Our Top Five: Best Statues in Lubbock

The Willie McCool Statue is located in southwest Lubbock's Henry Huneke Park next to the Lubbock Veterans Memorial. The statue was sculpted by Lubbock's Eddie Dixon and dedicated May 7, 2005. McCool was one of the astronauts who perished in the Columbia tragedy on February 1, 2003.

One of the most iconic sites on the Texas Tech University campus: Will Rogers and his trusty horse, Soapsuds. Texas Tech lore states the rear end of Soapsuds is pointed toward the city of College Station, home to Texas Tech rival, Texas A&M University. The Saddle Tramps decorate the statue with colored crepe paper for special events, the main color being red for Red Raider Football games.

The Buddy Holly Statue is one of the ways the City of Lubbock honors its most favorite son. The statue was originally located by the Civic Center on 8th Street and was recently moved to the new Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Park at 19th Street and Crickets Avenue. The statue is now the centerpiece of the West Texas Walk of Fame, which includes some of our fellow co-workers here at Townsquare Media: Jane Prince-Jones and Jerry Brownlow.

This unique statue honors the founders of the McDougal Companies, the company behind Lubbock's Overton Redevelopment Project. The Overton Redevelopment Project is the largest all-private neighborhood redevelopment in the United States. The Overton neighborhood, across the street from Texas Tech University, is now filled with new student housing complexes, stores, restaurants and the Overton Hotel. This statue is located on Glenna Goodacre Boulevard, one block east of University Avenue.

The Masked Rider Statue can be found on the Texas Tech University campus between the Frazier Alumni Pavilion and the Marsha Sharp Center for Student Athletes. I really like the statue because of the 'action' involved in the art. The Masked Rider's cape is flapping in the wind and the legs of the horse are positioned so you know it's riding at full gallop. The Masked Rider statue honors all of the previous Masked Riders and their horses.