AUBURN, Ala. — The latest honor in his decorated career in baseball came from where he first became a national name in the sport.

In the process, he joined the elite among the athletes to ever play for Auburn University.

White Sox legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas had a statue unveiled at the school in honor of his achievements on the diamond there. A steady rain fell during the ceremony, but that didn’t dampen the mood of the occasion as “The Big Hurt” was joined by his wife, Megan, an his six children.

“I want to thank the Auburn family for doing this for me,” said Thomas in a ceremony this weekend. “I’m so humble, I’m thankful. God is good, and I’m so proud of this moment.”

The statue is outside Plainsman Park, where Thomas made a name for himself as a player for the Tigers from 1987-1989. At the school on a football scholarship, the first baseman was a three-time All-SEC selection with Auburn and was a consensus All-American with the Tigers in 1989.

In the 1989 MLB Draft, the White Sox selected Thomas with the seventh-overall pick, and over the next decade and a half became one of the best players in franchise history. The first baseman was a five-time All-Star in Chicago, the 1993 & 1994 American League MVP, and a 2005 World Series champion.

In 2014, Thomas was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot.

Larry Hawley featured Thomas’ big moment at Auburn in this week’s “Random Hawlight” on WGN News Now in the video above.