Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 2, 2010
By Matthew Reagan
Give a gifted artist his given tool and canvas, and he can make you a masterpiece.
Give those tools and canvas to accomplished artist Scott Myers, who happens to be a life-long fan and student of football, and he can give you something that will live in the sacred halls of the gridiron’s elite forever.
On Saturday, the work of Myers will be unveiled at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The Granbury resident spent the better part of two months fashioning the busts of former Washington Redskins offensive lineman Russ Grimm and former New Orleans Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson, both of whom will be enshrined into the Hall, along with five others, including Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice.
The busts are Myers’ eighth and ninth, having also made the likenesses of Cowboys greats Bob Hayes and Rayfield Wright.
For Myers, the work is rewarding not only for the chance to work in depth with the game’s greatest, but to actually see the realization on their faces as the process of being enshrined literally takes shape.
The 51-year-old Fort Worth native, who is also a veterinarian, says he is still taken aback each time he sees his work on display in Canton.
Myers will be a special guest of Grimm’s at the induction ceremony. But he won’t let his love for the Cowboys get in the way of sitting next to the likes of Joe Theismann, John Riggins and Joe Gibbs.
What was it like working with Russ Grimm?
He was by far and away the nicest guy I have worked with. He went out of his way to make (my family) feel special. Of course growing up in Dallas-Fort Worth, you were raised as a Dallas Cowboys fan from the beginning. Even though we always rooted against them, we always had a lot of respect for the Hogs and for Grimm. The linemen never get the credit they deserve. It is a very difficult position to be selected because of stats and they have really got to be a very gifted athlete.
What is your initial reaction when you see your work on display at the HOF?
To walk in that room where all those heads are and to think that my grandkids are going to get to see them, it is a very overwhelming and humbling feeling. I am kind of like the players — I kind of pinch myself. Rayfield Wright kept saying over and over, “I am in the Hall of Fame. I made that team and they can’t cut me.” It dawned on me that these pro athletes are always worried they are going to be cut from the team. And I thought, “what a relief for him.” Sort of the same feeling came over me like, “Wow, that head is in here and it is not going anywhere and will be here forever.”
What was the most intricate bust you’ve done?
The one that took the most expertise was the one who was deceased — Bob Hayes. His son and Bob’s widow worked very close with me. Not having him here was the biggest challenge.
How long does the entire process take and what are the specifications for the busts?
It takes about a month’s time from the beginning when you get the measurements through the sittings with the player and getting the player to approve his likeness. They are life-size and exactly the same size of the player’s head. Each one is about 30 to 45 pounds.
What kind of reaction do you see from the players the first time they see the finished product?
Some of them shake their head and say they can’t believe this is happening to them and say that it never hit them until they saw their sculpture. That is a really cool moment. They have said that they have always been told that they look like their father and that they can see their father in the sculpture.
What does it mean as a football fan to be a part of the legacy at the Hall of Fame?
I always tell the players it is an honor to be on this journey with them. There is a lot of work around here for my family when the heads are being done. For us, it is the signaling of the beginning of football season and there is really only one sport in my mind. When football season starts, everything around here is good again.