JU plans statue for its 'A-Train,' hoops legend Artis Gilmore
The statue will honor "the greatest JU student-athlete ever" and "a treasured ambassador," Jacksonville University President Tim Cost said.
After more than a half-century of Artis Gilmore casting a long shadow over Jacksonville University, the school is making that permanent. The private college in Arlington is commissioning a statue of the 7-foot-2 pro basketball legend who led the JU Dolphins to the NCAA Division 1 championship game in 1970. Installation of the statue is planned for May 2027, with the school running the “ JU A-Train Campaign ” raising funds for the project under Gilmore’s on-court nickname.
Prominent supporters Lee and Becky Nimnicht have provided the lead gift. The artwork will be only the second permanent statue honoring a JU dignitary on the campus, where late President Frances Bartlett Kinne was commemorated in 2021. Gilmore had an 18-year career in pro basketball, playing in first the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association for teams including the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics as well as in Europe.
In an announcement of the statue, JU President Tim Cost said the school was proud to honor “the greatest JU student-athlete ever. ” Cost said Gilmore “elevated this university onto the national stage as a student-athlete and has remained a treasured ambassador for our institution for more than five decades. ” JU lost to the UCLA Bruins in the 1970 championship but stunned the basketball world by competing at the game's top level.
Gilmore, now 77, expressed gratitude to JU in the statue announcement. “Jacksonville University has given me so much — a place to grow, a team to believe in, and a community that never stopped believing in me,” Gilmore said. “Those years as a Dolphin shaped everything that came after.