Dick Howser Statue

This statue commemorates former Kansas City Royals player and manager, Dick Howser (1936-1987). A Miami native and graduate of Florida State University, he played for three different teams, including the Royals (then the Athletics), over the course of his eight-year major league career before transitioning to coaching. As the Royals manager from 1981 to 1986, Howser led the club to three postseason appearances, two AL West titles, and a 404-365 record. In 1985, he managed the Royals to the World Series, where they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games to capture the first World Series title in franchise history. The following season, the Royals skipper was diagnosed with brain cancer. After a failed attempt to return to the team in the spring of 1987, Howser resigned. He succumbed to the disease a few months later on June 17. Just over two decades later, the Royals commissioned world-renowned sculptor Harry Weber to design a statue of Howser. Unveiled on April 10, 2009 in Kauffman Stadium’s new right centerfield concourse, the larger-than-life-sized bronze sculpture depicts the club’s former manager in the dugout. Sporting a warm-up jacket over his Royals uniform, he rests his right foot on a dugout step and leans forward with his arms crossed on his right thigh while he observes the action on the field.

Richard Dalton “Dick” Howser was born on May 14, 1936 in Miami, Florida. The eldest of four children, he grew up in West Palm Beach. Howser attended Palm Beach High School, where he starred on the school’s baseball team during his junior and senior years. Despite not being heavily recruited in high school, he received an offer to sign a minor league baseball contract. Desirous of one day becoming a teacher, Howser decided instead to attend college and subsequently enrolled at Florida State University. During his sophomore year in Tallahassee, he tried out for the Seminoles baseball team and made it. In his three years playing shortstop for Florida State, Howser compiled a .375 batting average and twice earned All-American honors. 

After graduating with his degree in 1958, he signed a contract with the Kansas City Athletics. Howser then spent a few seasons in the organization’s farm system before making his major league debut on Opening Day of the 1961 season. The shortstop averaged .280 at the plate, stole thirty-seven bases, and led the American League in putouts his rookie year, but injuries significantly limited his playing time the next two seasons, and the Athletics dealt him to the Cleveland Indians in May 1963. Despite having a bounce-back season in 1964, in which he hit .256 and raked in 52 RBIs, Howser could not stay healthy over the course of the subsequent two seasons. In December 1966, the Indians traded him to the New York Yankees. While in the Big Apple, injuries limited his playing time once again, and Howser hung up his cleats after the 1968 season. He finished his playing career with a .248 batting average and 105 stolen bases on 139 attempts. 

Howser began his coaching career the following year, serving as the Yankees third-base coach. He held the position through the 1978 season, after which he returned to Tallahassee to become the head baseball coach at his alma mater. In Howser’s one year at the helm, the Seminoles posted a 43-15-1 record. In 1980, he became the manager of the New York Yankees. Despite leading the team to an AL East title and a berth in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), Howser had a falling out with owner George Steinbrenner, who fired his skipper after just one season. Late in the 1981 season, the Kansas City Royals hired him to replace Jim Frey as the team’s manager. During his time with the Royals, Howser guided the club to three postseason appearances, two AL West titles, and a 404-365 record. In 1985, he and team reached the World Series, where they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games to capture the first World Series title in franchise history. The following season, the Royals skipper was diagnosed with brain cancer and underwent surgery. After a failed attempt to return to the team in the spring of 1987, he resigned. Howser succumbed to the disease a few months later on June 17. His remains were buried at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Tallahassee. 

In 2009, the Royals commissioned world-renowned sculptor Harry Weber to design a statue of Howser. Unveiled on April 10, 2009 in Kauffman Stadium’s new right centerfield concourse, the larger-than-life-sized bronze sculpture depicts the club’s former manager in the dugout. Sporting a warm-up jacket over his Royals uniform, he rests his right foot on a dugout step and leans forward with his arms crossed on his right thigh while he observes the action on the field.

Cohen, Alan. "Dick Howser." sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Web. 3 August 2021 <https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/dick-howser/>.

"Dick Howser." harryweber.com. Harry Weber Official Website. Web. 3 August 2021 <http://harryweber.com>.

"Dick Howser." mlb.com. The Royals Hall of Fame. Web. 3 August 2021 <https://www.mlb.com/royals/hall-of-fame/members/dick-howser>.

Porter, David L., ed. Biographical Dictionary of American Sports. Baseball, G-P. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.