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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The life of a Lone Star legend drew to a close with |
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the passing of former University of Texas football coach Darrell K |
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Royal on November 7, 2012, at the age of 88; and |
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WHEREAS, A phenomenal leader who never had a losing season |
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during more than 20 years in college football, Coach Royal became a |
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beloved figure to generations of UT fans, not only for his superb |
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gridiron accomplishments but also for his work in behalf of the |
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university and the wider community; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Hollis, Oklahoma, Darrell Royal excelled at |
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football, baseball, and basketball during his youth and received |
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scholarship offers in all three sports; after serving in the Army |
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Air Corps during World War II, he enrolled at the University of |
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Oklahoma, where he earned All-American honors as a quarterback and |
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punter and established school records for longest punt return and |
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for career interceptions that have yet to be broken; and |
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WHEREAS, His rise through the coaching ranks in the early |
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1950s was meteoric; he held seven jobs in seven years, four of which |
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were head coaching assignments--El Reno High School, the Edmonton |
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Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, Mississippi State |
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University, and the University of Washington--before being hired by |
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UT in December 1956; he inherited a Longhorns team that had posted a |
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dismal 1-9 record the previous season, but he managed to |
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immediately turn the program around, guiding his players to a berth |
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in the Sugar Bowl during his debut year; and |
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WHEREAS, So began two unforgettable decades during which the |
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Longhorns became a national powerhouse; under the direction of |
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Coach Royal, Texas won 3 national championships, claimed 11 |
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Southwest Conference titles, and made 16 bowl appearances, 10 of |
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which were victories in the Cotton Bowl; he also fostered |
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excellence off the field by becoming the first college coach to hire |
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a full-time academic counselor to assist players, and he personally |
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awarded special "T" rings to those who graduated; and |
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WHEREAS, Coach Royal was renowned for developing innovative |
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approaches to the game, such as the famous "wishbone" formation |
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that helped the team to rack up 30 straight victories after being |
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introduced in 1968; his homespun wit was just as sharp as his |
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strategy, and many of his humorous observations have become |
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oft-repeated sayings among football enthusiasts; and |
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WHEREAS, In addition to his work overseeing the football |
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team, Coach Royal served as the university's athletics director |
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from 1962 to 1979 and was later appointed as a special assistant to |
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the president on athletic matters; in recognition of his |
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contributions, the UT football stadium was renamed in 1996 as the |
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Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, and in 2006 he became just |
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the fifth person to earn the Distinguished Service Award from the |
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Texas Exes; and |
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WHEREAS, Numerous other accolades were bestowed on this |
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highly respected coach as well; he won two Coach of the Year awards |
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from the American Football Coaches Association and three from the |
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Football Writers Association of America; he was inducted into the |
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National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, the |
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Texas and Oklahoma Sports Halls of Fame, the Longhorn Hall of Honor, |
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and the Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Fame; in 1996 he received the |
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coveted Horatio Alger Award, in 2000 he became the inaugural |
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recipient of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, and |
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in 2010 he received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award for "the |
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individual . . . whose services have been outstanding in the |
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advancement of the best interests of football"; and |
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WHEREAS, Coach Royal's dedication to helping others was |
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reflected in his sponsorship of a charity golf tournament in |
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conjunction with Willie Nelson and Ben Crenshaw that raised several |
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million dollars to benefit youth in East Austin; moreover, he and |
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his wife, Edith, established the Darrell K Royal Fund for |
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Alzheimer's Research to expand study and treatment of the disease; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The most successful football coach in the history of |
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The University of Texas at Austin and one of the greatest of his |
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era, Darrell Royal played a major role in furthering the tradition |
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of excellence that defines Longhorn athletics, and his legacy will |
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be celebrated by the UT faithful for as long as the sport of |
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football is played on the 40 Acres; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Coach Darrell K |
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Royal and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to |
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his wife of 68 years, Edith Royal; to his son, Sammy Royal, and his |
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wife, April; to his son-in-law, Chic Kazen; to his grandsons, |
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Christian Kazen, David Kazen, and Sammy Royal; to his |
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granddaughter, Elena Trombetta; to his great-granddaughters, |
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Isabella and Alexandra Kazen; and to his other relatives and many |
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friends; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Darrell |
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Royal. |
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Darby |
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Branch |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1070 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on April 3, 2013. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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