Monday poll: Favorite OU Heisman Park statue

[badger]

With the unveiling of Sammie's statue (http://newsok.com/ou-unveils-sam-bradford-statue-raises-money-for-athletics-dorm/article/3568224) recently, as well as criticism about even having statues (http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=202&articleid=20110508_202_B1_CUTLIN690733&rss_lnk=2) before players head to the Sooner Nation of the skies, I thought it'd be a fun poll to see which of our five Heisman statues is everyone's favorite. I know it's like asking which of your kids is favorite, but let's face it --- you probably do have a favorite kid even if you try not to :P

Sam Bradford's new statue:
http://i.imgur.com/c4p5t.jpg
http://s3.amazonaws.com/newsok-photos/1418927/gallery_photo.jpg
http://s3.amazonaws.com/newsok-photos/1418926/gallery_photo.jpg

Jason White's statue unveiled in 2007:
http://www.lakeeufaulanews.com/images/100_1752.jpg
http://students.ou.edu/C/Michael.D.Canard-1/jason.jpg
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljrokdrcB21qzjewmo2_500.jpg

Billy Sims' statue, also unveiled in 2007:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2347/1525451421_6df8ff981f.jpg
http://www.lakeeufaulanews.com/images/100_1760.jpg
http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljrokdrcB21qzjewmo1_500.jpg

Steve Owens' statue, unveiled in 2006:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2730/4320863104_ff9744aec5.jpg
^^^don't you love the iced over look? :D
http://students.ou.edu/C/Michael.D.Canard-1/steve.jpg
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljrokdrcB21qzjewmo3_500.jpg

Billy Vessels' statue, unveiled in 2005 (then later modified to match the size of Owens' statue in 2006 I think):
http://students.ou.edu/C/Michael.D.Canard-1/billyV.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4320131115_4c0c0823e8.jpg
^^^yes, more ice action. Sorry, I couldn't find a lot of closeups of the statues online
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljrokdrcB21qzjewmo4_500.jpg

I will add background if I can find more details, but a Cliff's Notes version: The statues were commissioned by the Oklahoma Centennial Project (hence them all being up by 2007, with Sammie's coming later because he won the Heisman later) and were all produced by Oklahoma artists.

Three days of voting. Plead your case for your favorite below. You can only vote for one (yes, I know, forcing you to pick your favorite kid, but if it helps you sleep at night, you are picking your favorite statue, not your favorite player) and you cannot change your vote once you have cast it. Also, votes are anonymous.

Please post links to additional info and pics if you have them! Thanks!

[SoonerPride]

I voted for Billy Sims.

His or Billy Vessels are best. They have the most dynamic poses.

Steve Owens, Jason White and Sam's statues poses are less visually appealing.

[badger]

I went back and forth on Billy Sims and Jason White and had to go with Jason's for it's awesome silhouette. When you see it up close, I love the coloration compared to the others - it just looks more distinguished. more rustic, more weathered, but still strong... kind of like two-ACL-surgery-Jason White :)

I love Billy's also because it really sticks out from the others. I love the elbow driving pose of Steve's also, especially with the icicles dripping off his face in the winter photo :D

The other two... hmmm. The Billy Vessels one looks like they made it before they knew what they wanted to do with the other 3 (now 4) and it really doesn't match the others (as noted earlier, they already re-did it once to try to get it to match). As for the Sammie one, I'll hold final judgment till I see it in person, but from the photos, it just... doesn't look like him! And the uniform looks off for some reason too :(

[OU Engineer]

I love Billy Sims because 1) I know it was hard as hell to make that heavy metal stand like that 2) its an awesome pose and 3) hes got such a sweet afro.

[Fraggle145]

I went back and forth on Billy Sims and Jason White and had to go with Jason's for it's awesome silhouette. When you see it up close, I love the coloration compared to the others - it just looks more distinguished. more rustic, more weathered, but still strong... kind of like two-ACL-surgery-Jason White :)

I love Billy's also because it really sticks out from the others. I love the elbow driving pose of Steve's also, especially with the icicles dripping off his face in the winter photo :D

The other two... hmmm. The Billy Vessels one looks like they made it before they knew what they wanted to do with the other 3 (now 4) and it really doesn't match the others (as noted earlier, they already re-did it once to try to get it to match). As for the Sammie one, I'll hold final judgment till I see it in person, but from the photos, it just... doesn't look like him! And the uniform looks off for some reason too :(

Kinda what I was thinking...

[badger]

Kinda what I was thinking...

I am not trying to knock an artist's work or anything. I haven't seen it in person. You know what it probably is? The hair.

http://www.bittenandbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/sam-bradford-2008-heisman-trophy-winner-oklahoma-qb.jpg

If they gave him Sophomore Sammie hair, we all would have smiled affectionately at the statue and said "bawwww, that's our sammie!"

At least we're not Austin:
http://crimsonaudio.net/media/funny/Colt-scared.jpg

[deweydw]

This is my first time seeing Sammy's statue. And I must say I'm not inpressed.

It was a toss up between the two Billy's. I went with Vessels. Looks like he's charging through the line.

[bixby28]

I'll take White's statue. I like them all, even Bradford's.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

Have we been conned?

It definitely does not look like Sam. But it looks like someone familiar... I just couldn't put a finger on it until I started browsing around some old Sooners photos.

Go back and dig up old photos of Darrell Royal. Like this one.

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/1010/ncf_a_royal1_300.jpg

Juxtapose it against the second image of Sam's statue badg has posted. No it does not look exactly the same. My only point is this statue looks a lot more like Royal than it does Sam.

I would call this a very unfortunate coincidence.

[badger]

I don't think they DKR'd the statue :mack:

The more I think about his wild Heisman ceremony hair, the more I think they tried to make him look like his junior season (booooo!) or his NFL rookie season, as opposed to his Heisman winning season face. Back then, he looked young and crazy --- ready to fly like a helicopter into the endzone if that's what it took to win.

The statue makes him look like the mature rehab-the-shoulder/dominate-the-pro-day/get-the-loser-rams-winning version of Sam. All-business, as opposed to all-out.

[Seamus]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2730/4320863104_ff9744aec5.jpg

Whoa! I just saw Thor last night, and this looks eerily like the Frost Giants rolled through.

[SoonerofAlabama]

Voted for Jason White.

[bmjlr]

Jason White

[soonermix]

Jason White...
in the first picture he looks like he is about to attack a bear

second place is Billy Sims with the almost smooth criminal lean
third is the Bundy posed Sam
fourth is the thumbs up as i go score Steve Owens
and last is the oops i dropped a penny Billy Vessels

[CrimsonRez]

that iced over steve owens statue looks tight man

[Dwight]

Sam's is definitely the worst. It looks like he's not even wearing pads..

[SoonerofAlabama]

Do they say who does the statues because we need to know who did Sam's.

[SoonerofAlabama]

Owens' statue looks like he is giving a thumbs up. I like it.

[Sooner_Tuf]

I like them but I think the Sims statue captures the player himself better than others. Owens one is also very good.

[FirstAndGoalOU]

I think they are all great, But decided ON:
http://students.ou.edu/C/Michael.D.Canard-1/billyV.jpg

Link..http://blip.tv/file/5046786

4yG6MqqdJV0
BKw5mOau93Y

[Harry Beanbag]

We need a do over on Sam's, it absolutely sucks. It looks like Phillip Rivers.

[SoonerofAlabama]

I second the motion.

[Sooner95]

I like them all except for Bradford's. Honestly when i saw the picture i didn't know who it was. lol

All the others are great. Went with Vessel's.

[olevetonahill]

I aint voting, Thats like asking me which one of my Boys i like the best.

[Ruf/Nek7]

Billy Sim's fro got my vote

[A Sooner in Texas]

BOOMER!












Yeah, guess who I voted for.


:D

[SunnySooner]

This is too stressful, I can't pick just one.

And I said the same thing about Sam's hair--shoulda been long and curly, dang it, if it ain't broke...

[texaspokieokie]

you should have had "i don't care", as an option.
(looks like post -padding, trying to catch-up with ST):D

[badger]

No, I'm not gonna let you say "we're all winners," "we love them all" or any of the above because you guys have constantly tortured me with your one-sided answers in most of these polls by zeroing in on the most Soonerish answer each and every time without fail. Who has the toughest non-conference schedule? OU! Who has the worst non-conference opponent? OU! What was the best part of the 2010-11 football season? OU! (beating Nebraska).

Soo tooooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaad, I'm making you vote AGAINST some Sooner options once in awhile :P

And I know you all have a favorite even if you are trying not to admit it. Remember that the poll's anonymous. None of your other "kids" will ever know that you chose their brother as your favorite.

AND YOU'RE VOTING FOR A STATUE, not the actual player!

PS: And I love that you're all voting for Billy. It would probably bring a huge smile to his face if he knew. :)

[jk the sooner fan]

is Billy wearing Spotbilts in his statue?

[Pricetag]

As for the Sammie one, I'll hold final judgment till I see it in person, but from the photos, it just... doesn't look like him! And the uniform looks off for some reason too :(
The nose and cheek bones define Sammy's look. They just aren't there in the statue--the face is totally generic.

Also, did they really have to put all the swooshes on there?

[ouduckhunter]

Had to go with the fro, but the Billy Vessels statue is awesome too!

[Sooner_Tuf]

I like them all except for Bradford's. Honestly when i saw the picture i didn't know who it was. lol

All the others are great. Went with Vessel's.

I don't know Sam all that well but I know his dad, his uncle and I knew his grandad. The statue looks like a Bradford to me. With the short hair it looks a lot like his dad at that age. Sam looks a lot like his dad to me.

I like the statue, it doesn't seem to capture Sam's persona as well as a couple of the others. I don't think Jason White's does either.

They are all nice to me.

[texaspokieokie]

No, I'm not gonna let you say "we're all winners," "we love them all" or any of the above because you guys have constantly tortured me with your one-sided answers in most of these polls by zeroing in on the most Soonerish answer each and every time without fail. Who has the toughest non-conference schedule? OU! Who has the worst non-conference opponent? OU! What was the best part of the 2010-11 football season? OU! (beating Nebraska).

Soo tooooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaad, I'm making you vote AGAINST some Sooner options once in awhile :P

And I know you all have a favorite even if you are trying not to admit it. Remember that the poll's anonymous. None of your other "kids" will ever know that you chose their brother as your favorite.

AND YOU'RE VOTING FOR A STATUE, not the actual player!

PS: And I love that you're all voting for Billy. It would probably bring a huge smile to his face if he knew. :)

don't forget the poll that snyder won so handily.
:D

[badger]

don't forget the poll that snyder won so handily.
:D

Reason he won: Because of OU ties, being Stoops' early coaching mentor and beating us in the 2003 Big 12 title game.

[Therealsouthsider]

Sam's statue would look better if it didn't have Glenn Campbell's head on it

SS

[LASooner]

Bradford's statue is flat out terrible.

[soonerboomer93]

all hail our video overload, the real LASooner


Bradford's statue is flat out terrible.

Well at least it's not UT's legend park bad

[LASooner]

Too true.. the Hamburgalar statue at McDonalds are better than those Texas ones.

[texaspokieokie]

i prefer the old "Bob's Big Boy" statues. in fact, i saw one @ the Pate Swap Meet; (@tejas motor speedway) late last month.

i heard someone bought it to use in austin.

[badger]

I am gonna hold out hope that we didn't see the final version of the statue and that when it joins the other four it will look completely different than the photos. Perhaps the photos just made it look bad and it looks different outdoors, next to Memorial Stadium? :D

One more day of voting. Once again, votes are anonymous :P

[OUmillenium]

I voted for Sam cuz he is my favorite player of the bunch, but when I actually looked at the statue, I think his may be the worst.

I think Jason White's looks great.

Sims and Vessels are very dynamic as previously mentioned.

Revote...
1. JW
2. BV
3. BS

[SoonerBread]

Why is Vessels' statue the only one with a helmet?

[StoopTroup]

I love them all.

[MI Sooner]

Isn't JW holding the ball too close to the middle? Shouldn't his hand be further back?

[badger]

Why is Vessels' statue the only one with a helmet?

probably because they never took any pics of him with his helmet off ;)

[texaspokieokie]

Reason he won: Because of OU ties, being Stoops' early coaching mentor and beating us in the 2003 Big 12 title game.

How do you know the reasons for snyder votes ??

if i voted for him , it was because i feel he's a super coach !!!

did you have an "exit poll" ????

[badger]

Because I've conducted two polls every week for the entire offseason and I see how you people vote :P

[texaspokieokie]

Because I've conducted two polls every week for the entire offseason and I see how you people vote :P

i still ain't buyin it !!:P

[cccasooner2]

Two thumbs down on the statue of Sam (looked like Colt was the model wearing early century uniform). JW or Sims is a toss up for me.

[SouthFortySooner]

Two thumbs down on the statue of Sam (looked like Colt was the model wearing early century uniform). JW or Sims is a toss up for me.

This is exactly what I was thinking