Dave “The Rave” Stallworth was a Wichita State legend.

Not only was Stallworth, who died in March, a successful basketball player, but he played a key role in civil rights on campus.

“He went through a lot of hardships while he was here, and so did a lot of black athletes,” Statue Committee Chairman Bob Litan said. “He helped pave the way for civil rights at this university.”

Thursday afternoon, President Bardo held a ceremony to unveil plans to build a life-size bronze replica of Stallworth on campus.

“‘He’s one of us,” Bardo said in his opening speech. “He’s going to be here forever.”

The statue will be done by professional sculptor Ann Larose. It will feature a smiling Stallworth in a classic, jump-shot pose.

Stallworth’s former teammates, Bob Powers, Mohamed Sharif, Jerry Aaron, Gary Austerman, Herb Krumsick, and Bob Litan organized a committee to privately raise funds for the statue.

The statue will be put right outside the main entrance of Charles Koch Arena.

Stallworth’s number, 42, is one of only five that Wichita State has retired.

In his time at Wichita State, Stallworth was a three-time First Team All-American and a three-time First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference. He led WSU to its first NCAA Tournament in 1964.

Stallworth went to the New York Knicks as the third overall pick of the 1965 NBA Draft.

He played in the NBA for eight seasons and was a member of the New York Knicks’s 1969–70 championship team.

Stallworth’s wife, Gloria, said he loved Wichita.

“He just loved this place,” Gloria Stallworth said. “That’s why he moved back here. He went to California where his family was, but he said this felt more like home because of the people here.”