Search Continues for Leads on the Vandalized “Keep Runnin” Statue

Photo credit Parks and Recreation Great Falls, Mont. - The Great Falls Park & Recreation and Police Departments are still searching for leads on the vandalized statue “Keep Runnin”. Coach Brady was commemorated with the 7-foot bronze statue created by artist Kristian la Cour-Madsen in June of 2019. Branch Brady was born on June 2, 1947, in Shelby, Montana. He graduated from GFHS in 1965 and went on to serve as a head coach for almost three decades, from 1974 to 2002, and returned as assistant coach in 2013. Throughout his career, Branch coached 11 state champion teams and inspired his athletes to attain their full potential. On Saturday, November 4th the Park and Recreation staff and Great Falls Police Department were notified of vandalism that occurred to the Coach Branch Brady statue in West Bank Park. The vandalism occurred sometime in the late hours of Friday, November 3rd, or early morning of November 4th. The destruction of this statue is part of the ongoing vandalism that our city parks have encountered recently. The coach had been twisted around on the base until the bronze shattered at one of the points on the lower leg. The statue has been removed and taken to a master welder who is helping to get it put back together and plans to strengthen the statue so that this can't happen again. The area where the statue was vandalized near the federal courthouse on the River’s Edge Trail at West Bank Park has been blocked off. The Great Falls Park and Recreation and Police Department are urging anybody with information to report it by calling Park & Recreation at (406) 771-1265, or the Great Falls Police at (406) 727-7688.