A bronze statue of baseball trailblazer Jackie Robinson was cut off at the ankles and taken away in a truck Thursday morning from a youth training facility in Wichita, Kansas.
The theft took place at McAdams Park, with the League 42 Foundation using the park for youth baseball. The park’s website claims it was home to the athletic starts of Barry Sanders and Lynette Woodard.
What’s left of the statue is just Robinson’s boots, as police surveillance footage shows the thieves taking the rest of the sculpture, putting it in the back of a pickup truck and driving off.
‘The actions of those individuals who had the audacity to take the statue of Jackie Robinson from a park where kids and families in our community can gather, learn the history of Jackie Robinson, an American icon, and play the game of baseball should upset all of us,’ Wichita Police Chief Joseph Sullivan said.
‘What troubles me even more is that this theft occurred just before the beginning of February, which marks the start of Black History Month,’ Sullivan continued. ‘Our city wants the statute returned. We also want the individuals who robbed our community of a treasure to be held accountable for their actions.’
Local surveillance footage shows the thieves leaving the Wichita park with the statue
All that’s left of the Robinson statue in Wichita is his boots, as the rest was stolen Thursday
Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers and is a pioneer in sports by integrating what was at the time America’s most popular sport.
League 42 was founded in 2013 for Wichita’s youth to learn the game of baseball without the high costs associated with the sport.
According to local news reports, League 42 was given permission directly from the Robinson family to build the statue of him in 2021.
Robinson’s No. 42 is retired with all 30 Major League Baseball teams, and he’s the only player to receive that honor.
Across big-four sports leagues, Wayne Gretzky and Bill Russell were also bestowed with a league-wide jersey number retirement. The NFL does not have a number retired across the entire league.
The Wichita Metro Crime Commission offered a reward Friday of up to $2,500 for tips leading to arrests and another $5,000 for tips that lead to the statue’s recovery.
The damages are set at $75,000, according to Wichita’s local government.
Robinson is an iconic sports figure and League 42 honored him by building the statue in 2021
Sullivan said he hopes area salvage yards will contact police if the statue is brought in for money.
Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson called the theft ‘horrendous’ and ‘disgusting,’ and said that residents are feeling hurt and angry, and demanding justice.
‘Many people want to find those folks before law enforcement,’ Johnson said. ‘So again, like the chief and the [district attorney] said, if you’ve got that statue, bring it here today. Now.’
League 42 paid about $50,000 for the statue, according to executive director Bob Lutz.