2015 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 116
BY SENATORS ALARIO, ADLEY, ALLAIN, AMEDEE, APPEL, BROOME, BROWN,
BUFFINGTON, CHABERT, CLAITOR, CORTEZ, CROWE,
DONAHUE, DORSEY-COLOMB, ERDEY, GALLOT, GUILLORY,
HEITMEIER, JOHNS, KOSTELKA, LAFLEUR, LONG, MARTINY,
MILLS, MORRELL, MORRISH, MURRAY, NEVERS, PEACOCK,
PERRY, PETERSON, RISER, GARY SMITH, JOHN SMITH,
TARVER, THOMPSON, WALSWORTH, WARD AND WHITE AND
REPRESENTATIVES KLECKLEY, LEGER, ABRAMSON, ADAMS,
ANDERS, ARMES, ARNOLD, BADON, BARRAS, BARROW,
BERTHELOT, BILLIOT, STUART BISHOP, WESLEY BISHOP,
BOUIE, BROADWATER, BROWN, BURFORD, HENRY BURNS,
TIM BURNS, BURRELL, CARMODY, CARTER, CHANEY,
CONNICK, COX, CROMER, DANAHAY, DOVE, EDWARDS,
FANNIN, FOIL, FRANKLIN, GAINES, GAROFALO, GEYMANN,
GISCLAIR, GUILLORY, GUINN, HALL, HARRIS, HARRISON,
HAVARD, HAZEL, HENRY, HENSGENS, HILL, HODGES,
HOFFMANN, HOLLIS, HONORE, HOWARD, HUNTER, HUVAL,
IVEY, JACKSON, JAMES, JEFFERSON, MIKE JOHNSON, ROBERT
JOHNSON, JONES, LAMBERT, NANCY LANDRY, TERRY
LANDRY, LEBAS, LEOPOLD, LOPINTO, LORUSSO, MACK,
MIGUEZ, MILLER, MONTOUCET, MORENO, JAY MORRIS, JIM
MORRIS, NORTON, ORTEGO, OURSO, PEARSON, PIERRE, PONTI,
POPE, PRICE, PUGH, PYLANT, REYNOLDS, RICHARD, RITCHIE,
ROBIDEAUX, SCHEXNAYDER, SCHRODER, SEABAUGH,
SHADOIN, SIMON, SMITH, ST. GERMAIN, STOKES, TALBOT,
THIBAUT, THIERRY, WHITNEY, ALFRED WILLIAMS, PATRICK
WILLIAMS, WILLMOTT AND WOODRUFF
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend and congratulate Jim Hawthorne on his retirement after thirty-two years as the
legendary "Voice of the Tigers" at Louisiana State University football, baseball, and
men's basketball athletic competitions.
WHEREAS, Jim Hawthorne has been on the radio calling thousands of athletic
events for the Louisiana State University Fighting Tigers for the past thirty-five years; and
WHEREAS, he has announced his upcoming retirement from the position of Director
of Broadcasting following the 2015-2016 basketball season; and
WHEREAS, Jim Hawthorne is a native of Anacoco, Louisiana, and a 1967 graduate
of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches; and
WHEREAS, his first play-by-play job was in 1961 at Leesville High School where
he called games for the Wampus Cats football team; and
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WHEREAS, he first joined the LSU broadcast team as a play-by-play commentator
for men's basketball for the 1979-1980 season, began calling football and baseball in 1984,
and has continued to call those three sports since that time; and
WHEREAS, as the "Voice of the Tigers", Jim has broadcast all six of LSU's national
championships in baseball, two national titles in football, and three Final Four appearances
for the mens basketball team; and
WHEREAS, in the course of his illustrious career with LSU, Hawthorne has not
missed an LSU football game, broadcasting three hundred eighty straight football games,
which include the 2003, 2007, and 2011 Bowl Championship Series games and the
Southeastern Conference championship games played in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2011;
and
WHEREAS, Jim has called three Final Four basketball competitions for the Tigers
in 1981, 1986, and 2011, along with five SEC championships, and called games involving
LSU standouts, and future professional basketball players, Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Jackson,
Glen Davis, Stromile Swift, Brandon Brass, Rudy Macklin, and many others; and
WHEREAS, as the announcer for Tiger Baseball, he called all fifty-seven games in
the College World Series, including the unforgettable Warren Morris walk-off home run to
win the title game in the 1996 College World Series; and
WHEREAS, he was behind the microphone for the "Earthquake Game" in 1988,
LSU's 28-21 upset of No. 1 Florida in 1997, the "Bluegrass Miracle" in 2002, and the
"Game of the Century" in 2011 when the top-ranked Tigers kicked a field goal in overtime
to beat the University of Alabama Crimson Tide by a score of 9-6 in Tuscaloosa; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his role at LSU, Jim has held play-by-play jobs at
Northwestern State University and Centenary College, as well as calling games for Texas
League baseball and the World Football League where he worked alongside talk show
legend Larry King; and
WHEREAS, the vice chancellor and director of athletics at LSU, Joe Alleva, said of
Jim Hawthorne, "When you hear Jim's voice, you immediately think LSU. That's the mark
of a great play-by-play man. His passion and enthusiasm for LSU translates into his
broadcast and he has the innate ability to paint a picture about what's happening on each play
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that makes the listener feel as if they are part of the action."; and
WHEREAS, Jim was named the recipient of the 2015 Chris Schenkel Award, which
is the most prestigious and highest honor in college sports broadcasting and is presented by
the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame to a sports broadcaster who has
had a long and distinguished career broadcasting college football; and
WHEREAS, in addition to his announcing skills, he is also an accomplished singer
who was master of ceremonies and a singer on the "Louisiana Hayride" country and western
music show on KWKH in Shreveport, and who occasionally performs at local venues; and
WHEREAS, Jim performed the national anthem in front of a packed Alex Box
Stadium on Saturday, May 9, 2015, and received a rousing ovation from the crowd; and
WHEREAS, upon his retirement from LSU, Jim plans to spend more time with his
son, Joseph William; his daughters, Jaime Lynn and Amanda Ruth; his two grandsons, two
granddaughters, and great-granddaughter, and he is looking forward to traveling with his
wife and best friend, Carol; and
WHEREAS, Jim Hawthorne merits a special measure of commendation for his
outstanding accomplishments and his enduring legacy that will forever continue to be a
source of tremendous pride for the innumerable players, coworkers, and fans whose lives he
touched during his unforgettable career at Louisiana State University.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana hereby
commends Jim Hawthorne upon his retirement from Louisiana State University as the
legendary "Voice of the Tigers", expresses to him sincere appreciation for the honor he has
brought to the state of Louisiana, and extends to him best wishes for continued success in
all of his future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Jim Hawthorne.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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