Former NFL Player Crafts Sculpture to Honor Patients, Staff

Mike Hamby, an acclaimed sculptor and retired NFL player for the Buffalo Bills, has crafted dozens of sculptures inspired by the American West, from monumental depictions of wildlife like elk and grizzlies to smaller figures featuring cowboys and Native Americans. But his favorite sculpture he’s made is a little different from his usual style. 

The piece — a blue-green heart forming out of a rocky foundation, with doves flying in and around it — stands proudly in The Home Depot Foundation Courtyard at Shepherd Center. Mike created it with the hope that it could inspire the hospital’s staff, patients, and their families, the way he was inspired when Shepherd Center co-founder, Alana Shepherd, led him on a tour of the hospital. 

Alana first met Mike at a funeral for a mutual friend, Carl Allen, a longtime supporter of Shepherd Center. Mike had crafted a bust of Carl that was on display at the service, and, impressed by his skill, Alana asked him to design a sculpture for Shepherd Center. She invited him for a tour of the hospital, which he says was hugely impactful.

“My wife and I were very emotional through the whole experience, because of the great work they do for some of these folks that are struggling,” he says. “[The patients] were so inspiring, because they were trying so hard. They had the fight within them.” 

Mike got to work on planning for the sculpture when a suggestion from Carl’s wife, fellow Shepherd Center advocate and board of trustees member, Elizabeth Allen, helped him determine the defining element of the piece. 

“Elizabeth said, ‘Mike, if there’s anything you can do with a heart, it would be awesome, because when Alana signs her name, she always draws a little heart,’” he remembers. “So, once she said that to me, it hit me immediately what I wanted to do.” 

Elizabeth’s heart idea wasn’t her only contribution to the sculpture project. She, along with her children and grandchildren, generously gifted the sculpture to Shepherd Center in honor of Carl. His legacy will live on through the sculpture, which will instill hope in countless future patients and visitors. 

On March 25, 2025, the sculpture was installed in the courtyard, with the help of a crane to lift it into place. Mike was able to join for the installation. 

“The foundry I use is in Loveland, Colorado, and they’re called Art Castings of Colorado ... they had it shipped to Shepherd Center,” he recalls. “We were there for the whole [installation] day, and it was an amazing install because of a lot of local folks that were helping. It went like clockwork... there are so many hands that touched that sculpture to give it its life.” 

He hopes the sculpture will honor staff and encourage patients during their recovery journey. 

“It’s one of my favorite pieces,” he says. “It represents the patients, the doctors, and the therapists going in and out of the hospital. Especially with families going through such a hard time, [this piece is] to give them some hope.”

Written by Erin Kenney