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Jackie Robinson statue is rebuilt in bronze in Colorado after theft from Kansas park

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Jackie Robinson statue is rebuilt in bronze in Colorado after theft from Kansas park


As he coats a mold of Jackie Robinson with wax, metalsmith Alex Haines reflects on the extra importance of a project that will soon give the city of Wichita, Kansas, a replacement bronze statue of the baseball icon after thieves brazenly destroyed the original.

“Many sculptures come through here,” said Haines at the Art Castings studio in Loveland, Colorado, where the original statue was cast. “Some are a little bit more important than others. And this is definitely one of them.”

It all started in January, when thieves cut the original statue off at its ankles, leaving only Robinson’s cleats behind at McAdams Park in Wichita.

The bronze statue of legendary baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson was stolen from a park in Wichita, Kan., during the early morning hours of Jan. 25, 2024. AP

About 600 children play there in a youth baseball league called League 42.

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It is named after Robinson’s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major league’s color barrier in 1947.

The news spread wide, and a national outpouring of donations followed that enabled Wichita to quickly reorder a replacement.

“There’s been a lot of serendipity when it comes to League 42 throughout our entire existence,” said Bob Lutz, who is executive director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the statue.

“It’s almost like there’s somebody watching out for us. And certainly, in this regard, we feel like … there was a guardian angel making sure that we could do this statue again.”

Fire crews found charred remnants of his statue five days after the theft while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles away. AP

As news spread of the theft, the nonprofit was flooded with an estimated $450,000 to $500,000 in donations.

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That includes a $100,000 gift from Major League Baseball, which will cover the statue’s $45,000 replacement cost and other improvements, including landscaping and adding decorative bollards that will keep people from driving too close to the statue.

The rest of the money raised will go toward enhancing some of the nonprofit’s programming and facilities.

David Hobbs, an employee at Art Castings of Colorado, touches up a wax mold of Jackie Robinson’s head in Loveland, Colo. on May 8, 2024. AP

Last year, the group opened the Leslie Rudd Learning Center, which includes an indoor baseball facility and a learning lab.

There might even be enough money to add artificial turf and more lighting, Lutz said.

Another blessing for Lutz is that the replacement will look exactly like the original, which was created by his friend, the artist John Parsons, before his death in 2022 at the age of 67.

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That is possible because the original mold was still viable.

An employee at Art Castings of Colorado touches up a wax mold of Jackie Robinson’s jersey in Loveland, Colo. on May 8, 2024. AP

“If that wasn’t the case, I don’t know that I would feel as good about all this as I do,” Lutz said.

It looked dire five days after the theft, when fire crews found burned remnants of his statue while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles away from the scene of the theft.

One man has pleaded guilty, and the investigation continues into a crime that police have said was motivated not by racial animus but by plans to sell the bronze for scrap.

It was a stupid plan, said Tony Workman, owner of Art Castings of Colorado. The town where the business is located, around 50 miles north of Denver, is well known for its abundance of sculptors and artists.

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“The problem is you can’t get a fire in a dumpster hot enough to melt metal,” Workman said. “All you’re gonna do is burn the sculpture. So you’re still going to be able to tell what it was.”

Beyond rebuilding the statue, the severed bronze cleats from the original statue found a new home last month at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

Brooklyn Dodgers’ infielder Jackie Robinson is photographed on April 18, 1948. AP

It is a fitting location. Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers.

He is considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon. Robinson died in 1972.

“The outpouring of support that folks have gotten as a result of this, it reminds us that light indeed does come out of darkness,” said Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

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At the museum, the cleats are part of a display that also includes a gunfire-riddled plaque that had been erected outside Robinson’s birthplace near Cairo, Georgia.

The bronze Jackie Robinson cleats that were left behind during the theft. AP

“It renews our spirt and belief in people because sometimes people will do despicable things, and it makes you want to give up on people,” Kendrick said.

“But you know you can’t give up on people, even though sometimes you want to.”

On a recent morning, Emilio Estevez, a financial services worker from Miami, stopped to look at the cleats. He described Robinson as an inspiration — both because of this athleticism and his ability to put up with jeers while integrating the sport.

“We can all learn from that,” he said.

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And the thieves couldn’t take that away, Estevez said.

“He’s still in all our minds. He’s still very present, like here in the museum, very prevalent,” he said.



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‘You could feel World Cup was there’: KC2026 CEO provides update on Kansas City’s World Cup efforts

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‘You could feel World Cup was there’: KC2026 CEO provides update on Kansas City’s World Cup efforts


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thirty years ago, Pam Kramer was a rising star executive leading high-profile campaigns for Kansas City-based Sprint — and not all that familiar with soccer.

“I didn’t know much about the World Cup — and it was Sprint’s really big, first global sponsorship — so I had the opportunity to travel to all nine U.S. host cities (and) saw every U.S. team match” Kramer said Wednesday during an interview at Visit KC’s downtown office. “It was extraordinary — the celebration, the excitement, the enthusiasm. Even in cities like LA and New York, you could feel that the World Cup was there.”

Now, Kramer serves as CEO of KC2026 — the nonprofit tasked with preparing Kansas City to step into the World Cup spotlight in 18 months as the host of six World Cup games, including a quarterfinal, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

RELATED | Renovations underway at Arrowhead, which passes 1st test as soccer venue

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“We have really strong momentum, and it’s built on the team, right?” said Kramer, who took the KC2026 reins in mid-July. “We’ve gone from a staff of two to a staff of 11 — and a few more starting after the first of the year — and they’re really high-achieving, high-performing people in transportation and marketing and safety and security.”

Chris Morrison/KSHB

KC2026 CEO Pam Kramer provided an update Wednesday on Kansas City’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup when GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium will host six World Cup games in 18 months.

Of course, Kramer and the KC2026 team is tasked with more than organizing a month-long series of events, including the Fan Fest that was announced in August, and moving people around the region.

City and soccer officials have promised a transformational experience for the region.

WATCH | ‘Welcoming the World: How KC Became a Host City’

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Welcoming the Word: How Kansas City became a World Cup host city

“When you hear legacy, you think sticks and bricks — Centennial Park, something like that in Atlanta,” Kramer said. “For us, legacy is more about sustained and long-term impact. … That could end up being some sort of physical project or idea. But for us, legacy is more about creating capacity, building workforce, teaching people how to operate or showing that we can operate regionally, and creating a blueprint for how to do that.”

Kramer said she’s well aware that any decisions KC2026 make also have to work for Kansas City’s residents.

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“The transportation plan starts with the people who are already here,” she said. “We want people not only to be able to get to work and do the things that they typically do, but also to engage with the World Cup.”

Kramer said Kansas City will be the first host city to announce its bus procurement next month, a huge step with FIFA and the other host cities also likely to be searching for buses ahead of the World Cup.

“We’ll more than double the capacity that we currently have in the city,” she said. “We’re going to be the first host city to go to market with our bus procurement, so certainly leading in that way.”

RELATED | Fan parking at Arrowhead may be nixed for World Cup

KC2026 also announced a plan for FIFA Fan Fest four months ago, so the organization has hit some major milestones thanks to “universal support” from local and state officials across Missouri and Kansas.

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But Kramer said now is not the time to take her foot off the gas.

“We are far better prepared because of that universal support, both from a funding standpoint and preparation standpoint, but we still have a lot to do,” she said. “I mean — 539 days — I feel like we’re leading the host cities in many areas, but I would never say there’s not more work to do.”

With a chance to welcome the world, Kramer is also confident Kansas City will rise to meet and embrace the moment.

“It’s hard to watch the World Cup and not become a soccer fan and not get swept up in the enthusiasm,” she said. “I saw Brazil play and their fans were so joyful.”

World Cup qualifying will continue until March 2026

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KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.





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How to Watch: No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks vs. Brown Bears

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How to Watch: No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks vs. Brown Bears


LAWRENCE, Kan. — The No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks are back at Allen Fieldhouse this Sunday afternoon to take on the Brown Bears in what promises to be an exciting matchup.

Kansas (8-2) is looking to build momentum after a commanding bounce-back victory over NC State, while Brown enters the contest riding high on a six-game win streak.

The Bears, representing the Ivy League, hold a 7-3 record and are currently third in their conference standings. Their recent stretch of success will be tested as they take on a Kansas team with a rich a roaring home-court advantage.

This will be the third meeting between the Jayhawks and the Bears. The teams last faced off in 1997, with Kansas securing a dominant 107-49 victory. The only other encounter dates back to 1989, when the Jayhawks claimed another lopsided win, 115-45.

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Where: Allen Fieldhouse
When: Sunday, 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Streaming: FUBO TV, YouTube TV

The Jayhawks will look to maintain their strong start to the season and add another win to their record, while the Bears aim to extend their streak against a tough Big 12 opponent.

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Drake men’s basketball outlasts Kansas State in overtime thriller in Kansas City

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Drake men’s basketball outlasts Kansas State in overtime thriller in Kansas City


Drake basketball player Bennett Stirtz broke the hearts of the team he grew up rooting for on Tuesday night.

Stirtz’s 3-pointer with 4 seconds left in overtime gave the Bulldogs a 73-70 victory over the Wildcats at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

Stirtz, a native of Liberty, Mo., and a lifelong K-State fan, scored 22 points to help Drake improve to 10-0. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the national polls and turning heads in coach Ben McCollum’s first season at the helm.

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Stirtz scored eight of Drake’s 10 points in overtime.

“It had everything to do with their toughness and their will to win,” McCollum said of the victory. “To Bennett specifically, I’ve had a lot of good guards, and I remember each of their ‘We’re not going to lose this game’ moments, and that was one of those moments. That says a lot about him and that says a lot about his teammates to trust him to be able to do that.”

Drake’s Mitch Mascari led all scorers with 25 points and went 8-for-10 from three-point range. Stirtz was next with 22 to go along with four assists, two rebounds and three steals. Cam Manyawu was the other Bulldog in double figures with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Mascari was 6-for-6 from 3-point distance in the first half.

The Bulldogs have crafted an impressive resume in non-conference play, beating Miami (Fla.), Vanderbilt and now Kansas State.

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Drake is one of four Division I teams still undefeated (Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee are the others). The Bulldogs improved to 5-0 in games played away from home (4-0 neutral site, 1-0 road).

Drake will play host to Green Bay at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Knapp Center.

The Drake sports information department contributed to this report.



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