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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, El Paso native and trailblazing basketball coach |
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| 6 | 6 | | Nolan Richardson has proven himself an exceptional leader and role |
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| 7 | 7 | | model during his decorated career; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, While growing up in Segundo Barrio, Nolan Richardson |
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| 9 | 9 | | was a standout athlete in football, basketball, and baseball at |
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| 10 | 10 | | Bowie High School; he then went on to star in basketball at Texas |
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| 11 | 11 | | Western College, now The University of Texas at El Paso, before |
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| 12 | 12 | | embarking on his coaching career; after a successful 10-year tenure |
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| 13 | 13 | | leading his high school alma mater, he moved to the college ranks |
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| 14 | 14 | | and accepted a head coaching position at Western Texas College in |
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| 15 | 15 | | Snyder; in his third season with the program, the team went |
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| 16 | 16 | | undefeated and won the junior college national championship; at his |
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| 17 | 17 | | next stop, the coach spent five seasons at the University of Tulsa, |
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| 18 | 18 | | earning the school the 1981 National Invitation Tournament |
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| 19 | 19 | | championship; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, In 1985, Coach Richardson took the reins at the |
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| 21 | 21 | | University of Arkansas; known for their tenacious defense and a |
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| 22 | 22 | | style of play nicknamed "40 Minutes of Hell," his Razorbacks teams |
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| 23 | 23 | | won seven conference championships in 17 seasons and made three |
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| 24 | 24 | | trips to the Final Four; in 1994, the team defeated Duke University |
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| 25 | 25 | | to capture the NCAA Division I national championship, and he was |
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| 26 | 26 | | honored as the Naismith Coach of the Year; in later years, he |
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| 27 | 27 | | coached the Mexican and Panamanian national teams and was the head |
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| 28 | 28 | | coach and general manager of the Tulsa Shock of the Women's National |
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| 29 | 29 | | Basketball Association; the only coach to win the junior college, |
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| 30 | 30 | | NIT, and NCAA championships, he was inducted into the Naismith |
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| 31 | 31 | | Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014; and |
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| 32 | 32 | | WHEREAS, A pioneering figure in his profession, Coach |
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| 33 | 33 | | Richardson was the first Black head basketball coach at many of the |
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| 34 | 34 | | institutions where he worked and was the first for the entire |
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| 35 | 35 | | Southwest Conference; he has long been an outspoken advocate on |
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| 36 | 36 | | social justice issues and has also been active in a range of |
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| 37 | 37 | | community initiatives; to honor the loss of his daughter, he |
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| 38 | 38 | | started the Yvonne Richardson Memorial Foundation, which has raised |
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| 39 | 39 | | over $3 million to provide financial assistance to terminally ill |
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| 40 | 40 | | children and their families, more than 50 charitable organizations, |
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| 41 | 41 | | and fund several scholarships at The University of Texas at El Paso, |
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| 42 | 42 | | in addition, the annual Nolan Richardson Charity Golf Tournament |
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| 43 | 43 | | raises money for charities in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas such as |
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| 44 | 44 | | the Yvonne Richardson Community Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas; |
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| 45 | 45 | | and |
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| 46 | 46 | | WHEREAS, Through his hard work, integrity, and commitment to |
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| 47 | 47 | | helping others, Nolan Richardson sets an inspiring example for his |
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| 48 | 48 | | fellow citizens, and he is indeed deserving of recognition for his |
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| 49 | 49 | | outstanding efforts; now, therefore, be it |
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| 50 | 50 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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| 51 | 51 | | Legislature hereby honor Nolan Richardson for his professional |
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| 52 | 52 | | accomplishments and civic engagement and extend to him sincere best |
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| 53 | 53 | | wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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| 54 | 54 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 55 | 55 | | prepared for Coach Richardson as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 56 | 56 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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