Rigby native honoring NFL Hall-of-Famer with monument shares memories of him

RIGBY – A monument honoring a local football legend will be unveiled during a ceremony at Rigby High School later this month.

Rigby native Larry Wilson, an NFL Hall-of-Famer who popularized the safety blitz, played 13 seasons with the former St. Louis Cardinals from 1960-1973. He passed away in September of 2020 at age 82 and on Aug. 27, a bronze sculpture of his likeness will be placed outside the Trojan’s football field.

“It’s a bronze relief of Larry from a photo taken at his last game before he retired playing with the Cardinals. It’s a great photo of him and the sculptor has captured that beautifully,” Michelle Barber, Chair of the Honoring Larry Wilson Committee, tells EastIdahoNews.com.

The monument will include two plaques with his career awards and highlights, along with his name and nickname, “Wildcat.” It will also include his birthdate, Rigby High School graduation date, University of Utah graduation date, death date and the following quote from him,

“It doesn’t matter where you come from. If you enjoy something and work hard at it, you can achieve your goal.”

A jersey made to look like Wilson’s will be permanently retired in conjunction with the dedication of the monument. Barber says the committee is also collecting donations to fund a leadership scholarship in Wilson’s name.

“It will be based on some of the same attributes Larry displayed,” Barber says. “We’re really excited about (this monument) and what I hope people take away from it is to come to know (Wilson) and the type of man he was.”