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Less than a week after Richard “Dick” Allen was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, his family members, elected officials, Mural Arts, the Philadelphia Phillies organization and fans gathered in South Philadelphia to dedicate a mural to the baseball legend.
“Oftentimes they told me that Dick was bigger than life,” said Willa Allen, Dick Allen’s widow, as she looked behind her at Allen’s portraits in the mural created by artist Ernel Martinez. “He’s bigger than life.”
On Saturday, August 2, 2025, Mural Arts Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Phillies, elected officials, and family members of Richard “Dick” Allen dedicated a mural to the legendary Phillies sluggers. (Emily Neil/WHYY)
Former Mayor Jim Kenney said retired Phillies player Garry Maddox first suggested that the city dedicate a mural to Allen, a seven-time All-Star who won National League Rookie of the Year in 1964 and played with the team for nine seasons.
For Kenney, who as mayor worked with Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Phillies to create the artwork, the dedication Saturday was personally meaningful.
“First time I met Dick Allen, I was star struck,” he said. “He was one of my favorite players, talented, electrifying and a genuine superstar. In my eyes, what struck me the most was that he was humble, kind, soft spoken. He treated everyone with respect and carried himself with quiet dignity. It was clear he wasn’t just a great ball player, he was a true gentleman.”
Former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney speaks at the dedication ceremony for a mural of Phillies legend Dick Allen, created by Ernel Martinez, on Saturday, August 2, 2025. (Emily Neil/WHYY)
Kenney recounted his childhood memories of the racism Phillies fans directed at Allen, the team’s first Black superstar. He shared his recollection of watching the game with his grandfather and noticing how the crowd booed when Allen came up to bat.
“I turned to my grandfather confused, and said, ‘Pop, aren’t we home today? Isn’t Dick Allen, one of our own?’” Kenney recalled. “He looked at me and said, ‘It’s complicated.’ But it wasn’t complicated. It was blatant racism.”
Allen had to wear a helmet in the outfield to protect himself from objects hurled at him by his own fans.
“That’s the kind of abuse endured right here at home through his own fans,” he said. “That’s a stain on our city’s past, and while we can’t erase it, we can confront it. We can do what’s right by honoring the people who we once failed, and that is what this mural is about. Dick Allen should have never left Philadelphia. He was a Rookie of the Year. He was a force. He should have stayed a Philly for life, but circumstances and prejudice drove him elsewhere.”