Auburn baseball to honor Frank Thomas with statue

Frank Thomas is one of the greatest players to ever play the game of baseball. He is a Hall of Famer, a two-time MLB MVP, five-time All-Star, and a four-time Silver Slugger. Now, Thomas is set to be honored at the place where he truly began his great career, at Auburn.

Auburn announced that the Tigers will honor Thomas by dedicating a statue in his honor at Plainsman Park. The statue was approved during a BOT meeting on Friday, and will be unveiled at some point during the 2023 season.

Thomas is extremely grateful for Auburn’s decision to honor him. He is the first and only SEC baseball player to be inducted to the MLB Hall of Fame at this point in time, and he appreciates the opportunity that he received at Auburn.

“I am extremely humbled and thrilled to be honored with a statue at Auburn University where it all began,” Thomas said. “Thank you to Allen Greene, head coach Butch Thompson, Athletic Department and the Board of Trustees for placing me among a few Auburn elites. Thank you for selecting me as Auburn’s first baseball player to receive this special recognition.

“At Auburn I became a man. I was blessed to have Coach Pat Dye and his staff who pushed me to new heights and instilled football toughness and a will to win that I never knew existed. I was also lucky enough to have Coach Hal Baird and his baseball staff to help mold and prepare me for the next level. My Hall of Fame career that followed resulted from hard work, dedication and commitment. I was also taught at Auburn that there are no shortcuts to success, all of which I carry with me to this day.  War Damn Eagle!”

Thomas put up big numbers at Auburn

At Auburn, Thomas hit 49 career home runs, driving in 205 runs while hitting .382. He hit an impressive .403 as a senior in 1989 with 19 home runs and 83 RBI. He was then selected with the seventh overall pick by the Chicago White Sox, where he established himself as one of the game’s greats.

Auburn Director of Athletics Allen Greene also commented on Auburn’s decision to dedicate a statue in honor of Thomas, who also played tight end on the Tigers football team.

“Before he struck fear in the hearts of major league pitchers for 19 seasons, Frank Thomas made a name for himself at Plainsman Park, blasting 49 home runs for the Auburn Tigers from 1987-89 and hitting .403 as a senior,” Greene said. “As the only Southeastern Conference inductee in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, ‘The Big Hurt’ is most deserving of this honor, a larger-than-life statue for an iconic Auburn man.”

Current Auburn head coach Butch Thomas is excited to honor Thomas, and the announcement comes during Auburn’s alumni weekend, adding to the special moment for the former Tigers star.

“I couldn’t think of a better time to make this exciting announcement than in conjunction with alumni weekend,” said Thompson. “Frank is not only one of the best to ever put on an Auburn uniform, but he is one of the greatest in the history of our amazing league and still stands as the only member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame from the Southeastern Conference. This dedication is more than deserved, and we can’t wait to see if come to fruition at Plainsman Park.”