| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 144 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, The life of a celebrated Texas athlete drew to a |
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| 6 | 6 | | close with the passing of Sammy Baugh of Rotan on December 17, 2008, |
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| 7 | 7 | | at the age of 94; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Considered one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever |
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| 9 | 9 | | play professional football, "Slingin'" Sammy Baugh revolutionized |
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| 10 | 10 | | the game with his mastery of the forward pass; thanks largely to his |
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| 11 | 11 | | sensational achievements with the Washington Redskins in the 1930s |
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| 12 | 12 | | and 1940s, the sport moved toward the wide-open, high-scoring style |
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| 13 | 13 | | of offense that is familiar to today's fans; and |
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| 14 | 14 | | WHEREAS, Samuel Adrian Baugh was born on March 17, 1914, in |
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| 15 | 15 | | Temple; his family moved to Sweetwater when he was a teenager, and |
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| 16 | 16 | | he played both football and baseball at his high school and then at |
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| 17 | 17 | | Texas Christian University, leading the Horned Frogs to the |
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| 18 | 18 | | football national championship in 1935 and important bowl game |
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| 19 | 19 | | victories in his next two seasons; a superb athlete, he almost chose |
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| 20 | 20 | | a career in professional baseball but instead signed with the |
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| 21 | 21 | | Washington Redskins in 1937 at the age of 23; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, With an uncanny ability to throw passes with |
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| 23 | 23 | | pinpoint accuracy, Mr. Baugh changed the game almost immediately; |
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| 24 | 24 | | in his rookie year, he broke the NFL record for pass completions and |
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| 25 | 25 | | led the Redskins to the 1937 NFL championship game; on a bitterly |
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| 26 | 26 | | cold December day, Mr. Baugh threw for 335 yards and 3 touchdowns, |
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| 27 | 27 | | and his team upset the Chicago Bears on their home field to take the |
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| 28 | 28 | | league title; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Baugh would go on to win a second NFL |
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| 30 | 30 | | championship with Washington in 1942 as well as four division |
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| 31 | 31 | | titles; along the way, he changed the concept of how much yardage |
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| 32 | 32 | | could be gained through the air and led the league in passing for |
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| 33 | 33 | | six years; his achievements are even more impressive given that he, |
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| 34 | 34 | | like many players of his era, played on both the offensive and |
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| 35 | 35 | | defensive squads as well as on special teams; moreover, he played |
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| 36 | 36 | | all of his positions extremely well, racking up 31 career |
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| 37 | 37 | | interceptions as a defensive back and establishing himself as the |
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| 38 | 38 | | league's best punter each season between 1940 and 1943; his |
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| 39 | 39 | | single-season punting average of 51.4 yards in 1940 still stands as |
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| 40 | 40 | | an NFL record; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | WHEREAS, Choosing to hang up his cleats after 16 NFL seasons, |
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| 42 | 42 | | he retired in 1952, but his football days were not over; he went on |
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| 43 | 43 | | to serve as the head coach at Hardin-Simmons University in the late |
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| 44 | 44 | | 1950s and later for the New York Titans and Houston Oilers |
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| 45 | 45 | | professional teams; the cattle business was his other calling; he |
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| 46 | 46 | | bought the Double Mountain Ranch near Rotan in 1941, and he and his |
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| 47 | 47 | | wife, Edmonia, ran the 6,300-acre property for many decades; and |
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| 48 | 48 | | WHEREAS, Sammy Baugh was selected as a member of the first |
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| 49 | 49 | | group of players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and |
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| 50 | 50 | | his stature was further underscored in 1994, when he earned a place |
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| 51 | 51 | | on the NFL's 75th anniversary team; one of the game's all-time |
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| 52 | 52 | | legends, his name will be revered long into the future, and his |
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| 53 | 53 | | achievements are a poignant reminder of the Lone Star State's |
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| 54 | 54 | | legacy of athletic excellence; now, therefore, be it |
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| 55 | 55 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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| 56 | 56 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Sammy Baugh and extend |
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| 57 | 57 | | deepest condolences to the members of his family: to his children, |
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| 58 | 58 | | David, Todd, Stephen, and Frances Baugh; to his sister, Nell |
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| 59 | 59 | | Kindrick; to his 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren; and |
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| 60 | 60 | | to his other relatives and friends; and, be it further |
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| 61 | 61 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 62 | 62 | | prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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| 63 | 63 | | Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sammy |
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| 64 | 64 | | Baugh. |
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| 65 | 65 | | Heflin |
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| 66 | 66 | | ______________________________ |
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| 67 | 67 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 68 | 68 | | I certify that H.R. No. 144 was unanimously adopted by a |
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| 69 | 69 | | rising vote of the House on March 5, 2009. |
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| 70 | 70 | | ______________________________ |
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| 71 | 71 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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