H.R. No. 1568
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Alex G. Leal retired from his position as head
football coach at Raymondville High School in December 2010,
drawing to a close a remarkable 31-year career in which he became
the all-time winningest coach in the Rio Grande Valley; and
WHEREAS, Renowned for his achievements in guiding young
athletes, Coach Leal also distinguished himself as a classroom
instructor and principal after beginning his career as an
elementary teacher in the Raymondville Independent School District
in 1960; he became an assistant coach six years later and moved up
to the positions of head football coach and athletic coordinator
for the Bearkats in 1973; and
WHEREAS, Over the following decades, this skilled mentor
built an exemplary record while coaching at Raymondville, Rio
Grande City, Port Isabel, McAllen, and Harlingen South High
Schools, and in each of those assignments he also held the post of
athletic coordinator or athletic director in addition to that of
head coach; and
WHEREAS, Though he initially chose to retire from coaching in
2000, when he stepped down from his position at Harlingen South, he
opted to return to Raymondville ISD in 2006 to once again lead the
Bearkats; he served as coach for the next five seasons and will
remain the district's athletic director, continuing a career in
education that has spanned 51 years; and
WHEREAS, Coach Leal's achievements have made him a
distinguished figure in Texas high school sports; his overall
record stands at 224 wins, 105 losses, and 6 ties, and he won or
shared 11 district championships and took his team to the playoffs
in 18 of his 31 years as a head coach; among his numerous honors are
his induction into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall
of Honor and the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame and his
selection as the winningest Hispanic football coach in the nation
by Hispanic magazine in 2000 and as the number two coach of the
millennium by the McAllen Monitor; moreover, he was named coach of
the year 13 times, most recently in 2010, his final year overseeing
the Bearkats, when he was awarded that accolade as the top coach in
District 31-3A; and
WHEREAS, Beyond the wins and awards, however, a more profound
measure of Alex Leal's success is the positive role he has played in
the lives of the hundreds of student-athletes with whom he has
worked; for four and a half decades, he helped teach those young
Texans important lessons about teamwork, commitment, and
responsibility that had value far beyond the gridiron, and his work
will continue to be respected and remembered for many years to come;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby honor Alex G. Leal on his retirement from a long
and accomplished career as a high school football coach and extend
to him sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Coach Leal as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.
Lozano
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1568 was adopted by the House on May
5, 2011, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House