Sandy Koufax statue unveiled by Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium entrance

Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer

June 20, 2022 at 12:58 AM·2 min read

Sandy Koufax, left, shakes hands with the sculptor of his statue, Brandly Cadet, as the Los Angeles Dodgers unveil the statue in the Centerfield Plaza to honor the Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young Award winner prior to a baseball game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Saturday, June 18, 2022. (Keith Birmingham/The Orange County Register via AP)

The Los Angeles Dodgers unveiled a bronze statue Saturday of National Baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax at the entrance to Dodger Stadium.

Koufax, 86, pitched for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats for one season in 1954 after earning a basketball scholarship at UC in 1953. On Saturday, he told reporters that sharing the space in the Centerfield Plaza with former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson is "one of the greatest honors of my life."

Social media reactions, from @GoBearcatsBASE and others:

ICYMI: The @Dodgers unveiled a statue of former Bearcat Sandy Koufax yesterday in Los Angeles.#Bearcats | #NatiBoyz https://t.co/PC3YAxTbEA pic.twitter.com/QPq9gDPyWl
— Cincinnati Baseball (@GoBearcatsBASE) June 19, 2022

🐐 https://t.co/x1gTHFypkL
— Cincinnati Baseball (@GoBearcatsBASE) June 18, 2022

Sandy Koufax. Best-ever. Wouldn’t have missed his special day for the world! Having his statue at Dodger Stadium next to Jackie Robinson’s melted my heart. pic.twitter.com/Ry9ze1N5eH
— Claire Smith ⚾️ (@MzCSmith) June 19, 2022

Congratulations To Sandy Koufax, his family, and the Dodgers Organization. A well deserved honor for one of the all-time greats.
(📷:@Dodgers ) pic.twitter.com/c8SlMXI1ND
— Fergie Jenkins (@fergieajenkins) June 19, 2022

Wish I could attend the Sandy Koufax statue unveiling tonight but our family is in town for Father’s Day so instead, got the chance to show my twin brother a baseball from Sandy’s first no-hitter, two months after Dodger Stadium opened. pic.twitter.com/TMUfqj6hX1
— Josh Rawitch (@HOFprez) June 18, 2022

Dodger Stadium honors Sandy Koufax with a standing ovation after his statue was revealed today. pic.twitter.com/10hiTzrUeM
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 18, 2022

📍 Sandy Koufax, Centerfield Plaza pic.twitter.com/UGbFGVqSWN
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 19, 2022

A choked up Clayton Kershaw on Sandy Koufax: “I know there’s no one more deserving than you of this honor.”
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) June 18, 2022

Koufax finished his season at UC with a 3-1 record and 2.81 ERA, with 51 strikeouts in 32 innings. He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers and made his Major League debut in 1955, when Brooklyn won the World Series.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Los Angeles Dodgers unveil Sandy Koufax statue at stadium entrance