- Utah artist Blair Buswell has sculpted a third of the NFL Hall busts.
- Buswell, a former BYU player, started his career with sculptures of NFL icons.
- He continues creating lifelike busts, currently working on the 2026 Hall class.
SALT LAKE CITY – A Utah artist and former BYU football player is marking a major milestone in a dream career — sculpting the bronze busts of NFL legends for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For Blair "Buz" Buswell, who has created about a third of the nearly 400 bronze busts currently displayed in Canton, Ohio, it's still surreal.
The 69‑year‑old Pleasant Grove artist has been the go‑to sculptor for the Hall of Fame for more than 40 years.
Walking through his Utah County studio reveals why. Known for his precise detail and lifelike expressions, Buswell has created large‑scale sculptures of athletes, pioneers, Native Americans, Western figures and leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints.
"There's something about having clay in your hand, and you can make something out of it," he said, reflecting on how his craft began with childhood clay toys.
A talented athlete himself, Buswell was a high school all-state in football and track who went on to play football for BYU.
"I played with Mark Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Robby Bosco," he told KSL.
Sculptures he created of Danny Ainge and Jim McMahon caught the attention of NFL icons Bill Walsh and Eddie DeBartolo, launching his Hall of Fame journey.
"(DeBartolo) saw what I did and said, 'What do you want to do with this?' and I said, 'My dream is to work for the NFL, especially the Pro Football Hall of Fame'."
Buswell says he still marvels at the life he stumbled into. "I've been pinching myself for over 40 years," he said. "I get to sit down and get to know the greatest to ever play the game."
Creating a Hall of Fame bust is an intensive process. Buswell meets with each inductee, takes photos and measurements, sculpts an initial form, then brings the athlete into his studio for a full day of refining details — expressions, hair, age and overall personality.
"Have a seat," he tells each one. "Then I start asking, 'What expression do you want to be? You want to bite someone's head off? Do you want to be happy or somewhere in between? And what kind of hairdo do you want? What age do you want?"
More than 130 busts later, Buswell still remembers visiting the Hall of Fame as a teenager and imagining how incredible it would be to be the person behind those sculptures. "Not a clue that that would be me," he said.
Right now, Buswell is at the Super Bowl in California gathering measurements for the Hall of Fame's 2026 class, which includes five new members. He'll complete each bust before the enshrinement ceremony in August.
