Does Caitlin Clark deserve a statue at the University of Iowa?

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Caitlin Clark had one of the best collegiate sports careers in history. To that end, the University of Iowa has decided to retire Clark’s number 22 jersey on February 2. It’s an extremely deserving and iconic gesture, but does Clark’s transcendent collegiate career warrant an even greater honor? We’ll look at the merits of her receiving a statue on campus.

As USA Today noted, Caitlin Clark will be just the third women’s basketball player to have her jersey retired by the program. The other two players with the distinction are Megan Gustafson and Michelle Edwards.

Iowa Hawkeyes athletic director Beth Goetz said, “Caitlin Clark has not only redefined excellent on the court but has also inspired countless young athletes to pursue their dreams with passions and determination. Her remarkable achievements have left an indelible mark on the University of Iowa and the world of women’s basketball.”

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Goetz continued, “Retiring her number is a testament to her extraordinary contributions and a celebration of her legacy that will continue to inspire future generations. Hawkeye fans are eager to say thank you for so many incredible moments.”

Clark told USA Today, “There’s been a lot of really good 22’s to come before me and play for this program, whether it’s Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic, so that number holds a lot of weight, far beyond my name, and I guess I’m just really grateful and it will be a special day when it happens, for sure.”

The ceremony will be held at some point adjacent to the Iowa Hawkeye’s game in Iowa City against the USC Trojans.

Louisa Frahm of ESPN compiled Clark’s laundry list of honors during her collegiate career, which might take us all month to share here. However, it might suffice to say that one accomplishment towers above all the rest.

Caitlin Clark broke Pete Maravich’s all time NCAA Division I basketball career scoring record in March 2024. Maravich’s record had withstood the test of time since 1970, until Clark came and broke it. Clark told ESPN, “It’s really crazy to think about.”

It’s easy to see how much Clark meant to Iowa and to women’s basketball in general. While retiring her jersey was a no-brainer, it seems at least conceivable that the program should consider taking the next step in her honor and building a statue.

The school has a statue of Nile Kinnick outside of its football stadium. Kinnick won the 1939 Heisman Trophy. His sports career was cut short as he died four years later while serving for the United States Navy in World War II.

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Another statue is present outside the Carver-Hawkeye basketball arena. It belongs to Dan Gable, who was the head coach of the school’s wrestling team from 1976-1997. He infamously told the school’s website, “This is the only bronze award that I will ever accept.”

While Gable’s achievements and longevity at the program should be celebrated, there’s a pretty good argument that his statue should be joined by the likes of Clark’s. Even if the University wants to be selective with whom it bestows the honor to, there likely isn’t going to be a better athlete, possibly male or female, who will ever have a better college career than Clark.

With NIL and transfer rules as they are today, it’s not even a given that anyone would stay in college or at a specific program for four years. With this taken into consideration, the prospects that anyone would come close to having a full collegiate career like Clark’s is slim to none. When you take into account how prolific she was, the odds tend to land close to zero.

Ryan Brainard of KHAK’s website has thought about the possibility of the program building a statue in Clark’s honor. He wrote, “which pose would they use? There is only one. A LOGO THREE.”

Clark has already had a statue built for her… sort of. The Iowa State Fair featured a butter sculpture of their prodigious native daughter for a couple of years.

Should the University of Iowa build a statue outside the basketball arena in Caitlin Clark’s honor? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

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