2018 Second Extraordinary Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 11
BY SENATOR LONG AND REPRESENTATI VE STEVE CARTER
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend Jerry Simmons on being named to the 2018 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
Induction Class.
WHEREAS, it is with great pride that the citizens and the Legislature of Louisiana
have learned of the prestigious honor bestowed upon Jerry Simmons on his induction into
the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, the inductees are chosen after extensive deliberations by an expert panel
of Louisiana Sports Writers' Association members from across the state who annually
consider more than one hundred nominees for this honor; and
WHEREAS, Jerry Simmons began his epochal coaching tenure in San Antonio,
Texas, at Longfellow High School where he served as head football and basketball coach
and then at MacArthur High School where he took over the reigns as head tennis coach; and
WHEREAS, in 1971, Coach Simmons became the men's tennis head coach at the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette and at the time was the youngest head coach in the
country at the age of twenty-four; and
WHEREAS, Coach Simmons built the Ragin' Cajun men's tennis team from scratch
to a number fourteen national ranking in 1982 and compiled a record of two hundred
fourteen wins, ninety-two losses, and two ties over eleven years; and
WHEREAS, Coach Simmons then became head coach of the LSU men's tennis team
where he has the greatest number of victories in LSU history and the second highest number
of wins for tennis coaches in modern day SEC history; and
WHEREAS, under his leadership, the Tigers played in thirteen NCAA Tournaments
in fifteen years, including the 1988 final; and
WHEREAS, Coach Simmons compiled an impressive record of two hundred
seventy-eight wins with only one hundred five losses, and his teams have ranked in the top
twelve nationally thirteen times; and
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WHEREAS, Coach Simmons has received many deserved accolades and honors
including being named Southland Conference Coach of the year in 1977, 1978, and 1979,
Louisiana Coach of the Year eight times from 1987 to 1996, and National Coach of the Year
in 1988; and
WHEREAS, in 1998, Jerry Simmons was the youngest coach ever inducted into the
ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, and he is a member of the Louisiana Tennis Hall of
Fame; and
WHEREAS, the achievements and stellar career of Jerry Simmons have earned him
a place among the many greats in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Jerry Simmons on his impressive and successful coaching career and on being
named as a 2018 inductee to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Jerry Simmons.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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