H.R. No. 709 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to honor 1-2 Tom Landry for his exceptional achievements in the sport of 1-3 football and his significant service to his fellowman; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Born September 11, 1924, in Mission, Thomas Wade 1-5 Landry was graduated from Mission High School and while there took 1-6 his first step toward achieving legendary status in the sport of 1-7 football as an All-Regional fullback; and 1-8 WHEREAS, He enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin, 1-9 but postponed his higher education in order to serve his nation as 1-10 a member of the United States Air Corps during World War II, and as 1-11 an Allied soldier he flew 30 perilous B-17 bomber missions over 1-12 enemy territory; and 1-13 WHEREAS, After completing his military service, Mr. Landry 1-14 returned to The University of Texas, where he dominated football 1-15 foes on both sides of the ball as a star fullback and defensive 1-16 back; his sterling efforts earned him well-deserved recognition as 1-17 an All-Southwest Conference performer and helped the Longhorns to 1-18 victories in the 1948 Sugar Bowl and the 1949 Orange Bowl; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Although possessing degrees in both business and 1-20 industrial engineering, Coach Landry chose to make his mark in 1-21 professional football, joining the New York Giants in 1949 as a 1-22 defensive back; and 1-23 WHEREAS, His spirited play earned him All-Pro status in 1954 1-24 and he also demonstrated an exceptional overall understanding of 2-1 the tactical aspects of the game during his last two seasons with 2-2 the Giants organization as a player-coach and as a defensive coach 2-3 after his retirement as a player; and 2-4 WHEREAS, Coach Landry took the position that would define his 2-5 career by accepting the head coaching job with the Dallas Cowboys 2-6 in 1960; although the team was winless in his first season there, 2-7 he ultimately guided his squad to an unsurpassed level of 2-8 excellence, and in his 29 years as the Cowboys' coach thrilling 2-9 victories became as commonplace as his trademark hat; and 2-10 WHEREAS, The Cowboys' unparalleled dominance of their sport 2-11 under Coach Landry is reflected by the team's 20 consecutive 2-12 winning seasons, 18 playoff appearances, 13 division championships, 2-13 five conference titles, and five Super Bowl appearances that 2-14 include wins in Super Bowls VI and XII; and 2-15 WHEREAS, In acknowledgment of his superlative achievements in 2-16 the sport he had elevated to an art form, Coach Landry was inducted 2-17 into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Dallas Cowboy 2-18 Ring of Honor in 1993; to honor its native son, Mission High School 2-19 dedicated its football stadium in Coach Landry's name in 1984; and 2-20 WHEREAS, Consistently concerned with the needs of others, 2-21 Coach Landry has given his support to a variety of worthy causes 2-22 and most recently has volunteered his services as honorary chairman 2-23 for the 1995 Ronald McDonald House Celebrity Golf Classic; and 2-24 WHEREAS, Coach Landry has been supported in all his many 2-25 endeavors by his devoted wife, Alicia, and the couple have been 2-26 blessed with three children and five grandchildren; and 2-27 WHEREAS, Both on and off the playing field, Tom Landry has 3-1 served as an inspirational figure to his many loyal fans and his 3-2 notable accomplishments are indeed worthy of special legislative 3-3 recognition; now, therefore, be it 3-4 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 3-5 Legislature hereby commend Tom Landry for his legendary 3-6 achievements in the field of athletics and his significant 3-7 contributions as a community leader and role model; and, be it 3-8 further 3-9 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-10 prepared for Mr. Landry as an expression of high regard by the 3-11 Texas House of Representatives.