Sports Legends Immortalized in Metal.

Though the careers of athletes and coaches begin and end in a matter of a decade or two, the feats they accomplish and the games they play and direct live on in the memories of fans all over the world. To further commemorate and celebrate the achievements of these figures and share their likeness with future generations, sculptors have immortalized many sports legends as castings. Following are several of the remarkable sports castings featured at various sports stadiums and halls of fame around the country.

1 Sculpture: Vince Lombardi, legendary pro football coach.

Artist: Mike Major.

Foundry: Art Casting of Illinois, Inc., Oregon, Illinois.

Metal: Silicon bronze.

Casting Process: Investment.

* This 25-lb bust of Lombardi was initiated in 1998 out of the artist's fascination with the coach and presented to his son, Vince Lombardi, Jr. The bust, which took 6 months to create, has been cast six times by the foundry.

* In Lombardi's 9 years (1959-67) as head coach of the Packers, the team was 98-30-4 and won five NFL titles, including the first two Super Bowls. After his death in 1970, Lombardi posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 as NFL's all-time winningest coach a percentage of .740 (105-35-6): The Super Bowl trophy is named in his honor.

2 Sculpture: Woody Hays, legendary college football coach.

Artist: Mike Major.

Foundry: Art Casting of Illinois Inc., Oregon, Illinois.

Metal: Silicon bronze.

Casting Process: Investment.

* Commissioned by Hayes late widow Anne Hayes in 1996, this 25-lb bust of the former Ohio State Univ. (OSU) football coach was sculpted from photos of the controversial coach with various expressions. The bust, which took 6 months to create and has been cast by the foundry more than 20 times, resides in such institutions as the College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend, Indiana, and the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe, Columbus, Ohio.

* Hayes who passed away in 1987 coached the Buckeyers from 1951-1978, amassing a record of 205-61-10, and winning three national championships and 13 Big Ten titles. Overall he had 238 victories as a college coach. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

3 Sculputure: Heisman Memorial Trophy.

Artist: Frank Eliscu.

Foundry: Roman Bronze Works., Inc., Copiague, Long Island, New York.

Metal: Copper bronze.

Casting Process: Silica plaster.

* The Heisman, which is awarded yearly to the outstanding U.S. college football player by the Downtown Athletic Club of New York, Inc (DAC), was commissioned by the foundry and DA and first presented in 1935 to Jay Berwanger, Univ. of Chicago.

* Weighing from 18-22 lb, the trophy measures 14 x 13.5 x 6.75 in and stands atop a laminated wood base.

* The trophy was named after John W Heisman, a gifted football coach and the first athletic director of the DAC, who passed away in 1936, Its model is Ed Smith a leading player on the 1934 New York Univ. football team.

4 Sculpture: Jim Thorpe, sports legend.

Artist: Jack Worthington

Foundry: Modern Art Foundry, Long Island

Metal: Bronze.

Casting Process: Investment.

* This statue of Thorpe, which stands 7-ft-tall (Including the base) and weighs 500 lb, resides at the entrance to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, Ohio. It was commissioned by Jack Cusack, the former manager of the Canton Bulldogs (Thorpe's former team), and unveiled in May 1969.

* With few photos of Thorpe to work with, the artist used his body measurements to create the larger-than-life statue.

* In the 1912 Olympic Games, Thorpe won both the pentathlon and decathlon events. In the same year, he led his Carlisle Indian School football team to the national collegiate championship, scoring 25 touchdowns. Thorpe went on to play 6 years of Major League Baseball. Meanwhile, he managed to lead the Canton Bulldogs football team to three unofficial world championships. Thorpe was the first president of the NFL (then called the American Professional Football Assn.) in 1920. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the original class of 1963 and, in 2000. was named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Century."

5 Sculpture: Joe DiMaggio, baseball legend.

Artist: Ferdinand Rebechini.

Foundry: Art Casting of Illinois, Inc., Oregon, Illinois.

Metal: Silicon bronze.

Casting Process: Investment.

* Commissioned by and situated outside the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame, Chicago, since 1991, this statue of DiMaggio stands 9-ft-tall (including a 3-ft base) and weighs 800 lb.

* Working with photos, the artist sculpted this statue in 2.5 months (total production lasted 6 months).

* Best known for his 56-game hitting streak in 1941 and his brief marriage to Marilyn Monroe, this American folk hero was nicknamed "The Yankee Clipper" for his outstanding fielding ability and "Joltin' Joe" for his legendary hitting skills. He was a two-time batting champion and three-time MVP with the Yankees, who won nine World Series in his 13 years with the team. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

6 Sculpture: Nolan Ryan, baseball legend.

Artist: Toby Mendez.

Foundry: New Arts Foundry, Baltimore.

Metal: Silicon bronze.

Casting Process: Investment.

* This statue, commissioned by Texas Ranger President Tom Schieffer, was unveiled at the Rangers' Ballpark in Arlington in 1997.

* To create a lifelike statue, the artist read Ryan's books, watched several videos and eventually met with Ryan to take photographs and more than 75 measurements. The pose is of Ryan tipping his cap after his 5000th strikeout in 1989.

* The statue, which measures 10 ft, 2 in. from head to toe, took 7 months to sculpt and cast.

* The fireballing Ryan, whose 27 major league seasons (1966-93) are the most played by anyone in baseball history, holds 53 pitching records, including most strikeouts (5714), most no-hitters (7) and most strikeouts in a single season (383). He is the only player in Major League Baseball history to have his uniform retired by three different teams--the Angels, Astros and Rangers--and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

7 Sculpture: Stan Musial, baseball legend.

Artist: Harry Weber.

Foundry: Brentwood Castings, Inc., St. Louis.

Metal: Silicon bronze.

Casting Process: Nobake.

* Commissioned by the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Team, Inc., this 700-lb statue, situated with several other Cardinal Hall of Famers outside of Busch Stadium, was unveiled in September 1998.

* The statue, which took 3-4 months in original art and an additional 3-4 months to cast and assemble, features a 2-in. stainless steel skeleton to accommodate the hordes of children that encounter it everyday.

* Stan "The Man" Musial began his 22-year career with the Cardinals in 1941 and, along the way, guided them to three world championships. At his retirement, not only had he played longer for one team than any player ever had, but he held 17 Major League, 29 National League and 9 All-Star game records. The three-time MVP played in 24 All-Star games, topped the .300 batting average mark 18 times and won seven National League batting titles. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

8 Sculpture: Harry Caray, legendary sports broadcaster.

Artists: Omri Amrany and Lou Cella.

Foundry: Wagner Brass Foundry, Inc., Chicago.

Metal: White bronze.

Casting Process: Investment.

* Commissioned by the Tribune Co. and the Chicago Cubs in 1998, this statue of the late Caray stands outside the entrance of Wrigley Field, the home stadium of the Cubs.

* Standing 7-ft tall (11 ft including the black granite base), weighing 1200 lb and supported by a stainless steel armature, it was installed and dedicated on April 12, 1999.

* The statue, which took 9 months to create, is the first full-figurative casting made of white bronze in the U.S. It consists of 32 pieces put together through welding, followed by sandblasting.

* Known for his crowd-pleasing seventh-inning-stretch renditions of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," Caray began his broadcasting career in 1945 for the St. Louis Browns and Cardinals, teaming up with Hall of Famer Jack Buck until 1968. After a year with the Oakland Athletics, he moved to the Chicago White Sox in 1970 and then to the North Side of Chicago in 1981, where he announced for the Cubs until his passing in 1998. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

10 Sculpture: Michael Jordan, basket ball legend.

Artists: Omri and Julie Amrany.

Foundry: Art Casting of Illinois, Inc., Oregon, Illinois.

Metal: Silicon bronze.

Casting Process: Investment.

* Commissioned by the Chicago Bulls in 1994 after Jordan's first retirement, this statue of the former Bulls superstar stands outside the entrance to the United Center, the team's home arena.

* Standing 12-ft tall (17 ft including the black granite base) and weighing 2000 lb, the statue (named "The Spirit") was unveiled before a national TV audience by Larry King, Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and Jordan in a November 1, 1994 ceremony at which Jordan's famous #23 was retired.

* The Amranys worked 16-hr days, 7 days/ week for 4 months in order to complete the statue. The two also sculpted 123 28-in tall reproductions of the statue, which are autographed by Jordan and being sold by the Bulls for charity.

* Jordan spent his entire 15-year career with the Bulls, leading them to six world championships. He won the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award in 1985 and went on to become its MVP four times. He was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic teams of 1984 and 1992 and was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. An owner of several NBA records, he retired in 1998 after the Bulls won their sixth championship on the final shot of his career.

11 Sculpture: Larry Bird, basketball legend.

Artist: Armand LaMontagne.

Foundry: Paul King Foundry, Inc., Johnston, Rhode Island.

Metal: Silicon bronze.

Casting Process: Investment.

* Commissioned by John Tighe, a private benefactor, this 82-in.-tall, 700-lb statue resides at the Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Massachusetts. It was veiled in 1998 when Bird was enshrined into the Hall.

* The original statue, which Bird posed for, was created in laminated basswood in 1987 and currently is on display at the Fleet Center's New England Sports Museum, Boston. It took 6 months to sculpt.

* The bronze statue was created from a rubber mold the artist had made after first sculpting the wooden statue.

* Bird spent his entire playing career (1979-92) with the Boston Celtics, winning the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award in 1980 and the league MVP Award three times, and guiding the Celtics to three championships. He was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team in 1992 and the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.

12 Sculpture: Rocky Marciano, boxing legend.

Artist: Ferdinand Rebechini.

Foundry: Art Casting of Illinois, Inc., Oregon, Illinois.

Metal: Silicon bronze

Casting Process: Investment.

* Commissioned by and residing at the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame since 1993, this statue of Marciano stands 6-ft-tall and weighs 450 lb.

* With this statue, which took 6 months to sculpt and cast, the artist and foundry decided to go with a more contemporary style, using a modern, multi-colored patina.

* Nicknamed "The Brockton Blockbuster," Marciano boxed professionally from 1947-55, becoming the heavyweight champion of the world in 1952. After retaining his title six times, he retired as the only world champion to complete his career undefeated, winning 49 matches (43 by knockout). Marciano was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

13 Sculpture: Joe Louis, boxing legend.

Artist: Ed Hamilton.

Foundry: Fine Arts Sculpture Centre, Clarkston, Michigan.

Metal: Silicon bronze.

Casting Process: Investment/nobake.

* Commissioned by 12 Detroit entities and residing in Detroit's Cobo Center since 1987, this statue of the "Brown Bomber" stands 14-ft tall (including its marble base) and weighs 1800 lb.

* Using photos of Louis, the statue was created in 38 pieces and took 18 months to sculpt and cast.

* Bursting onto the professional boxing scene in 1934, Louis began a 12-year reign as boxing's heavyweight champion of the world in 1937, defending his title 25 times (20 by knockout) before retiring in 1949. He holds the distinction of having successfully defended his title more times than any other heavyweight in history and holding the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship longer than any other man in history. Louis' hometown of Detroit named its hockey arena after him in 1979 before he passed away in 1981.