UD’s Blue Hen Forever statue becomes a new campus landmark

There’s a new big man – er, Blue Hen – on campus at the University of Delaware.

The Blue Hens Forever sculpture is intended as a campus rallying point that will serve as a key landmark for the UD.

Weighing in at over 3,000 pounds and measuring 7.5 feet tall, it’s impossible to miss the bronze statue when walking around campus.

Funded by the school’s alumni association, the statue traces back to the original 2019 plans for Alumni Circle, a project recognizing high-achieving UD graduates. Pandemic-related delays pushed back work on Alumni Circle – and the statue – until 2025, when the Board of Trustees approved it.

The statue is located outside of Alumni Hall, just off Main Street on the northern end of campus.

It was installed May 14, just before the end of the school year, but was formally unveiled May 31 as part of Alumni Weekend festivities.

The sculptor is Brian Hanlon, a New Jersey artist who has decades of experience crafting college and professional sports sculptures.

Beth Brand, the university’s vice president for development and alumni relations, said she was confident the statue was on its way to becoming a celebrated UD landmark.

“If you go to campuses across the nation, there’s so many great traditions and points of pride in statues and sculptures on campus,” Brand said. “We didn’t have a real central point for people to take pictures with the Blue Hen.”

The sculpture is already garnering buzz around campus, Brand said.

“It was installed just before graduation, which was pretty intentional,” Brand said, “so that we could have students and graduates take advantage of photo opportunities.

Alumni took notice too, flocking to the statue throughout Alumni Weekend.

Jacob Marks, a recent UD alum who works at the school bookstore, put it simply.

“I mean, it’s a really big chicken,” he said.

Marks said he has always leaned into the uniqueness of UD’s mascot, always explaining to out-of-towners that the name dates back to the Revolutionary War.

Commenters on an alumni association Facebook post about the statue welcomed its addition to campus, but a few wondered how many people would try to hop on its back and “ride” the statue.

Brand said that concern is soon to be taken care of. Summer additions include lighting, security cameras, landscaping and a “Do Not Ride” sign.

Jackson Cooper is an intern reporter for Delaware Online/The News Journal. He can be reached at jcooper@delawareonline.com.