1-1                                       1

 1-2                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 599

 1-3           WHEREAS, The Texas Senate is proud to honor Vinny Del Negro

 1-4     of the San Antonio Spurs for his athletic accomplishments and his

 1-5     many contributions to the community; and

 1-6           WHEREAS, Playing college basketball at North Carolina State

 1-7     University, Mr. Del Negro rose to stardom by his senior season,

 1-8     when he was named to the All Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

 1-9     team and was chosen as most valuable player in the ACC tournament;

1-10     and

1-11           WHEREAS, He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the

1-12     second round of the 1988 NBA draft and appeared in 156 games

1-13     for the Kings during the next two seasons before taking his

1-14     considerable talents to Europe; in Italy, Mr. Del Negro was

1-15     a star player for Benetton Treviso and earned most valuable

1-16     player of the Italian League Playoffs while leading his club

1-17     to the A League title; and

1-18           WHEREAS, Mr. Del Negro joined the Spurs in 1992 and played

1-19     point guard for his first two seasons with the organization; his

1-20     exceptional accuracy from the outside enabled him to move to

1-21     the shooting guard position, where he has been a vital part of

1-22     the Spurs team; and

1-23           WHEREAS, Also active in a variety of worthy community

 2-1     projects, he takes special pride in the work of the Vinny Del

 2-2     Negro Endowment Fund, which aids abused youth, and he has also

 2-3     teamed up with fellow Spurs player Avery Johnson to establish

 2-4     The All-Star Connection 4 San Antonio, an organization whose goal

 2-5     is to raise funds for local charities and schools; and

 2-6           WHEREAS, In recognition of his off-the-court achievements,

 2-7     he was one of five professional athletes honored by USA

 2-8     Weekend with a Most Caring Athlete Award in 1994; and

 2-9           WHEREAS, He has been supported in all his many endeavors by

2-10     his devoted wife, Lynn, with whom he has shared his successes and

2-11     aspirations; and

2-12           WHEREAS, Vinny Del Negro has achieved a remarkable level of

2-13     athletic success as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, and his

2-14     willingness to share the fruits of his success with members of

2-15     the community makes him truly worthy of special legislative

2-16     recognition at this time; now, therefore, be it

2-17           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,

2-18     75th Legislature, hereby commend Vinny Del Negro of the San Antonio

2-19     Spurs for his exceptional accomplishments, both on the basketball

2-20     court and as a positive force in the community; and, be it further

2-21           RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be

2-22     prepared for Vinny Del Negro as an expression of high regard by

2-23     the Texas Senate.

2-24                                                               Madla    

2-25                                                               Luna     

2-26                                                               Wentworth

2-27                                  ______________________________________

 3-1                                          President of the Senate

 3-2                                       I hereby certify that the above

 3-3                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate

 3-4                                  on April 29, 1997.

 3-5                                  ______________________________________

 3-6                                          Secretary of the Senate

 3-7                                  ______________________________________

 3-8                                           Member, Texas Senate

 3-9                                  ______________________________________

3-10                                           Member, Texas Senate

3-11                                  ______________________________________

3-12                                           Member, Texas Senate