| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
| |
|
|
WHEREAS, Texas A&M alumnus Dr. Steve O'Neal was inducted into |
|
|
the American Football Kicking Hall of Fame on January 17, 2013; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The American Football Kicking Hall of Fame honors |
|
|
professional, college, and high school players who have shown |
|
|
remarkable accomplishments as placekickers or punters in American |
|
|
football; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Born on February 4, 1946, in Hearne, Steve O'Neal |
|
|
attended high school in that city before enrolling at Texas A&M |
|
|
University, where for three consecutive years he lettered in |
|
|
football and track; in 1967, he was the leading punter in the |
|
|
Southwest Conference and earned All-Conference honors; the |
|
|
following year, he was again selected for the All-SWC team and |
|
|
garnered national recognition for his outstanding performance by |
|
|
being named an All-American; moreover, his memorable play with the |
|
|
Aggies was later honored with his selection as the punter for the |
|
|
university's 1960s All-Decade Team; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Drafted by the New York Jets in 1969, he was playing |
|
|
in just his second professional game when he lined up for a kick |
|
|
while pinned deep in his own end zone; he launched the ball and |
|
|
watched it travel 75 yards in the air before it hit the turf and |
|
|
rolled, ultimately ending up on the opponent's one-yard line; the |
|
|
kick broke the old NFL record set in 1931, and the total distance of |
|
|
98 yards still stands as the longest punt in pro football history; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Over the course of his five-year professional |
|
|
career, during which he played for the New Orleans Saints in |
|
|
addition to the Jets, Steve O'Neal punted for more than 13,700 yards |
|
|
while recording an average of 40.7 yards per kick; when his career |
|
|
was cut short by a knee injury, he left the game and enrolled at the |
|
|
University of Tennessee; he earned a degree in dentistry in 1974 and |
|
|
returned to Texas to establish a practice; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, With his notable success at the collegiate and |
|
|
professional levels and his record-breaking performance as a rookie |
|
|
in the National Football League, Steve O'Neal has contributed to |
|
|
the Lone Star State's tradition of athletic excellence, and he is |
|
|
indeed deserving of this lasting tribute to his achievements; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby congratulate Steve O'Neal on his induction into |
|
|
the American Football Kicking Hall of Fame and extend to him sincere |
|
|
best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for Dr. O'Neal as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
|
|
House of Representatives. |
| |
|
|
Raney |
|
|
Kacal |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 590 was adopted by the House on March |
|
|
13, 2013, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |