, 2010. Sculptors expect to finish a bronze statue of University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban within two weeks.

By Chase Goodbread Sports Writer

TUSCALOOSA | Sculptors expect to finish a bronze statue of University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, planned for placement on the Walk of Champions plaza outside Bryant-Denny Stadium, within two weeks.

Saban statue

Specifics: 900-pound bronze statue to be placed on the Walk of Champions plaza.
Estimated cost: $150,000, paid for by the Crimson Tide Foundation.
Estimated completion: 2 weeks.
Unveiling: Ceremony will be in August, held jointly with dedication of the south end zone expansion.

For now, the statue remains in Oklahoma City, where artist Jack Nortz is leading a group of sculptors in putting final touches on the 900-pound likeness.

“At different points we thought we had it, but it’s gone through some updates and change,” said project manager Corey Beltz of MTM Recognition. “Some of the people at the university involved with it wanted to see a couple of different looks, but it’s 95 percent sculpted at this point.”

Beltz said MTM Recognition has met with Saban regarding the design, adding that Saban’s wife, Terry, and UA Director of Athletics Mal Moore are among those who have had a hand in planning the sculpture.

Moore has said the unveiling of the statue, planned for August, will also serve as a dedication for the south end zone expansion that will push the stadium’s capacity to more than 100,000. The project is being funded by the Crimson Tide Foundation, according to documents released by UA. The final price is not yet available, although the price for the Saban statue is estimated at $150,000. A resolution on the sculpture, as well as a national championship plaque for the stadium’s North Entrance Plaza, will be addressed at the UA board of trustees meeting on Thursday. According to a letter from the university’s Office of Financial Affairs to UA President Robert Witt, the statue will be 150 percent life-sized and will stand on a granite pedestal with a chamfered edge.

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