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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Alex G. Leal retired from his position as head |
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football coach at Raymondville High School in December 2010, |
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drawing to a close a remarkable 31-year career in which he became |
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the all-time winningest coach in the Rio Grande Valley; and |
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WHEREAS, Renowned for his achievements in guiding young |
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athletes, Coach Leal also distinguished himself as a classroom |
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instructor and principal after beginning his career as an |
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elementary teacher in the Raymondville Independent School District |
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in 1960; he became an assistant coach six years later and moved up |
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to the positions of head football coach and athletic coordinator |
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for the Bearkats in 1973; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the following decades, this skilled mentor |
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built an exemplary record while coaching at Raymondville, Rio |
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Grande City, Port Isabel, McAllen, and Harlingen South High |
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Schools, and in each of those assignments he also held the post of |
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athletic coordinator or athletic director in addition to that of |
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head coach; and |
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WHEREAS, Though he initially chose to retire from coaching in |
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2000, when he stepped down from his position at Harlingen South, he |
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opted to return to Raymondville ISD in 2006 to once again lead the |
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Bearkats; he served as coach for the next five seasons and will |
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remain the district's athletic director, continuing a career in |
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education that has spanned 51 years; and |
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WHEREAS, Coach Leal's achievements have made him a |
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distinguished figure in Texas high school sports; his overall |
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record stands at 224 wins, 105 losses, and 6 ties, and he won or |
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shared 11 district championships and took his team to the playoffs |
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in 18 of his 31 years as a head coach; among his numerous honors are |
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his induction into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall |
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of Honor and the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame and his |
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selection as the winningest Hispanic football coach in the nation |
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by Hispanic magazine in 2000 and as the number two coach of the |
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millennium by the McAllen Monitor; moreover, he was named coach of |
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the year 13 times, most recently in 2010, his final year overseeing |
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the Bearkats, when he was awarded that accolade as the top coach in |
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District 31-3A; and |
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WHEREAS, Beyond the wins and awards, however, a more profound |
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measure of Alex Leal's success is the positive role he has played in |
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the lives of the hundreds of student-athletes with whom he has |
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worked; for four and a half decades, he helped teach those young |
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Texans important lessons about teamwork, commitment, and |
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responsibility that had value far beyond the gridiron, and his work |
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will continue to be respected and remembered for many years to come; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Alex G. Leal on his retirement from a long |
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and accomplished career as a high school football coach and extend |
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to him sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Coach Leal as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |
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Lozano |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1568 was adopted by the House on May |
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5, 2011, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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