William Behrends Explained

William Behrends
Birth Place:	Tryon, North Carolina, U.S.
Training:	North Carolina State University (B.A.) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (M.F.A.)
Field:	Sculpting statues of baseball players

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]

Notable works

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

Statue of Willie Mays (created 2000)^[2]
Statue of Willie McCovey (created 2003)^[3]
Statue of Juan Marichal (created 2005)^[4]
Statue of Orlando Cepeda (created 2008)^[5]
Statue of Gaylord Perry (created 2016)^[6]

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

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.

Notes and References

News: From Willie Mays to Juan Montoya: The sculptor of sporting history . August 6, 2024 . . October 23, 2014.
News: All Choked Up: Giants Legend Willie Mays Is Moved By Statue of Him for New Ballpark. Edward. Epstein. San Francisco Chronicle. August 7, 1998.
News: Schulman . Henry . Emotional unveiling of McCovey statue . . May 5, 2003 . April 25, 2024 . April 18, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240418205206/https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/GIANTS-NOTEBOOK-Emotional-unveiling-of-McCovey-2618481.php . live .
News: 'Dominican Dandy' gets due -- statue unveiled at SBC . Glenn . Dickey . . May 22, 2005.
News: Shea . John . Cepeda honored with his own statue at the ballpark . . September 7, 2008.
Gaylord Perry statue to be dedicated at AT&T Park's 2nd & King Streets entrance . August 6, 2024 . . August 12, 2016.
News: Schreiber . Jay . Tom Seaver's Statue Stands 10 Feet Tall. Just Like Seaver. . . April 15, 2022.
News: Gwynn 'thrilled to death' with statue at Petco Park . . Associated Press . July 22, 2007.
Web site: Francis . Bill . Standing Tall: Hank Aaron statue debut brings stars to Cooperstown . National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
News: Gilberto . Gerard . Robinson's legacy enhanced by sculpture . . January 30, 2022.
Web site: Albert A. Gore, Jr. . . August 6, 2024.
News: Martin . Bruce . Indy 500 sculptor gets his own 'Baby Borg' after completing his 33rd winner's face . . June 12, 2023.