Statues

Hall of Fame pitching legend Nolan Ryan was the first individual to be recognized with a statue by the Rangers. The eight-foot bronze statue was dedicated in April 1997in the centerfield park area of The Ballpark in Arlington known as Vandergriff Plaza. Sculpted by Toby Mendez of Washington Country, Maryland, the statue features the “Express” tipping his cap after one of the many pitching feats he accomplished in a Texas uniform from 1989-93. The Ryan statue was relocated in the North Plaza of Globe Life Field when that facility opened in 2020. 

There is no one more deserving of recognition than the late Tom Vandergriff, who was primarily responsible for the transfer of the Washington Senators to Arlington, Texas in the fall of 1971. A 2004 inductee into the Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame, Vandergriff led Arlington as its Mayor from 1951-77. His statue measures seven feet-three inches in height and was also created by Toby Mendez. Dedicated in July 1997, the statue was located inside The Ballpark in Arlington, greeting fans as they entered the park through the centerfield gate. When Globe Life Field opened in 2020, the statue was moved outside the northeast entrance of that building. 

The Rangers’ first American League Championship in franchise history is commemorated in a statue commissioned by the City of Arlington. “Going to the Show” was produced by noted St. Louis artist Harry Weber and depicts pitcher Neftali Feliz and catcher Bengie Molina embracing after the final out of Game 6 of the ALCS on October 22, 2010, at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Feliz struck out Alex Rodriguez to complete the Rangers’ 6-1 win over the New York Yankees and send the Rangers to  their first-ever World Series. The statue, dedicated on August 7, 2018, was originally located in the North Plaza in conjunction with the opening of Texas Live! later that month. Upon completion of Globe Life Field in 2020, it was relocated on the walkway outside the park’s northeast entrance. 

On July 7, 2011, Shannon Stone, a firefighter from Brownwood, Texas, died from his injuries after falling over the leftfield railing while attempting to catch a baseball during the Rangers-Oakland A’s game. To honor Stone, the Rangers commissioned Norse, Texas sculptor Bruce Greene to produce “Rangers Fans”. The statue depicts Stone and his then six-year-old son Cooper, who accompanied his father to that game. It was dedicated outside the home plate gate of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on April 5, 2012, and remains at that location to this day. 

On March 4, 2020, a statue of catching great Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez was dedicated outside the southwest entrance of the new Globe Life Field, the ballpark entry behind home plate. It was a fitting location to recognize one of the top catchers in Major League history, who played for the Rangers from 1991-2002 and again in 2009. The seven-foot statue was originally commissioned by Rodriguez while playing for Texas in the late 1990’s and was displayed outside his home in Miami, Florida. The piece went into storage when Rodriguez sold the home in 2006 before it was purchased by the Rangers in 2020 to be displayed at Globe Life Field. 

The most recent statue added by the Rangers was a full-size bronze statue of Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltré that was dedicated on August 22, 2025. Created by Granbury, Texas artist Mike Tabor, it is located on the Northeast Entrance Plaza of Globe Life Field.  The base of the statue, which is approximately six feet in height, measures 9.6 feet by 12 feet. The pose selected for the statue is the signature Beltré swing—hitting a home run while having his right knee touch the ground. There are numerous instances of this, including Game 5 of the 2011 World Series, and the final pose is a composite work of those long balls. The statue was positioned so it appears Beltré is hitting towards the old ballpark, then Globe Life Park, where the Rangers Hall of Famer batted .329 with 120 homers and 426 RBI in 597 career games.  

The Texas Rangers have long occupied a revered place in Texas history dating to the creation of the organization over 200 years ago, before the days of the Republic of Texas.  While the “One Riot, One Ranger” statue commemorates the legend surrounding the agency’s involvement in the stoppage of an unsanctioned Dallas prize fight in 1896, it also stands as a tribute to all who have served the organization over its storied history.

While the team’s name was originally inspired by the law enforcement agency, the Texas Rangers Baseball Club has forged its own, independent identity since our founding in 1971.  The club is proud to recognize the origins of our name and to honor the contributions of public safety professionals across Texas and beyond.  The statue that stood for decades in Dallas now greets guests at Globe Life Field as a familiar symbol of our team’s origin, enduring spirit and connection to the community.