BATON ROUGE - LSU held a private event Friday to unveil a statue honoring one of the university's greatest football players.

Last month, the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame made the unanimous decision to build the statue in honor of Billy Cannon, the sole Heisman Trophy winner in the school's history.

The 1958 team is back on campus to celebrate their national championship and Billy Cannon’s statue. pic.twitter.com/ZFhGuP0B8D

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 29, 2018

"It's fitting that Dr. Cannon will be first and, so far, the only football player at LSU immortalized in this way," said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva. "He and the 1958 team helped put LSU football on the map as a national powerhouse."

A public event to debut the statue was also planned for Friday but was canceled at the last minute out of respect for the death of basketball player Wayde Sims.

Cannon died in May of this year at the age of 80.

Billy Cannon passed away peacefully in his home early Sunday morning. He was 80 years old. The entire #LSU family mourns with the Cannons and his loved ones. He will never be forgotten. #20 pic.twitter.com/pCcCbPTmEG

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) May 20, 2018