A remarkable statue of the basketball legend who broke the color barrier in West Virginia now stands proudly in front of the Cam Henderson Center
By James E. Casto
HQ 115 | AUTUMN 2021
On Oct. 10, 2021, officials at Marshall University proudly unveiled a new statue memorializing Thundering Herd and NBA basketball great Hal Greer.
The statue, created by Huntington native Frederick Hightower Sr., was scheduled to be unveiled at last year’s Homecoming; but the Covid pandemic prevented that because the foundry which cast the sculpture to make the statue had been impacted by the coronavirus.
Brandi Jacobs-Jones, senior vice president of operations at Marshall, said that after discussing the situation with Greer’s family, it was decided to postpone the unveiling of the statue until this year’s Homecoming festivities.
The slightly larger-than-life bronze statue stands 7 ½ feet tall. It depicts Greer, clad in his No. 16 Marshall jersey, shooting one of his trademark one-handed jump shots. The remarkable work of art now stands proudly in front of the Cam Henderson Center, the home to Thundering Herd basketball since 1981. It is fitting that Greer’s statue stands in front of a building named for the legendary coach who recruited him.
The idea of honoring Greer with a statue developed following his death in 2018.
“It’s absolutely fitting that Marshall honor not only one of the finest student-athletes ever to play here, but also our first Black scholarship student-athlete,” said President Jerry Gilbert. “This is really a dream come true for me, and I am thankful that I got to see this happen before I step away as president.”
Born in 1936, Greer grew up in Huntington and was a star player at the city’s all-Black Douglass High School. He broke the color barrier for Black college athletes in West Virginia in 1955 when he was awarded a basketball scholarship at Marshall, where he averaged 19.4 points per game in his three varsity seasons. Picked by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1958 NBA draft, he remained with the same franchise throughout his career, moving with the Nationals when they became the Philadelphia 76ers in 1963.
At Gilbert’s request, a committee was formed to foster the statue idea to reality. According to Don Van Horn, the retired dean of the College of Arts and Media who was a member of the committee, proposals by several artists were considered; but ultimately Hightower was the committee’s unanimous choice.
“We made sure the Greer family agreed with that decision, and they’re thrilled with the finished statue,” Van Horn said.
At the unveiling Greer’s two daughters and brother-in-law spoke on behalf of Greer’s wife and son who were unable to attend.
“I am so impressed with the details and how everything is so life-like,” said Kelly Denise, oldest of the three siblings. “If my dad was here, I think he would want to just take the statue home. He adored the fans and appreciated everything.”
Both an artist and a minister, Hightower said he was “humbled” by being chosen to sculpt the Greer statue.
“My dad grew up in the Fairfield area and went to Douglass, and Hal Greer was a local hero in the area,” he said. “I’m just really honored because Greer was more than a basketball player. He was a trailblazer for civil rights, in a sense. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think that we would have the Michael Jordans and the LeBron Jameses. He was the one that first opened the door, so I believe that this memorial is a tribute to the things that he and others did during that period.”
Hightower has sculpted other significant pieces, including a life-sized sculpture of West Virginia State University graduate and famed NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson that was erected at WVSU in 2018.
Much like that piece for a figure who has meant so much on a state, national and world level, Hightower said he hopes his latest sculpture is one that sheds light not only on the importance of Greer himself, but the university and community as well.
“We want people to know that this is more than just another college, that truly great athletes have come from here,” Hightower said. “It’s an honor to perpetuate the legacy of this university, and I think that it will be something that will be a hallmark for Huntington itself.”
Both Marshall and the 76ers have retired Greer’s jersey. When he retired in 1973, Greer, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, had appeared in more games (1,122) than any other player in NBA history.
At the 2001 All-Star Game, he was named as one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players of All Time.
