A statue of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham will be unveiled by the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sept. 7, the team announced Tuesday.
The unveiling will take place during the Browns’ Fantennial Weekend, to be held Sept. 6-8.
“As we celebrate the NFL’s 100th season, we are honored to pay tribute to Otto Graham with this timeless sculpture that will properly recognize him not only as one of the Browns’ top players but also as one of pro football’s greatest all-time quarterbacks,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “This year’s Alumni Weekend will be truly special as we welcome many of our Browns Legends back home in Cleveland, as well as have the opportunity to thank and host many members of Otto Graham’s family.”
The unveiling will be followed by Browns alumni appearances, autograph sessions and more.
Sculptor David L. Deming was commissioned by the team to make the statue of Graham, who spent his entire 10-year career with the Browns, passing for 23,584 yards and 174 touchdowns while rushing for 44 scores. Graham led the Browns to 10 consecutive title games, including All-America Football Conference championships in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1949, and NFL championships in 1950, 1954, 1955.
Graham, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965, died in 2003.
Deming also created the statue of Browns legend and Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, which was unveiled in the southeast side outside FirstEnergy Stadium in 2016. The Graham statue will be placed on the southwest corner.
Among the guests expected to attend the statue’s unveiling will be Ryan Van Name, Graham’s grandson, who saw the sculpture this spring.
“It’s amazing,” Van Name said. “I know my family will definitely be proud of the work (Deming) did on this because right when I walked in it’s like, ‘that’s him. That’s my grandfather.’”