COLUMBIA, S.C. — A statue honoring University of South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley is now on display in downtown Columbia.
Just before 5 p.m. Wednesday Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann called for city workers to remove the tarp and a Gamecock flag that had been obscuring the artwork. Once it came down, it revealed the statue that shows Staley at the top of a ladder cutting down the championship nets while wearing a Gamecock hat.
Hundreds of people showed up for the ceremony at the corner of Senate and Lincoln Street in the Vista. Her statue sits in the island separate the two lanes of Senate Street.
That location is just a few blocks from another Gamecock icon’s statue — A’ja Wilson — whose own tribute was unveiled in 2021.
Staley said it was here intent for that to be the only statue associated with Gamecocks women’s basketball. But Rickenmann and USC’s then athletics director approached her in late 2022 about a proposal from Statues of Equality to make a statue in Columbia that honored a woman. According to the city, when the organization asked Mayor Daniel Rickenmann for a name that embodied impact and legacy in Columbia, his immediate choice was Staley.
After looking at the other women honored previously by Statues for Equality, she decided to be part of the list of women who are honored to serve as representation for the many women and girls who aren’t recognized.
“So I agreed to the statue, not for me, but for the girl who will walk by one day and wonder who I was,” Staley said. “Maybe she’ll look me up. She’ll see that I did some things in basketball, of course, but I hope she sees much more. I hope she sees that I was a champion for equity and equality. That in my own way, I pushed for change. That I stood proudly in the space God called me to inhabit, not as someone perfect or extraordinary, but as a regular girl who used her gifts to open doors so other girls wouldn’t have to knock as hard.”
The statue was designed by artists Gillie and Marc, who created the bronze piece in 2024. While the final look has remained under wraps, it’s expected to show Staley standing on a ladder and holding a basketball net — a familiar image for fans who’ve watched her cut down nets at Colonial Life Arena after championship wins.
“This tribute celebrates not only her championship legacy as a coach and player, but also her unwavering commitment to leadership, community empowerment, and uplifting future generations,” the City of Columbia said in a statement.
Staley has been at the helm of the Gamecocks since 2008, guiding the program to three national titles and seven Final Four appearances, which are feats never before achieved in the team’s history.
