MESA, AZ– The Chicago Cubs today announced the organization will honor Hall of Famer Billy Williams with a statue of his likeness, only the third of its kind at Wrigley Field. The statue will be unveiled on September 7 prior to Chicago ’s home game vs. the Houston Astros.Williams will join fellow Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Harry Caray with statues at Wrigley Field.
Located near the corner of Clark and Addison, Banks had his statue dedicated on March 31, 2008. Caray, whose statue is at the corner of Addison and Sheffield , had his statue dedicated on April 12, 1999.
“Billy Williams thrilled a generation of Chicago Cubs fans with his sweet swing and Hall of Fame career,” said Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts. “Now future generations of Cubs fans will learn about one of the true Cubs greats when they visit Wrigley. My family and I congratulate him and are proud to honor him.”
“I am extremely appreciative and humbled by this tremendous honor from the Cubs,” said Williams. “I have spent nearly my entire professional career in this organization and am thankful to the Ricketts family for this wonderful gesture. My family and I could not be more excited for the statue’s unveiling later this year.”
Williams joined the Cubs organization in 1956 and has spent more than 40 years with the club as a player, major league coach, special assistant to the president and senior advisor to the organization. He was the 1961 National League Rookie of the Year, a six-time All-Star and hit at least 20 home runs in 14 of his 18 major league seasons.
On July 26, 1987, Williams was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Several weeks later on August 13, the Cubs formally retired his uniform number as No. 26 flies from Wrigley Field’s right field foul pole.
The statue will be sculpted by Lou Cella from The Rotblatt-Amrany Fine Art Studio. Cella also sculpted the Ernie Banks statue and partnered with Omri Amrany to create the Harry Caray statue.