Introduced Version
SENATE RESOLUTION No. ___
DIGEST OF INTRODUCED RESOL UTION
A SENATE RESOLUTION memorializing George "Big Mac"
McGinnis.
TAYLOR G
, read first time and referred to Committee on
2024 DR 3829/DI LF Introduced
Second Regular Session 123rd General Assembly (2024)
SENATE RESOLUTION ____
MADAM PRESIDENT:
I offer the following resolution and move its adoption:
1 A SENATE RESOLUTION memorializing George "Big
2 Mac" McGinnis.
3 Whereas, George "Big Mac" McGinnis was born in
4 Harpersville, Alabama, on August 12, 1950, to Willie and
5 Burnie McGinnis;
6 Whereas, McGinnis was a graduate of George Washington
7 High School where he led his team to a 31-0 record and an
8 Indiana state basketball championship in 1969;
9 Whereas, He set an Indiana State Tournament scoring
10 record by scoring 148 points in his final four games and was
11 named Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana in 1969;
12 Whereas, McGinnis went on to play basketball for Indiana
13 University, where he was the first sophomore to lead the Big
14 Ten in scoring and rebounding;
15 Whereas, Deciding to better his family's financial situation,
16 he went to the Indiana Pacers of the American Basketball
17 Association (ABA), where he used his signing bonus to buy his
18 mother a house;
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1 Whereas, In his first two seasons, he led the Pacers to back-
2 to-back ABA championships and was named American
3 Basketball Association Playoffs MVP;
4 Whereas, In his NBA debut season with the Philadelphia
5 76ers, he made the All-NBA First Team and was selected for
6 two All-Star games out of his three seasons;
7 Whereas, McGinnis later played for the Denver Nuggets,
8 scoring a career-high 43 points in the 1978 season, before he
9 returned to the Indiana Pacers for his final two seasons in
10 1981;
11 Whereas, He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball
12 Hall of Fame in 2017 and is one of only four players whose
13 jersey (No. 30) is retired by the Indiana Pacers.
14 Whereas, McGinnis married Lynda Dotson, his high school
15 sweetheart, in 1976 and they were together until her passing in
16 2019;
17 Whereas, McGinnis passed away on December 14, 2023, in
18 Indianapolis and is survived by his sister Bonnie; and
19 Whereas, George McGinnis was a stellar athlete who left
20 an incredible legacy for Hoosiers and left a profound mark on
21 the game of basketball in the state of Indiana: Therefore,
22 Be it resolved by the Senate of the
23 General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
24 SECTION 1. That the Indiana Senate memorializes George
25 McGinnis.
26 SECTION 2. The Secretary of the Senate is hereby directed
27 to transmit copies of this Resolution to the family of George
28 McGinnis.
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