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Monumental Black figures in the history of baseball in Knoxville have been cast as statues placed at the entrances to Covenant Health Park, and the new artwork was unveiled April 8, one week ahead of the Knoxville Smokies season opener.
The new statues unveiled April 8 at the stadium are a physical representation of a commitment by the Smokies and the stadium to literally and metaphorically connect East Knoxville to downtown through the Old City. Portraying legends such as Claude “Steel Arm” Dickey and Forrest “One Wing” Maddox, the seven statues honor Black Knoxvillians and the legacy of Black baseball in the city.
“This park is about resilience. It’s about people who would not give up,” said Reneé Kesler, executive director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center.
The statues were created by sculptor Brian Hanlon of Hanlon Sculpture Studio in Toms River, New Jersey.
Long before Covenant Health Park, Knoxvillians watched a different construction project growing up in about the same spot. The James White Parkway was built in 1978 between the Old City and what was then the Bottom, a historically Black neighborhood that was destroyed during urban removal last century.
The Smokies and Covenant Health Park are making a concerted effort to have a different effect than previous development by bridging communities, not severing them.
The Sports Authority Board, the joint Knoxville-Knox County owner of Covenant Health Board, set an early goal to award 17% of the contract value of work on the stadium to women- and minority-owned businesses. Although ultimately shy of that benchmark, ensuring everyone has a seat at the table − and in the bleachers − remains a goal at the team and stadium. Most recently, Goldenseal, a Black-owned cleaning company, was awarded the contract to clean the stadium after games.
Incorporating these statues into the approaches to the stadium serves as both a tribute to Knoxville's baseball history and an acknowledgment of its multiracial legacy. They are the latest reminder that Covenant Health Park will be a place where people of all identities and backgrounds can gather to watch a good ballgame.
“It’s not just a place for events, it’s also a place to celebrate our community. It’s a place to connect our city together,” said Randy Boyd.
Here are some of the players and teams who paved the way for just that and are honored with statues outside the stadium.
In 1931, Benjamin played for the Knoxville Giants, Knoxville's Black baseball team in the years before integration. He later played for the Memphis Red Sox and Homestead Grays.
Brooks was the Negro Southern League's first secretary and played a major role in securing the Knoxville Giants' spot in the league, which was founded in 1920, according to a newsletter from the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. He was the Giants' first manager.
Brooks was also a local educator, serving as the principal of Green School and before that, a teacher at Austin High School, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported in 1938. He was a graduate of Knoxville College.
"Steel Arm" pitched for the Knoxville Giants during the team's inaugural 1920 season, according to Beck's website. He was a lefthander known for throwing incredibly hard − and for his wicked curveball.
It's not just the statue that will celebrate Dickey's legacy. Ebony & Ivory Brewing created the Steel Arm Lager in the pitcher's honor, and the beer will be available at the stadium starting April 15.
Maddox, a pitcher and outfielder for the Knoxville Giants, also was part of the team for its inaugural year in 1920. He lost his left arm in a childhood accident, giving him a unique playing style that made Maddox a crowd favorite.
Rogers began managing the Knoxville Giants in 1946, according to a News Sentinel article that year, and sometimes played for the Giants as well. He previously was a successful outfielder for the Memphis Red Sox.
In 1953, Tugerson was signed to play in the Cotton States League alongside his brother Leander, but the league's refusal to integrate meant the brothers wound up playing for the Knoxville Smokies in the Mountain States League that year instead, according to the Minor League Baseball website.
The brothers were the first Black players on the Smokies, according to a Beck newsletter.
By May 1953, Jim Tugerson was the winningest pitcher in the league, the Knoxville Journal reported that year.
In the early 1950s, Knoxville's first Black Little League baseball team was formed. Children initially played league games at the Payne Avenue Recreation Center, now gone, and later at the Cal Johnson Recreation Center, Knox News reported in 2018.
Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email [email protected].
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Statues at Smokies Stadium celebrate history of Black baseball in city
Continue reading...
The new statues unveiled April 8 at the stadium are a physical representation of a commitment by the Smokies and the stadium to literally and metaphorically connect East Knoxville to downtown through the Old City. Portraying legends such as Claude “Steel Arm” Dickey and Forrest “One Wing” Maddox, the seven statues honor Black Knoxvillians and the legacy of Black baseball in the city.
“This park is about resilience. It’s about people who would not give up,” said Reneé Kesler, executive director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center.
The statues were created by sculptor Brian Hanlon of Hanlon Sculpture Studio in Toms River, New Jersey.
Long before Covenant Health Park, Knoxvillians watched a different construction project growing up in about the same spot. The James White Parkway was built in 1978 between the Old City and what was then the Bottom, a historically Black neighborhood that was destroyed during urban removal last century.
The Smokies and Covenant Health Park are making a concerted effort to have a different effect than previous development by bridging communities, not severing them.
The Sports Authority Board, the joint Knoxville-Knox County owner of Covenant Health Board, set an early goal to award 17% of the contract value of work on the stadium to women- and minority-owned businesses. Although ultimately shy of that benchmark, ensuring everyone has a seat at the table − and in the bleachers − remains a goal at the team and stadium. Most recently, Goldenseal, a Black-owned cleaning company, was awarded the contract to clean the stadium after games.
Incorporating these statues into the approaches to the stadium serves as both a tribute to Knoxville's baseball history and an acknowledgment of its multiracial legacy. They are the latest reminder that Covenant Health Park will be a place where people of all identities and backgrounds can gather to watch a good ballgame.
“It’s not just a place for events, it’s also a place to celebrate our community. It’s a place to connect our city together,” said Randy Boyd.
Here are some of the players and teams who paved the way for just that and are honored with statues outside the stadium.
Jerry Benjamin (1909-1974)
In 1931, Benjamin played for the Knoxville Giants, Knoxville's Black baseball team in the years before integration. He later played for the Memphis Red Sox and Homestead Grays.
William M. Brooks (1883-1938)
Brooks was the Negro Southern League's first secretary and played a major role in securing the Knoxville Giants' spot in the league, which was founded in 1920, according to a newsletter from the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. He was the Giants' first manager.
Brooks was also a local educator, serving as the principal of Green School and before that, a teacher at Austin High School, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported in 1938. He was a graduate of Knoxville College.
Claude 'Steel Arm' Dickey (1899-1923)
"Steel Arm" pitched for the Knoxville Giants during the team's inaugural 1920 season, according to Beck's website. He was a lefthander known for throwing incredibly hard − and for his wicked curveball.
It's not just the statue that will celebrate Dickey's legacy. Ebony & Ivory Brewing created the Steel Arm Lager in the pitcher's honor, and the beer will be available at the stadium starting April 15.
Forrest 'One Wing' Maddox (1897-1929)
Maddox, a pitcher and outfielder for the Knoxville Giants, also was part of the team for its inaugural year in 1920. He lost his left arm in a childhood accident, giving him a unique playing style that made Maddox a crowd favorite.
William Nathaniel 'Nat' Rogers (1893-1981)
Rogers began managing the Knoxville Giants in 1946, according to a News Sentinel article that year, and sometimes played for the Giants as well. He previously was a successful outfielder for the Memphis Red Sox.
'Big Jim' Tugerson (1923-1983)
In 1953, Tugerson was signed to play in the Cotton States League alongside his brother Leander, but the league's refusal to integrate meant the brothers wound up playing for the Knoxville Smokies in the Mountain States League that year instead, according to the Minor League Baseball website.
The brothers were the first Black players on the Smokies, according to a Beck newsletter.
By May 1953, Jim Tugerson was the winningest pitcher in the league, the Knoxville Journal reported that year.
Payne Avenue Little League
In the early 1950s, Knoxville's first Black Little League baseball team was formed. Children initially played league games at the Payne Avenue Recreation Center, now gone, and later at the Cal Johnson Recreation Center, Knox News reported in 2018.
Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email [email protected].
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Statues at Smokies Stadium celebrate history of Black baseball in city
Continue reading...
