The funding is completed, and the work is very nearly done. The Chuck Bednarik statue will soon be a reality.
The University of Pennsylvania's Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics has announced the formal dedication of the Bednarik statue on Saturday, Nov. 19, prior to the Quakers' football game against Cornell that kicks off at 1 PM. The statue will be located inside Gate 2 on the North side of Franklin Field, and will be complemented by a collage honoring the history of the Philadelphia Eagles during their time playing at Franklin Field (1958-70).
The Bednarik statue will honor "Concrete Charlie," who played his college football at Franklin Field for the Quakers before embarking on a storied professional career at the same stadium for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Bednarik statue is being done by Brian Hanlon of Hanlon Sculpture Studio in Toms River, N.J. Dubbed "New Jersey's Sculptor," Hanlon has works all over the world. Hanlon Sculpture Studio is the official sculptor of the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
"I am absolutely honored to sculpt the greatest warrior, maybe next to Smokin' Joe Frazier, in Philadelphia sports history," said Hanlon. "I think it's great that Chuck's statue will be placed at the site of his college and NFL careers. Franklin Field is the most sacred, historic athletic venue in Philadelphia."
The process to get a Bednarik statue done has been swift. In 2010, a group of Philadelphia businessmen approached the University with the aim of installing a statue of Penn's greatest all-time player and their hero, Chuck Bednarik, at Franklin Field. Since then, nearly $100,000 has been raised toward the project, bolstered by stories from Philadelphia-area media outlets as well as outlets in the Lehigh Valley, where Bednarik continues to reside in Coopersburg.
Among the prominent names involved with the project are the president of NFL films, Steve Sabol; former Eagles and St. Louis Rams head coach Dick Vermeil; former Eagles players Ron Jaworski and Eddie Khayat; Bucks County State Rep. Paul Clymer; former Governor Tom Ridge; Dominic Toscani, founder of Paris Business Forms, Inc.; and Bednarik's son-in-law, Ken Safarowic.
Bednarik's legacy as one of the toughest men to ever play the game is embodied by what NFL Films would label as "The Greatest Hit in NFL History" on the Giants' Frank Gifford in 1960. The Sports Illustrated picture of Bednarik standing over the prone Gifford has become one the iconic sports photos of all time.
The Eagles would go on to face the Green Bay Packers in the championship game at Franklin Field, where they handed Vince Lombardi the only postseason loss of his brilliant coaching career. Playing center and linebacker, Bednarik was on the field for every snap of the ball, and the game ended with him sitting atop Jim Taylor 9 yards from the end zone as the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock. Bednarik played 58 minutes, sitting out only the kickoffs. He finished the game with 12 tackles and a fumble recovery, and he knocked Paul Hornung out of the game with a jarring third-quarter tackle.
Bednarik retired following the 1962 season, concluding a 14-year career in which he missed only three games due to injury. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967, his first year of eligibility.
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