Atlanta Braves honor usher Walter Banks with custom bobblehead

Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Braves honored longtime usher and franchise icon Walter Banks with a custom bobblehead of their employee Wednesday.

Banks has served as an usher with the franchise for 54 years, and the Braves showed their continued support to the longtime employee with a bobblehead giveaway.

The Braves will hand out bobbleheads of Banks to fans July 5 in honor of his service to the franchise. Atlanta announced the event in January, but the Braves posted a video of Banks' stunned reaction after team president and CEO Derek Schiller presented the bobblehead to him.

"We made ourselves a Walter Banks bobblehead," Schiller told Banks in the video. "We're gonna give that to you. We're gonna give out those bobbleheads to all those fans coming for July 5th, and we think that's a great way to celebrate you and what you mean to the Atlanta Braves organization."

Banks embraced Schiller and expressed his appreciation to the Braves.

"I can't thank you enough and I'm very appreciative. This is top of the line," Banks said to Schiller.

The Braves celebrated Banks in past seasons, including last year when the team introduced a clothing line with his face on the gear. In 2016, the franchise created the Walter Banks Award, which is "given annually to the gameday staff member who exemplifies extraordinary customer service in the mold of longtime Braves employee Walter Banks."

Atlanta plays the Miami Marlins on July 5 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta.