85R23349 RMA-D
By: Lambert H.R. No. 1623
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Swimming coach Bev Ball is retiring from McMurry
University in 2017, drawing to a close a storied career in athletics
that has spanned 67 years; and
WHEREAS, A graduate of Throckmorton High School, Bev Ball
went on to earn a bachelor's degree from North Texas State
University and then took a job at Jefferson Middle School in
Abilene; after teaching and coaching there for three years, she
joined the faculty at Abilene High School as the girls' tennis
coach; she switched her focus to swimming 15 years later and coached
the sport at Abilene and Cooper High Schools for a total of 32 years
before retiring from the Abilene Independent School District in
1999; and
WHEREAS, The following year, Ms. Ball was hired as the first
swimming coach at McMurry University, where she was tasked with
developing the program from scratch; through her leadership and
acute knowledge of the sport, she molded the War Hawks into a
fiercely competitive team, and in 2016, five McMurry swimmers set
school records at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference swim
meet; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of that accomplishment, Ms. Ball was
selected as corecipient of the 2016 SCAC Coaching Staff of the Year
Award; she has also earned a host of other accolades, including a
2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Swimming and Diving
Hall of Fame, a 2012 Woman of Outstanding Achievement Award from the
Abilene branch of the American Association of University Women, the
1999 Chuck Moser Girls' Coach of the Year Award, the 1998 Theron
Pickle Outstanding Achievement Award from the Texas
Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association, and a 1997-1998 Coach Who
Makes a Difference Award from Fox Sports Southwest; moreover, she
was inducted into the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003; and
WHEREAS, One of the longest-tenured coaches in any sport in
Texas, Bev Ball has proven her abilities at the middle school, high
school, and college levels over the course of six and a half
decades, and the exemplary record she has built as a coach, mentor,
and role model will continue to resonate in Abilene and beyond for
decades to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate Bev Ball on her retirement from
McMurry University and extend to her sincere best wishes for the
future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Coach Ball as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.