PHOTOS: First look at the new Barry Sanders statue at Ford Field

On Saturday afternoon, the Detroit Lions unveiled a statue immortalizing the greatest player in franchise history, Barry Sanders. The statue, created by artists Omri Amrany and Lou Cella, stands 8-feet tall and is fortified in bronze.

Several Lions were in attendance for the event, including Lomas Brown, Kevin Glover, Calvin Johnson, Chris Spielman, general manager Brad Holmes, owner Sheila Hamp, and former Lions coach Wayne Fontes.

The statue will live in Ford Field, including during this Sunday’s highly-anticipated home opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

“If I could, I would go out to each and every Lions fan, give you a hug, tell you how much I appreciate you,” Sanders said during his speech. “It’s been such a wonderful journey for me just being lifted up and cheered on by all the Lions fans out there and Barry Sanders fans. I really appreciate it. It’s hard to express how much you really mean to me. So thank you, thank you, thank you so much all of you Lions fans for packing the Silverdome, packing Ford Field. We had some great times together.

Here’s a first look at the Sanders statue, as provided by the team’s live stream of the event.

via Lions live stream

via Lions live stream