Jacksonville University is making sure the legacy of its most towering figure—literally and figuratively—stands tall for generations to come. The school has announced plans to erect a statue of basketball legend Artis Gilmore, the 7-foot-2 center who put JU on the national map during his storied college career.
Gilmore, nicknamed the "A-Train" for his unstoppable presence on the court, led the JU Dolphins to the NCAA Division I championship game in 1970. Though they ultimately fell to the powerhouse UCLA Bruins, the run stunned the basketball world and remains one of the defining moments in the program's history. Now, more than 50 years later, the school is honoring that impact with a permanent tribute.
The statue is slated for installation in May 2027, funded by the "JU A-Train Campaign." Prominent donors Lee and Becky Nimnicht have provided the lead gift, and the school is rallying the community to support the project. This will be only the second permanent statue on campus dedicated to a JU figure, following the 2021 commemoration of late President Frances Bartlett Kinne.
"Artis 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," said JU President Tim Cost in the announcement. "He is the greatest JU student-athlete ever."
After his college glory, Gilmore enjoyed an 18-year professional career that spanned the American Basketball Association, the NBA, and Europe. He played for teams like the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and Boston Celtics, earning a reputation as one of the most dominant big men of his era. Now 77, Gilmore expressed deep gratitude for the honor.
"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. This is where my heart is. To know that a piece of that will live on permanently on this campus is something I never could have imagined, and I am truly humbled by it."
For fans of basketball history and JU athletics, this statue will be a fitting tribute to a player who helped define the program and continues to inspire. Whether you're a lifelong Dolphins supporter or a collector of sports memorabilia, the "A-Train" story is one worth remembering—and celebrating.