County of statue: Fulton County
Location of statue: Capital Ave. & Georgia Ave., Memorial Grove, Turner Field, Atlanta
Artist: Felix George Weighs De Weldon, 1907-2003, sculptor
Born: December 18, 1886, Narrows, GA
Died: July 17, 1961, Atlanta, GA
Height: 6' 1" (1.85 m)
Buried: Rose Hill Cemetery, Georgia
Black Marble Plaque on Base:
TYRUS RAYMOND COBB
1886 1961
Known as the Georgia Peach
Charter member of
Baseball Hall of Fame
leading batsman of
All Major League History
.367 average 4,191 hits.
Proper Description: "A portrait of Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb of the Detroit Tigers stealing third base against "Home Run Baker" of the Philadelphia Athletics, as captured in a 1925 photograph. Cobb is shown sliding into base, his legs on the ground with his proper left foot almost touching the base. His proper right hand is raised and his proper left hand is touching the ground. Behind him, Baker is in a defensive position, bent forward trying to make a "tag." The figures are supported by four square pillars of polished marble." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum
Remarks: "Cobb was famous for the number of stolen bases he made. Sculpture was commissioned by Mills B. Lane, Jr. A nearby plaque reads: Known as the Georgia Peach/Charter member of baseball hall of fame/leading batsman of All Major League History/.367 average/4,191 hit" ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum
"Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936 Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes. In 1999, editors at The Sporting News ranked Ty Cobb 3rd on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players".
"Cobb is widely credited with setting 90 MLB records during his career. He still holds several records as of the end of the 2014 season, including the highest career batting average (.366 or .367, depending on source) and most career batting titles with 11 (or 12, depending on source). He retained many other records for almost a half century or more, including most career hits until 1985 (4,189 or 4,191, depending on source), most career runs (2,245 or 2,246 depending on source) until 2001, most career games played (3,035) and at bats (11,429 or 11,434 depending on source) until 1974, and the modern record for most career stolen bases (892) until 1977. He still holds the career record for stealing home (54 times), and was the youngest player to compile 4,000 hits and score 2,000 runs. Cobb ranks fifth all-time in number of games played and committed 271 errors, the most by any American League (AL) outfielder.
"Cobb's legacy as an athlete has sometimes been overshadowed by his surly temperament and aggressive playing style, which was described by the Detroit Free Press as "daring to the point of dementia." Cobb himself wrote shortly before his death, "In legend I am a sadistic, slashing, swashbuckling despot who waged war in the guise of sport." Cobb was notorious for sliding into bases feet first, with his spikes high.
"Cobb's legacy, which includes a college scholarship fund for Georgia residents financed by his early investments in Coca-Cola and General Motors, has been tarnished by allegations of racism and violence, largely stemming from a couple of biographies that were released following his death. Cobb's reputation as an extremely violent man was fanned by his first biographer, sportswriter Al Stump (whose stories about Cobb have been partially discredited as sensationalized and, in some part, proven to be entirely fictional) while Cobb's views on race evolved and mellowed after his retirement from baseball.
"In 2015 Cobb was the subject of a an extended biography, Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty, written by Charles Leerhsen that aimed to dispel his purported acts and reputation, attempting to clarify the truth behind many of the fabrications and exaggerations that previous biographers had made. ~ Wikipedia