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Councilmember Trayon White, Sr. C ouncilmember Janeese Lewis George
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Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. Councilmember Kenyan R. McDu ffie
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Councilmember Brooke Pinto Councilmember Anita Bonds
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Councilmember Vincent C. Gray
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 5
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To honor and celebrate the contributions of Coach Robert Nickens to Ward 4 and the greater 9
District community throughout his career serving young people through sports and for his 10
400
th
win on the basketball court. 11
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WHEREAS, Robert Nickens, a.k.a. Coach Nickens, is a native Washingtonian who 13
has a passion for basketball and the young people of the District; 14
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WHEREAS, Coach Nickens made his head coaching debut 28 years ago at Margaret 16
Murray Washington Career High School; 17
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WHEREAS, Coach Nickens won his first city championship in 2008 during his third 19
season at Theodore Roosevelt High School when the Rough Riders defeated both Dunbar 20
High School and Ballou High School; 21
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WHEREAS, under Coach Nickens’ leadership, Roosevelt High School has become a 23
public school powerhouse, winning many city titles and the D.C. State Athletic Association 24
Championship in 2014; 25
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WHEREAS, Coach Nickens was named All-Met Coach of the Year in 2020; 27
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WHEREAS, Coach Nickens has coached and mentored hundreds of the District’s 29
young people, more than 100 of whom have gone on to play college sports and many others 30
have followed his footsteps by pursuing careers in coaching; 31
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WHEREAS, Coach Nickens’ commitment to the young people of the District does 33
not stop when he leaves the basketball court. He spends his “off time” working as a Roving 34
Leader with the District Department of Parks and Recreation, engaging our youth and 35
encouraging them to find a path for their lives; 36
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WHEREAS, on December 19, 2022, Coach Nickens achieved the 400
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victory of his 38
illustrious career when Roosevelt outscored Dunbar in a 74-66 victory; 39
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WHEREAS, Coach Nickens vows to keep building up young men and winning 41
games; and 42
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WHEREAS, Coach Nickens is quoted as saying, “At the end of the day, I know the 44
kids in this city need me. What we do here is bigger than ball. It’s bigger than wins and 45
losses, too. Growing up in DC isn’t like a lot of these suburbs, because there aren’t a lot of 46
avenues for our kids to make it out. But basketball is one of them. So long as I’m able, I’m 47
going to keep building up young men and winning games.” 48
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RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 50
resolution may be cited as the “Coach Robert Nickens Recognition Resolution of 2023”. 51
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Sec. 2. The Council honors and celebrates the career and public contributions of Coach 53
Robert Nickens for his decades of service to the young people of the District of Columbia and 54
the Ward 4 community. 55
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Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in 57
the District of Columbia Register. 58