Staley Statue: Gamecocks coach to be honored with statue

(AP) - South Carolina’s capital city is planning a statue honoring two-time national championship coach Dawn Staley.

The city of Columbia and the group, Statues for Equality, are working together on Staley’s statue. The organization is dedicated to increasing the number of female honorees for their contributions to society.

A rendering of the statue is in the works and should take about a year to build and install once a design is approved by Staley.

The statue will cost about $140,000 and be split between the Statues for Equality organization and private donations. Plans call for it to be installed across from the South Carolina Statehouse.

Staley would be the third person connected with South Carolina athletics to have a statue. The Gamecocks’ lone Heisman Trophy honoree, 1980 winner George Rogers, has a statue outside the football stadium. One of Staley’s best players, WNBA champion A’ja Wilson, has a statue near the entrance of the basketball arena.

Staley is in her 15th season as South Carolina women’s basketball coach. She won NCAA Tournament titles in 2017 and 2022. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 1 in the country and are 23-0. They play Auburn on Thursday night.