79R9346 MMS-D

By:  Chavez                                                       H.R. No. 810



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The El Paso Sun Bowl Association, which oversees the 
second-oldest, continuous bowl game in the country, has long played 
a vital role in the life of El Paso and the surrounding region; and
	WHEREAS, Created by the El Paso Kiwanis Club in 1934 as a 
fund-raiser to benefit underprivileged children and to finance 
improvements to the El Paso High School Stadium, the first Sun Bowl 
was played on New Year's Day, 1935; it pitted a team of El Paso High 
School all-stars against the high school squad from Ranger and 
ended with a 25-21 El Paso victory; and
	WHEREAS, Area civic leaders subsequently decided to make the 
Sun Bowl a collegiate competition; the Sun Bowl Association was 
founded in 1935 with a threefold purpose:  to present a football 
attraction of national importance, to promote El Paso and the 
Southwest, and to generate tourist income for the area; and
	WHEREAS, During the early years of the Sun Bowl, it was a 
tradition to match the Border Conference champion against the best 
available opponent; in 1936, the first collegiate Sun Bowl took 
place between New Mexico State and Hardin-Simmons and ended in a 
14-14 tie; and
	WHEREAS, Today, the Sun Bowl matches teams from the PAC 10 and 
Big 10 Conferences; on December 31, 2004, Arizona State bested 
Purdue 27-23 in the 71st game in this historic series; and
	WHEREAS, Over the decades, the Sun Bowl has seen many 
memorable moments and milestones; in 1943, all profits from the 
game were donated to World War II charities; the highest-scoring 
Sun Bowl to date occurred in 1955, when The University of Texas at 
El Paso won 47-20 against Florida State, a school whose team 
included future actor Burt Reynolds; and
	WHEREAS, In the first game to be played in the present Sun 
Bowl Stadium, the 1963 Oregon team beat SMU 21-14; the contest the 
following year, between Georgia and Texas Tech, marked a watershed, 
as it was the first Sun Bowl to be televised; CBS began broadcasting 
the game in 1968 and has carried the Sun Bowl ever since; and
	WHEREAS, The first sold-out Sun Bowl in the present stadium 
took place in 1967, when UTEP met Mississippi and scored a 14-7 
victory; in response to the bowl's growing popularity, association 
officials decided to expand the 30,000-seat facility to 51,000 
seats, and construction was completed in time for the 1982 bowl game 
between Texas and North Carolina; and
	WHEREAS, In 1986, John Hancock Financial Services entered 
into a multiyear contract with the Sun Bowl Association, making the 
Sun Bowl the first post-season classic to be commercially 
sponsored; subsequent sponsors have included Norwest Bank, Wells 
Fargo Bank, and Vitalis; and
	WHEREAS, Through the years, fans attending this venerable 
showdown have had an opportunity to see some of the most talented 
players in the nation; both Tony Dorsett and Barry Sanders went on 
to win the Heisman Trophy the year after they appeared in the Sun 
Bowl; those who competed in the bowl and were later inducted into 
the NFL Hall of Fame include players Tony Dorsett, Sid Gillman, Don 
Maynard, and Merlin Olsen and coaches Sammy Baugh and Bill Walsh; 
and
	WHEREAS, Other prominent Sun Bowl alumni include Ara 
Parseghian, Billy Stevens, Charlie Johnson, and Jesse Whittenton; 
among the stars to participate in the game in recent years have been 
the 2000 John Mackey Award winner, Tim Stratton, the 2000 and 2001 
Ray Guy Award winners, Kevin Stemke and Travis Dorsch, the 2000 Jim 
Thorpe Award winner, Jamar Fletcher, and the 2000 Doak Walker Award 
winner, LaDainian Tomlinson; and
	WHEREAS, Since its inception, the Sun Bowl has drawn 
approximately 2 million spectators through its gates, and the 
direct economic impact from the game on the El Paso area is 
currently estimated at $12 to $15 million; and
	WHEREAS, In addition to producing a stellar football contest 
year after year, Bernie Olivas, the executive director of the Sun 
Bowl Association, and his fine staff routinely organize a number of 
other popular community events; their 2004 schedule also featured 
the 68th annual Las Palmas Del Sol Sun Bowl Parade; the 44th annual 
State Farm Sun Bowl Basketball Tournament; the State Farm Bank 
International Soccer Tournament; the Western Refining College 
All-America Golf Classic, whose former winners include Tiger Woods, 
David Duval, and Jerry Pate; and the Sun Bowl Fan Fiesta, which 
provided the largest fireworks display in the city; and
	WHEREAS, The El Paso Sun Bowl Association can take 
justifiable pride in the many ways that its work benefits El Paso 
and the surrounding region, in its longstanding success in bringing 
to national attention one of the state's most colorful cities, and 
in the continued unfolding of the rich history that surrounds this 
illustrious gridiron competition; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas 
Legislature hereby honor the El Paso Sun Bowl Association for its 
exceptional contributions to the sport of football, to the city of 
El Paso, and to the Lone Star State; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the El Paso Sun Bowl Association as an expression of 
high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.