The corner of Second and Wilbur is as close as possible to the place where Dave Winfield landed an amazing hit in 1972. He was a 19-year old college student playing for the Fairbanks Goldpanners. He wasn’t a hitter, but a pitcher. He credits Goldpanner staff for recognizing he could do more, and assign ing Winfield to pinch hit for another batter one day.
“There was a gentleman who was a general manager, Don Dennis. Jim Dietz was the coach. Together those guys gave me an opportunity that really changed the course of my career.”
Winfield says he remembers that day in 1972 when he got to bat, and hit the ball over the fence, across the street and onto the roof of the Curling Club building.
It was that hit that made Dennis and Dietz turn Winfield into a hitter. After two seasons with the Goldpanners, Winfield graduated college and jumped straight to the major leagues. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.
Over his 22-year career, Dave Winfield played for six teams: the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians. But none of those cities have honored him the way other Hall-of-Famers are recognized.
The effort to get a statue for Winfield took a few years. Lance Parish, of the Tanana Valley Youth Sports Foundation, thanked a long list of donors at the dedication ceremony Thursday.
“The initial continuing and unwavering backing and support of the Board of Directors of Tanana Valley Youth Sports Foundation was the organizational mechanism that made this effort possible. The board instantly recognized that not only did Mr. Winfield deserve a statue, but Fairbanks was the right place to put it.”
Parish says they are calling the piece, the ‘Midnight Sun Moonshot.’ The statue depicts the teenage Winfield peering out to where he just hit, still holding the bat as it swings away. It’s 8 feet of bronze, and crews installed it on a concrete block overlooking a corner of flowers, near where his long hit landed on the Curling Club. S culptor Gary Price designed and forged the piece. He’s also the artist behind the dancing child r en in front of Denali School and the Walter Harper statue in front of the Doyon Building downtown. Price was a top pick for Dave Hale, who did a lot of the fundraising.
“Pretty amazing statue for sure. Gentleman that made that, has made a lot of 'em across the world actually. And so, it's pretty neat that he came and did this one for Dave. And it's the only statue Dave Winfield has, which is hard to believe. Hall-of-Famer that he is and all the accolades that he has. And it's nice that it's in Fairbanks.”
Yes, so far, this is the only statue of Dave Winfield. He says it will keep him and his family returning to the Golden Heart City.
