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Stolen Jackie Robinson Statue Destroyed in Wichita as Police Investigation Continues

A statue of Brooklyn Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson was stolen from outside a League Park in Kansas last week, and it was found cut up and burned Tuesday morning.
Sam Connon|
Stolen Jackie Robinson Statue Destroyed in Wichita as Police Investigation Continues
Stolen Jackie Robinson Statue Destroyed in Wichita as Police Investigation Continues

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The statue of Jackie Robinson that was recently stolen from outside a Little League park in Kansas was discovered cut to pieces and burned, police confirmed to ABC KAKE News on Tuesday.

On the night of Jan. 24, two men were caught on security cameras cutting the statue off at the ankles and loading it into a pickup truck. The burning remnants of the statue were found Tuesday morning at Garvey Park in south Wichita, said to be in unsalvageable condition.

The statue of Robinson had stood in front of McAdams Park in Wichita since 2021, honoring the namesake of League 42, a local youth baseball organization.

No arrests have been made, per KAKE News.

According to KAKE News' Alex Jirgens, League 42 director Bob Lutz said that a new statue of Robinson will be commissioned using the original mold. The $75,000 bronze statue was designed by local sculptor John Parsons, who died in 2022.

Robinson broke MLB's color barrier, and was a transformative Civil Rights leader on top of his storied career on the diamond.

After lettering in four varsity sports at UCLA, Robinson served in the United States Army during World War II. He then started a career in the Negro Leagues in 1945.

Robinson made his MLB debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, ultimately winning National League Rookie of the Year. In 1949, Robinson won NL MVP after winning the NL batting title and leading the league in stolen bases.

Robinson racked up 1,563 hits, 141 home runs, 761 RBI and 200 stolen bases in his professional career, all while hitting .313 with an .887 OPS. He made six All-Star appearances, won a World Series in 1955 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Every MLB team has retired Robinson's No. 42 jersey, as has his alma mater, UCLA. There are statues of Robinson in Los Angeles, Cooperstown, Atlanta, Florida, New Jersey and Connecticut, and there will soon be one in Wichita again.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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