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Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 152
BY SENATORS GALLOT AND BUFFI NGTON AND REPRESENTATI VE COX
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of
Orlando Woolridge, former Mansfield High School, University of Notre Dame, and
National Basketball Association basketball player and 2010 Louisiana Sports Hall
of Fame inductee.
WHEREAS, it is with great sadness that the members of the Legislature of Louisiana
have learned of the passing of Orlando Woolridge, age fifty-two, on May 31, 2012, at his
parents' home in Mansfield; and
WHEREAS, Orlando Woolridge was born on December 16, 1959, to the union of
Mattie and Larnceen Woolridge in Bernice, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, he was a rugged basketball forward who established a reputation over
thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association as a scoring specialist and one of the
original alley-oop artists; and
WHEREAS, in high school, Orlando Woolridge scored 3,036 points (22.0 per game)
and grabbed 1,945 rebounds (14 per game), including averages of 21 points and 25 rebounds
as a senior at Mansfield High School; and
WHEREAS, he was named the state Player of the Year as a senior, when he won his
third straight all-district honor and was team co-captain; and
WHEREAS, after high school, he played for the University of Notre Dame and
during his tenure there, the Fighting Irish defeated four No. 1 teams (Marquette in 1977-78,
DePaul in 1979-80, Kentucky and Virginia in 1980-81), and his coach, Digger Phelps, noted
about Woolridge, "He has to be one of few players in the history of college basketball to be
part of a team that knocked off four number one teams -- and he won two of those", making SCR NO. 152 ENROLLED
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two free throws with 19 seconds left in the second overtime to defeat DePaul and then
collecting a loose-ball rebound and against Virginia, making the game-winning, 16-foot
jump shot at the buzzer to end a 28-game winning streak for Ralph Sampson and Virginia;
and
WHEREAS, at Notre Dame, he averaged 10.6 points in 109 games, helping the
Fighting Irish reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons, including the Final
Four as a freshman in 1978, as well as being a senior captain in 1980-81, and then was the
sixth overall pick of the Chicago Bulls in 1981; and
WHEREAS, he was known for his high-flying dunks and ability to throw down lob
passes in the open court and played for the Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets,
Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Detroit Pistons, and also
coached the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and the Arizona Rhinos of the ABA; and
WHEREAS, as a player, he averaged 16.0 points in just over 28 minutes per game,
quickly emerging as an offensive spark plug no matter if he was in the starting lineup or
coming off the bench; and
WHEREAS, he participated in one of the greatest slam dunk contests of all time in
1985, competing against Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Julius Erving, among
others, and he averaged 22.9 points per game for the Bulls in 1984-85, the last player to lead
Chicago in scoring before Jordan took over; and
WHEREAS, after his career in the NBA, he spent two seasons playing professionally
in Italy; and
WHEREAS, Orlando Woolridge was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of
Fame in 2010; and
WHEREAS, Orlando Woolridge is survived by his four children, Zachary, Renaldo,
Royce and Tiana; his parents, Mattie and Larnceen; his sister, Dr. Vanessa Woolridge
Duplessis; his brother-in-law, Darren Duplessis; and his nephew, Nigel Duplessis.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express sincere condolences to the family of Orlando Woolridge, former Mansfield High
School, University of Notre Dame, and National Basketball Association basketball player
and 2010 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee, on the occasion of his death. SCR NO. 152 ENROLLED
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Zachary, Renaldo, Royce and Tiana Woolridge and Mattie and Larnceen Woolridge.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES