Weber High alum, renowned sculptor Buswell selected to Utah Sports Hall of Fame
Former BYU player becomes first artist in Utah Sports HOF
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- Sculptor Blair Buswell, left, uses calipers to measure the head of former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas, the first step to create a bronze bust for Thomas’ induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, on Feb. 8, 2007, in Kapolei, Hawaii.
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- UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland, left, and sculptor Blair Buswell look at a statue of legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden after its unveiling on Oct. 26, 2012, in Los Angeles.
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- Blair Buswell
Reed Saxon, Associated Press
Sculptor Blair Buswell, left, uses calipers to measure the head of former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas, the first step to create a bronze bust for Thomas' induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, on Feb. 8, 2007, in Kapolei, Hawaii.
Blair Buswell, a former Weber High School football player who has sculpted more than 130 busts for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has been selected to the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.
Olympic skier Shannon Bahrke, sportswriter Lee Benson, jockey Cody Jensen and wrestler Ben Kjar also will be inducted during a Sept. 14 dinner and ceremony at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City, with a 6:15 p.m. social to meet the inductees and a 7 p.m. dinner. For reservations, go online to Utahsportshalloffame.org.
Buswell is the first artist in the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.
A former football player and track and field athlete at Weber, Buswell created his own niche in BYU sports history. As a reserve running back best known for his blocking, Buswell once said BYU coach LaVell Edwards “liked me, because I was a free. I was on an art scholarship.”
So it has become a good story, how Buswell donated his talents and effort to helping protect Cougar quarterback Steve Young, and eventually would create the bust that signifies his former teammate’s Pro Football Hall of Fame status.
Mark J. Terrill, Associated Press
UCLA basketball coach Ben Howland, left, and sculptor Blair Buswell look at a statue of legendary UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden after its unveiling on Oct. 26, 2012, in Los Angeles.
“I’m just glad he didn’t hurt his hands,” Young once told ESPN.com, recalling Buswell’s BYU football days.
Young also reflected: “Here’s someone that you knew when you were a kid, and now they’re doing something of national acclaim and you can’t believe that you both ended up in such interesting places. He is so accomplished.”
More than 130 busts in Canton, Ohio, stand in tribute to Buswell’s talent, and how he manifested his career destiny after touring the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a teenager. Buswell’s first bronze sculpture came when he designed the Competitor Award for BYU’s Cougar Club (the recipient: football teammate Kyle Whittingham).
The road to Canton also begins in Provo. While in town to address the Cougar Club banquet, legendary San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh learned of Buswell’s ability and asked him to build a statue of team owner Eddie DeBartolo. Buswell’s Pro Football Hall of Fame opportunities soon began with a bust of Sid Gillman, and he has just kept sculpting.
Among Buswell’s many other notable works are a larger-than-life-sized statue of former Utah State star Merlin Olsen on the plaza of Maverik Stadium in Logan, plus the likenesses of John Wooden in front of UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, Gen. Robert Neyland at the University of Tennessee stadium bearing his name, and Charlton Heston at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
Photo supplied, USHOFF
Blair Buswell
“I have always been fascinated by the human figure,” said Buswell, who resides in Alpine and works in a Pleasant Grove studio. “I like the challenge of capturing the gesture, mood and expression of my subject. I have learned that all great art starts with a strong composition that leads the viewer’s eye through the abstract shapes while keeping him engaged. I try to combine all of these elements together to bring a sense of life to my work.”
