Hall of Fame Walk in Mobile: What to know about ceremony honoring Hank Aaron, Ozzie Smith

Billye Aaron and Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson look up to a maquette of Hank Aaron that was unveiled during a ceremony on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center in downtown Mobile, Ala. (John Sharp/[email protected]).

The first inning happened in late June, and it was a smashing success for Mobile as a large crowd braved hot and humid conditions to enjoy the unveiling of an $11 million park dedicated to sports icons.

They also got to listen to Hall of Famers like Billy Williams and Robert Brazile who recognized the city’s rich athletic heritage with the official opening of Hall of Fame Walk.

The so-called “second inning” could be just as successful. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson announced Tuesday that a second Hall of Fame Walk celebration will take place at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Arthur Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.

On deck: St. Louis Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith and Billye Aaron, the widow of Hank Aaron, the legendary member of the Braves who broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record in 1974.

“This is what we’re calling the second inning,” Stimpson said during the weekly council meeting. “They were not able to come to the first event so they will be here for us to celebrate.”

Stimpson said a group of young baseball players will be in attendance to listen to the speeches as the Hall of Fame Walk will be commemorated once more. The public is invited to attend the dedication of the Hank Aaron and Smith statues.

Hall of Fame Walk is a small park in front of the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center along Water Street.

It is a highly visible park featuring 9-foot-tall bronze statues of Aaron, Smith, Williams, Willie McCovey and Satchel Paige – five native Mobilians who are inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. The sixth statue is of Brazile, the lone member of the National Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, who is also a Mobile native.

The city hosted the official ribbon cutting for the Hall of Fame Walk on June 24, with Williams and Brazile in attendance. Jones, a member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame, spoke on behalf of Smith, who was unable to attend.

Hall of Fame Walk honors the city’s unique footnote in Major League Baseball. The city leads all other cities in the U.S. for having the most native-born Hall of Famers per capita.

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