Lamar Jackson statue coming to Louisville Stadium? AD Vince Tyra mentions possibility in radio appearance
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BVM) — During Monday’s broadcast of the popular “The Deener Show” on ESPN 680 and 93.9 The Ville, a comment by show guest and Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra sent the Internet and Cardinals nation into a frenzy. When discussing the recently announced enhancements to the football stadium, Tyra mentioned the look of a new plaza near the front entrance of the stadium.
“This availed us to add gates, make it more fan friendly, create a plaza area where you can recognize more of our legacy to include likely taking Johnny [Unitas] off the Norton Terrace and putting Lamar with him out from where fans will be more accessible to him, particularly the kids in the community,” Tyra said.
Vince Tyra told Drew Deener (on ESPN Louisville @ESPN680/@939TheVille) "likely taking Johnny off the Norton Terrace and putting Lamar (@Lj_era8) out front where people have more access, particularly kids."
FULL PODCAST: https://t.co/CO45xPMzvE pic.twitter.com/xlom8WyxHx
— ESPN Louisville (@ESPN680) August 2, 2021
It was the last part of the sentence in particular that made Cards fans’ ears perk up. It has never been discussed nor announced that the program’s lone Heisman trophy winner would get a statue, let alone one next to the other great quarterback in program history Johnny U. Was it a slip of the tongue by the AD? At any rate, fans were thrilled by the news with many flooding social media with praise to the former Cardinals star quarterback and the administration for making such a decision.
During his time in Louisville, Jackson was electrifying on his way to becoming one of the most exciting players in the sport and most recognizable faces in the country. Jackson would finish his Cardinals career with 9,043 passing yards, 4,132 rushing yards, 69 passing touchdowns, 50 rushing touchdowns. Jackson also become the youngest player ever to win the Heisman Trophy at age 19 years, 337 days, five days younger than Jameis Winston was when he won the award, after a sophomore season in which the quarterback threw for 3,543 yards and 30 touchdowns while also running for 1,571 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground.
Though the news centered around the legendary Louisville quarterback, it seemed like the Internet broke the news to the now NFL Pro Bowler.
🥺❤️🖤Thatz Major I appreciate that , like y’all seriouz???🥺🥺🥺🥺 @vincetyra https://t.co/8vwTaanZeS
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) August 2, 2021
Since leaving the Cardinals, Jackson’s star has continued to rise. Coming into the league as the No. 32 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Jackson exploded onto the scene in his first three seasons with 7,085 passing yards, 2,906 rushing yards, 68 passing touchdowns and 19 rushing touchdowns. Jackson would also win the NFL MVP in 2019 after throwing for 36 passing touchdowns and rushing for seven scores in addition to passing for 3,127 yards and posting a 113.3 passer rating.
Though the news of a statue has not been confirmed by the school’s athletics department, nor has any other details of a possible statue, it has still caused quite a stir across social media and certainly throughout Louisville. Whether a slip or not by Tyra, the cat is seemingly out of the bag and it would be difficult for him or the administration to backtrack now.
