Cubs icons with statue around Wrigley

CHICAGO -- So much history has taken place at Wrigley Field, but only a select few franchise icons have been honored with their likeness forged in bronze.

The streets that surround the city block on which the Friendly Confines stands include just four statues. Consider it a Mount Rushmore of Cubs personalities. There is one to honor legendary broadcaster Harry Caray, and three to pay tribute to the Hall of Fame trio of Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Billy Williams.

There is room for additions along Clark and Addison Streets, and Waveland and Sheffield Avenues. For now, however, here is a look at the four Cubs legends who have been immortalized around the historic ballpark.

Broadcaster: Harry Caray

The Cubs' home opener festivities on April 12, 1999, included the unveiling of a statue of Caray, who called games for nearly two decades on the North Side. The tribute was installed a little more than a year after Caray's passing ahead of the '98 season.

The likeness of Caray depicts him wearing a Cubs jacket and his signature glasses, raising a microphone with his right hand and pointing to onlookers with his left. A cluster of fans are below Caray, who is larger than life as he bursts from the top of Wrigley Field.

"He looks like he's ready to say: 'Let me hear ya,'" Dutchie Caray, Harry's wife, said at the ceremony in 1999.

Caray was famous for leading the fans in song during, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," as part of the seventh-inning stretch.

The statue originally had its home at the corner of Sheffield Ave. and Addison St. on the southeast side of the Friendly Confines. It was moved and rededicated on Sept. 1, 2010, at the corner of Sheffield and Waveland Avenues, by the entrance to the bleachers.

Caray, who came to the Cubs in 1982 after a decade spent on the South Side broadcasting games for the White Sox, was known to have called some contests from the bleachers. At the rededication ceremony, Dutchie Caray even joked that her late husband may be the only broadcaster ever to take a shower out there (at old Comiskey Park).

Player: Ernie Banks

The statue of Mr. Cub, which stands along Clark St. on Wrigley Field's west side, includes a smile on Banks' immortalized face as he stands in his signature stance. That was fitting, considering the joy that the Hall of Famer brought to his team and its fans throughout his legendary career.

"It's the best," Banks told reporters at the dedication ceremony on March 21, 2008. "This is the epitome of American life to be able to have this honor bestowed upon me, think about that. Just me. And when I'm no longer here, I'll still be here. It's amazing. This is amazing to me."

Go figure that it was raining on the day that Banks -- famous for his "Let's play two" catchphrase -- received the bronze honor. Known for his sunny personality, Banks threw out the first pitch and sang, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," on that day in 2008.

Banks spent all 19 of his Major League seasons with the Cubs, breaking the team's color barrier with his debut in 1953. A shortstop initially, and later a first baseman, Banks belted 512 homers, won back-to-back National League MVP Awards in '58-59, made 14 All-Star teams and won a Gold Glove Award.

"Ernie was truly a trailblazer," Hall of Famer Billy Williams said during the unveiling ceremony. "He paved the way for so many African Americans."

Player: Ron Santo

The statue of Santo -- a beloved player and broadcaster for the Cubs -- stands at the corner of Sheffield Ave. and Addison St. and was dedicated on Aug. 10, 2011. It depicts him in his days as a slick-fielding third baseman, and the statue is frozen at the moment before Santo unleashes a throw across an invisible diamond.

"Wrigley Field was his favorite place on Earth," Cubs broadcaster Pat Hughes said during the ceremony in 2011.

The statue was dedicated less than a year after Santo died from complications from bladder cancer and diabetes in December of 2010. The ceremony was packed with fans to celebrate one of the icons in the team's long, storied history.

Santo suited up for the Cubs from 1960-74 and helped call games from 1990-2010.

On the field, he had 337 homers (out of 342 in his career) with the Cubs, collected five Gold Glove Awards and made nine All-Star teams. Santo was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2012. In the booth, Santo was not shy about his love for the team, calling games as their biggest fan.

"He connected with all of us because he was our fan," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said at the ceremony in 2011. "He was the beating heart of Chicago Cubs fans everywhere."

Player: Billy Williams

Located near the Santo statue, the likeness of Sweet Swinging' Billy Williams depicts him finishing one of his smooth left-handed strokes. It was a perfect tribute for one of the greatest hitters in Cubs history, and was dedicated on Sept. 7, 2010.

"When they told me about the unveiling in Chicago, I thought this day couldn't come here fast enough," Williams said at the ceremony in 2010. "This is beyond a dream for a kid growing up in Whistler, Alabama."

Williams suited up for the Cubs in 16 of his 18 seasons from 1959-74. He was the 1961 NL Rookie of the Year, a six-time All-Star and a one-time batting champion. The Hall of Famer belted 426 homers and 434 doubles, hit .290 in his career and had nearly as many walks (1,045) as strikeouts (1,046). From 1963-70, Williams also set an NL record (at the time) with 1,117 consecutive games played.