Auburn reveals details about Frank Thomas statue dedication

Around a year ago, the Auburn Tigers announced that they were dedicating a statue to Frank Thomas, one of the greatest players ever to set foot on a baseball field. The Tigers announced they’d be honoring the Hall-of-Famer at the place where he began his remarkable baseball career, at Auburn. On Wednesday evening, there were more details given about the statue dedication ceremony. On3’s Justin Hokanson relayed the information the school passed along. It will take place outside the main gates of Plainsman Park near the corner of S. Donahue Dr. and Heisman Drive on Saturday, April, 8th at 10 a.m. CST.

Check out his tweet below.

per Auburn, the Frank Thomas statue unveiling ceremony will take place outside of the main gates of Plainsman Park near the corner of S. Donahue Dr. and Heisman Dr. on Saturday, Apr. 8 at 10 a.m. CT.

— Justin Hokanson (@_JHokanson) March 29, 2023

After he went undrafted in the 1986 MLB Draft, Thomas decided to enroll at Auburn with the intention of playing football. The 6-foot-5 tight end hauled in three catches his freshman year but still wanted to play baseball. In 1987 — he batted .359 for the Tigers’ baseball team, and played for Team USA in the Pan-Am Games that summer. After a football injury in the fall, Frank Thomas decided to focus on baseball full-time and one of the greatest hitters of all-time was born. He finished his college baseball career at Auburn with 49 home runs — a school record.

Nicknamed, “The Big Hurt” for the amount of damage he would inflict on opposing pitchers, Thomas was drafted seventh overall in the 1989 MLB Draft by the Chicago Whitesox.

Thomas finished his prolific MLB career as a five-time All-Star from 1993-1997. He also won two American League MVP awards in 1993 and 1994. Thomas also won four Silver Slugger Awards (1991, 1993, 1994, 2000). One of the most beautifully written lines about Thomas is at the beginning of his bio on the Hall of Fame website:

“Even in the context of one of the greatest offensive ages in the history of the game, Frank Thomas’ numbers are staggering.”

It continues: “One combination, however, stands out: No other man in baseball history has strung together seven straight seasons of 20-plus homers, 100 RBIs, 100 walks, and a .300 average. Not Ruth, not Gehrig, not Williams.”

He finished his career with incredible numbers despite battling injuries for several years (2001, 2004, and 2005). Thomas hit 521 home runs with five seasons of at least 40 home runs, 1,704 RBIs, and a .301 career batting average. Among many other impressive accomplishments, he also became just the sixth player in MLB history to win back-to-back MVP awards.

The statue dedication ceremony is well deserved for one of the greatest to ever play the game.