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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, El Paso native and trailblazing basketball coach |
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Nolan Richardson has proven himself an exceptional leader and role |
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model during his decorated career; and |
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WHEREAS, While growing up in Segundo Barrio, Nolan Richardson |
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was a standout athlete in football, basketball, and baseball at |
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Bowie High School; he then went on to star in basketball at Texas |
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Western College, now The University of Texas at El Paso, before |
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embarking on his coaching career; after a successful 10-year tenure |
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leading his high school alma mater, he moved to the college ranks |
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and accepted a head coaching position at Western Texas College in |
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Snyder; in his third season with the program, the team went |
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undefeated and won the junior college national championship; at his |
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next stop, the coach spent five seasons at the University of Tulsa, |
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earning the school the 1981 National Invitation Tournament |
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championship; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1985, Coach Richardson took the reins at the |
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University of Arkansas; known for their tenacious defense and a |
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style of play nicknamed "40 Minutes of Hell," his Razorbacks teams |
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won seven conference championships in 17 seasons and made three |
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trips to the Final Four; in 1994, the team defeated Duke University |
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to capture the NCAA Division I national championship, and he was |
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honored as the Naismith Coach of the Year; in later years, he |
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coached the Mexican and Panamanian national teams and was the head |
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coach and general manager of the Tulsa Shock of the Women's National |
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Basketball Association; the only coach to win the junior college, |
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NIT, and NCAA championships, he was inducted into the Naismith |
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Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014; and |
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WHEREAS, A pioneering figure in his profession, Coach |
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Richardson was the first Black head basketball coach at many of the |
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institutions where he worked and was the first for the entire |
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Southwest Conference; he has long been an outspoken advocate on |
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social justice issues and has also been active in a range of |
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community initiatives; to honor the loss of his daughter, he |
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started the Yvonne Richardson Memorial Foundation, which has raised |
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over $3 million to provide financial assistance to terminally ill |
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children and their families, more than 50 charitable organizations, |
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and fund several scholarships at The University of Texas at El Paso, |
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in addition, the annual Nolan Richardson Charity Golf Tournament |
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raises money for charities in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas such as |
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the Yvonne Richardson Community Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Through his hard work, integrity, and commitment to |
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helping others, Nolan Richardson sets an inspiring example for his |
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fellow citizens, and he is indeed deserving of recognition for his |
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outstanding efforts; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Nolan Richardson for his professional |
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accomplishments and civic engagement and extend to him sincere best |
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wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Coach Richardson as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |