The “One Riot, One Ranger” statue stood at Dallas Love Field until its removal in 2020. The team did not reply to WFAA’s questions about its controversial past.

ARLINGTON, Texas — The “One Riot, One Ranger” statue that once stood at Dallas Love Field Airport is now a permanent fixture at Globe Life Field, the Texas Rangers announced during an unveiling ceremony for the statue at the stadium on March 2. 

The statue, which was initially placed on display at Dallas Love Field Airport in 1963, was removed from the airport by the City of Dallas in 2020 amid controversy over the subject it depicts. The 12-foot-tall bronze figure, which depicts a member of the Texas Rangers law enforcement agency who is believed to be a man named Jay Banks, now stands in the left field concourse of Texas Rangers baseball team’s home stadium.

Doug J. Swanson, a former Pulitzer Prize finalist and longtime reporter for The Dallas Morning News, published a book in 2020 titled “Cult of Glory” in which he identified Banks as the Texas Rangers law enforcement captain in charge of a contingent dispatched to keep Black students from enrolling at a high school in Mansfield and at a community college in Texarkana, according to the Associated Press. 

According to that same 2020 Associated Press report, Swanson said Banks became the face of the agency’s effort to keep Black students from enrolling in segregated schools. 

The AP report adds that, according to Swanson, the statue’s title — “One Riot, One Ranger” — originally came from a report by the law enforcement agency of a scene at the Grayson County Courthouse, where a Black man accused of assaulting a white woman was burned alive after being chased by a mob in 1930. 

In a press release announcing the statue’s unveiling at Globe Life Field, the pro baseball team noted the “lengthy history” the statue has in Dallas-Fort Worth. The release does not mention anything about the history Swanson covered in his 2020 book. Instead, the release says the statue’s title commemorates the legend surrounding the law enforcement agency’s involvement in the stoppage of an unsanctioned prize fight in Dallas in 1896.

“The Texas Rangers have long occupied a revered place in Texas history dating to the creation of the organization over 200 years ago, before the days of the Republic of Texas,” the statement by the pro baseball team read in part. “The statue that stood for decades in Dallas will greet guests at Globe Life Field as a familiar symbol of our team’s origin, enduring spirit and connection to the community.”

WFAA has reached out the pro baseball team for comment on the controversy that led to the statue’s removal from Dallas Love Field by the City of Dallas in 2020. We have not yet heard back, but will update this story should they reply.

Sentiments shared during the baseball team’s Monday unveiling event, however, point to a wider history that the team said surrounds the statue.

“This statue represents all Texas Rangers, not any single individual,” said Russell S. Molina, Chairman of Texas Ranger Bicentennial 2023 and board member of Texas Ranger Association Foundation. “The modern Texas Ranger reflects the diversity, integrity and professionalism expected of one of the nation’s oldest and most respected law enforcement organizations.”

Added Ray Davis, Managing Partner and Majority Owner of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club: “We have worn the Rangers name since 1972 with pride.”

With its installation, the statue now becomes the seventh located at either Globe Life Field or Choctaw Stadium, where the team played previously. The other six statues honor pitcher Nolan Ryan, catcher Ivan Rodriguez, third baseman Adrian Beltre, former Arlington mayor Tom Vandergriff, the Rangers’ first trip to the World Series in 2010 and Rangers fans.

New addition to the concourse ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/j2OT4CrQzW

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 2, 2026