At Alabama's A-Day last Saturday, the Crimson Tide unveiled a nine-foot statue of their 5-foot-8 football coach, Nick Saban.

The current Tide leader joined the statues of Alabama's previous title-winning coaches, Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Gene Stallings and, of course, Bear Bryant.

The week before, Florida unveiled statues of its three Heisman Trophy winners — Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996) and Tim Tebow (2007).

Not to be accused of neglecting its Heisman honorees, Auburn says statues of Pat Sullivan, Bo Jackson and Cameron Newton are in production.

So that got me thinking.

What if Kentucky was to display statues in front of Commonwealth Stadium? Just for fun, which three UK football figures would deserve to see themselves in bronze?

What about Kentucky basketball? Surely any number of UK hoops dignitaries could be cast for posterity in front of Rupp Arena? But if the limit were three, who might they be?

Let's start with football, and with the understanding we are not going to build a statue to Bear Bryant.

Yes, Bryant is the most successful UK football coach of all time. He coached the Cats to three New Year's Day bowl games. He is responsible for the most famous victory in the program's history, that 13-7 win over Oklahoma in the 1951 Sugar Bowl.

But Bryant departed the Bluegrass over a half-century ago, and has his own shrine in Tuscaloosa. He doesn't need another one here — one that would serve as a painful reminder of the past.

So here's my three:

■ Babe Parilli: We can still recognize one of Bear's boys. And the best was Vito "Babe" Parilli, the quarterback from Pennsylvania who was the guiding light in those glory years.

Parilli was twice a first-team All-American. He finished fourth his junior year in the Heisman balloting, then third his senior year. During his three years at quarterback, UK won 28 games and played in the Orange, Sugar and Cotton bowls.

■ Art Still: The 6-foot-7 Camden, N.J., native was arguably the greatest defensive player to ever put on a Kentucky uniform.

Still lettered at defensive end from 1974 through 1977, the year he was a consensus first-team All-American. He was the anchor of the defense that led the Cats to a 10-1 overall record and 6-0 SEC mark in '77. Consider that Kentucky has not posted a winning record in the conference since that season.

■ Tim Couch: If Parilli would represent UK football in the '50s, and Still the '70s, Couch would represent the Cats in the '90s.

The former Leslie County star was a folk hero before he arrived on campus in 1996. He became the starter in 1997 and led the Cats to an Outback Bowl appearance in 1998. Along the way, he broke nearly every passing mark in school history.

He was also the first and only UK player taken with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.

Ok, so now, the tougher of the two, basketball. There are so many worthy names, but one we will immediately strike from the list. Rick Pitino might qualify, had he not chosen to accept the head coaching job at the hated rival down the road.

So here's my three:

■ Adolph Rupp: The Baron of Basketball is a no-brainer. Rupp won four national titles and at his retirement was the all-time winningest coach in the sport's history.

There is a reason the building at The Shops at Lexington Civic Center is named Rupp Arena. In so many ways, he was, and is, Kentucky basketball.

■ Dan Issel: Yes, I know, he never won a title. Despite his team being ranked No. 1 in the polls in the 1969-70 season, the Cats were upset in the Mideast Region final.

Still, Issel remains the program's all-time leading scorer with nearly 300 points separating him from second place. Not bad, considering that Issel played in an era without freshman eligibility and without the three-point shot. Issel is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

■ Jack Givens: The Goose did win a title. In fact, the Lexington native was almost solely responsible for winning that title, scoring 41 points in the NCAA championship game against Duke in 1978.

The Sports Illustrated headline read: "The Goose was Golden."

Nearly 35 years later, Givens would be among those icons I'd put in bronze, as well.