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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Sun Bowl in El Paso is celebrating its 80th |
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anniversary in 2013, and this occasion provides a welcome |
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opportunity to acknowledge the history and significance of this |
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venerable football bowl game; and |
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WHEREAS, Created by the El Paso Kiwanis Club in 1934 as a |
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fund-raiser to benefit underprivileged children and to finance |
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improvements to the El Paso High School Stadium, the first Sun Bowl |
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was played on New Year's Day 1935; it pitted a team of El Paso High |
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School all-stars against the high school squad from Ranger and |
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ended with a 25-21 El Paso victory; and |
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WHEREAS, Later that same year, area civic leaders decided to |
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make the game a college competition, and the Sun Bowl Association |
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was founded with a threefold purpose: to present a football |
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attraction of national importance, to promote El Paso and the |
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Southwest, and to generate tourism income for the area; the first |
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collegiate Sun Bowl took place in 1936 between New Mexico State and |
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Hardin-Simmons University and ended in a 14-14 tie; in subsequent |
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years, the event often matched the champion of the Border |
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Intercollegiate Athletic Association against the best available |
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opponent; and |
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WHEREAS, The first game to be played in the present Sun Bowl |
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Stadium was the 1963 contest, in which Oregon beat Southern |
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Methodist University 21-14; the following year, the battle between |
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Georgia and Texas Tech was the first to be televised, and each Sun |
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Bowl since 1968 has been broadcast to a national audience by CBS; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Originally built with a capacity of 31,000, Sun Bowl |
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Stadium was later expanded to accommodate more than 51,000 people, |
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with the renovation being completed in time for the 1982 bowl game |
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between Texas and North Carolina; attendance has exceeded 50,000 |
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for eight of the bowl games, including the 2010 showdown between |
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Notre Dame and Miami, which drew a record crowd of 54,021; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1986, John Hancock Financial Services entered |
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into a multiyear contract with the Sun Bowl Association, making the |
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game the first postseason classic to be commercially sponsored; |
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subsequent sponsors have included Wells Fargo Bank, Vitalis, Brut, |
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and Hyundai Motor America; and |
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WHEREAS, Through the years, the Sun Bowl has provided fans |
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with an opportunity to see some of the most talented individuals in |
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the sport; both Tony Dorsett and Barry Sanders went on to win the |
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Heisman Trophy the year after they appeared in the Sun Bowl; Mr. |
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Dorsett is also among the Sun Bowl players who were later inducted |
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into the NFL Hall of Fame, a group that also includes Sid Gillman, |
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Don Maynard, and Merlin Olsen; two additional hall-of-famers, Sammy |
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Baugh and Bill Walsh, coached in the Sun Bowl; other prominent |
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alumni include Ara Parseghian, James Lofton, Priest Holmes, and |
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LaDainian Tomlinson; and |
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WHEREAS, In addition to producing a stellar football contest |
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year after year, Bernie Olivas, the executive director of the Sun |
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Bowl Association, and his fine staff routinely organize a number of |
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other popular community events; in 2012, these included the |
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FirstLight Federal Credit Union Sun Bowl Parade, the WestStar Bank |
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Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational basketball tournament, the |
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Academy Sports + Outdoors Sun Bowl International Soccer Tournament, |
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the Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic, and the Sun |
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Bowl Fan Fiesta; and |
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WHEREAS, The Sun Bowl has been an integral part of the rich |
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tradition of college football over the course of eight decades, |
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while also serving as a valuable showcase for El Paso and the State |
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of Texas, and this classic gridiron event is indeed deserving of |
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acclaim in this special milestone year; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Sun |
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Bowl, and extend sincere best wishes to the event's organizers for |
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continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Sun Bowl Association as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |
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Marquez |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 443 was adopted by the House on |
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February 28, 2013, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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