Dawn Staley statue to be unveiled in Columbia, but not at expected location
A statue of Dawn Staley will officially be unveiled Wednesday afternoon, but it won’t be located at its originally planned location.
The statue of Staley will stand at the intersection of Senate and Lincoln streets right next to the university’s Pastides Alumni Center, the University of South Carolina announced Monday. That’s in the city’s Vista district, across from the Columbia Convention Center and a few blocks away from where the statue was first thought to be destined.
Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann told The State in February 2023 that the planned location for Staley’s statue was on the corner of Main and Gervais streets across from the S.C. State House.
“We still count that as downtown,” Payton Lang, spokesperson for the mayor, told The State on Monday of the new location.
As it turns out, the statue of Staley will be located closer to Colonial Life Arena. A public unveiling ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Staley, according to Lang, requested that her statue not be at the arena because she only wanted her players to get that honor. A statue of Gamecock great A’ja Wilson went up in January 2021 outside of Colonial Life Arena.
“Coach Staley had one request, that when you’re looking at the statue you can see the State House behind it,” Lang said.
The city credits public works employees who came up with the location and pitched it to the mayor as accomplishing Staley’s goal of the State House being in view in the background.
The project was first announced in February 2023 and the 11-foot, 1,000-pound statue arrived in Columbia in August 2024, Lang told The State in February.
The statue, which was projected to cost $140,000, will be erected via a partnership with the City of Columbia, Statues for Equality and local business people.
“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 said Monday in a press release. “Dawn Staley’s influence continues to inspire both on and off the court, and this statue stands as a lasting symbol of excellence, resilience, and pride for Columbia and the entire state of South Carolina.”
Staley has certainly had a statue-worthy career during her time at South Carolina.
USC has won three national championships (2017, 2022 and 2024), made seven Final Four appearances and won nine SEC tournament championships under Staley.
She turned South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse during her 17 years with the Gamecocks, amassing a 457-110 record in that time. The Gamecocks have only recorded 10 or more losses in a season five times since Staley took over.
This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM.
