The Texas Rangers today announced plans for the creation of a statue that will honor Shannon Stone, the Brownwood, Texas firefighter who passed away from injuries suffered in the tragic accident on July 7 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

The statue, which is tentatively to be named Rangers Fans, is expected to be in place for the 2012 season. It will depict Mr. Stone and his six-year-old son Cooper attending a Rangers game. The full-size bronze statue is likely to be located outside the home plate gate of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

After Fan Falls to Death, Texas Rangers Announce Series of New Safety Initiatives

“We feel that this statue will be a most fitting tribute,” commented Rangers CEO and President Nolan Ryan. “It will not only serve to honor Mr. Stone’s memory but also to recognize Rangers fans and baseball fans everywhere.

“I have discussed the project with Jenny Stone, and she and the Stone family will be involved in the design and creation of the statue.”

Jenny Stone issued the following statement:

“We continue to be appreciative of Nolan Ryan and the Texas Rangers as we deal with the loss of Shannon. Shannon and Cooper had a special relationship, and we are touched and grateful that it will be memorialized at one of their favorite places. Our hope is that this statue will not be a symbol of our family tragedy but rather a reminder of the importance of a family's love - love of each other, love of spending time together, and love of the game.”

The Rangers, who will fund the project, are in the early stages of considering sculptors to design and create the statue.

The statue honoring Mr. Stone will be the third sculpture at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Full size bronze statues of Nolan Ryan and Tom Vandergriff were dedicated in 1997 and are located in the centerfield Vandergriff Plaza.

Source: Texas Rangers

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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Comments (5)

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written by phillycheez, August 16, 2011

how about investing in higher rails that fans cant fall over. not only in arlington, but every stadium.

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Celebration of Moronism
written by Ortho Stice, August 17, 2011

Nice testament to idiocy, Rangers.

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Response to Ortho
written by JKLMU, August 17, 2011

To Ortho - Does blood or ice run through your veins? Do you even own a heart? My goodness would you say what you just wrote in front of that man’s son or wife? You people spew words on sites like this under the cowardly veil of the internet, it is shameless and barbaric. This was a situation of an overzealous father trying to grab a ball for his son and he died doing so. You may be smarter than the Ranger’s fan but you sure do not have a soul worth saving.

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Matt S.
written by Matt Smallwood, August 17, 2011

Yeah, a statue does nothing to protect fans. Invest in the higher rails. Rangers management are idiots if they think a statue protects anyone.

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written by A Stephens, August 17, 2011

Some of you might consider implementing a new life principle here, that being,
Know what the hell you're talking about before mouthing off so foolishly.

A. After the accident, the Rangers had all rails inspected, and they were found to exceed national building codes.
B. The Rangers have engaged an engineering firm to construct a new rail design that will be higher while still allowing for the access to sight lines necessary to enjoy the game view.
C. In the meantime the Rangers have initiated a series of steps to increase signage, warnings, and safety awareness in the ballpark.

I won't bother to trade insults here, I couldn't begin to cast you in a worse light than you've already done for yourselves.

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