By McClendon                                           H.R. No. 764

         75R8511 WMS-D                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to honor

 1-2     Vinny Del Negro of the San Antonio Spurs for his athletic

 1-3     accomplishments and his many contributions to the community; and

 1-4           WHEREAS, Playing college basketball at North Carolina State

 1-5     University, Mr. Del Negro rose to stardom by his senior season,

 1-6     when he was named to the All Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team

 1-7     and was chosen as most valuable player in the ACC tournament; and

 1-8           WHEREAS, He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the

 1-9     second round of the 1988 NBA draft and appeared in 156 games for

1-10     the Kings during the next two seasons before taking his

1-11     considerable talents to Europe; in Italy, Mr. Del Negro was a star

1-12     player for Benetton Treviso and earned most valuable player of the

1-13     Italian League Playoffs while leading his club to the A League

1-14     title; and

1-15           WHEREAS, Mr. Del Negro joined the Spurs in 1992 and played

1-16     point guard for his first two seasons with the organization; his

1-17     exceptional accuracy from the outside enabled him to move to  the

1-18     shooting guard position, where he has been a vital part of the

1-19     Spurs team; and

1-20           WHEREAS, Also active in a variety of worthy community

1-21     projects, he takes special pride in the work of the Vinny Del Negro

1-22     Endowment Fund, which aids abused youth, and he has also teamed up

1-23     with fellow Spurs player Avery Johnson to establish The All-Star

1-24     Connection 4 San Antonio, an organization whose goal is to raise

 2-1     funds for local charities and schools; and

 2-2           WHEREAS, In recognition of his off-the-court achievements, he

 2-3     was one of five professional athletes honored by USA Weekend with a

 2-4     Most Caring Athlete Award in 1994; and

 2-5           WHEREAS, He has been supported in all his many endeavors by

 2-6     his devoted wife, Lynn, with whom he has shared his successes and

 2-7     aspirations; and

 2-8           WHEREAS, Vinny Del Negro has achieved a remarkable level of

 2-9     athletic success as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, and his

2-10     willingness to share the fruits of his success with members of the

2-11     community makes him truly worthy of special legislative recognition

2-12     at this time; now, therefore, be it

2-13           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

2-14     Legislature hereby commend Vinny Del Negro of the San Antonio Spurs

2-15     for his exceptional accomplishments, both on the basketball court

2-16     and as a positive force in the community; and, be it further

2-17           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be

2-18     prepared for Vinny Del Negro as an expression of high regard by the

2-19     Texas House of Representatives.