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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The life of a gridiron legend drew to a close with |
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the passing on April 1, 2013, of renowned football player and coach |
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Jack Pardee; and |
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WHEREAS, Born on April 19, 1936, in Iowa, Jack Pardee was the |
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youngest of Earl and Lameda Pardee's six children; after the family |
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moved to Texas and settled in Christoval, Mr. Pardee worked in the |
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oil fields as a teenager and played football for the six-man team at |
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Christoval High School; during his senior season in 1952, he scored |
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57 touchdowns, helping the Cougars to become regional champions, |
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and he is considered one of the greatest six-man players in the |
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history of Texas high school athletics; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Pardee went on to attend Texas A&M University, |
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where he became one of Coach Bear Bryant's "Junction Boys," so named |
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for the Texas Hill Country town where the coach conducted a grueling |
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training camp in 1954; Mr. Pardee played three seasons for the |
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Aggies, serving as a captain in 1956, when the team was ranked fifth |
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in the nation, and the talented scholar-athlete was named an |
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All-American and Academic All-American; and |
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WHEREAS, Drafted by the National Football League's Los |
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Angeles Rams in 1957, Mr. Pardee played linebacker for the team |
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until 1964, when he briefly retired to receive treatment for |
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melanoma; he returned for five more seasons with the Rams, and he |
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finished his playing career with the Washington Redskins in 1972; |
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his 15 years in the league were highlighted by an exceptional season |
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in 1963, when he was named a first-team All-Pro player and took part |
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in the Pro Bowl; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Pardee continued his successful football career |
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by transitioning to coaching; he began by leading a World Football |
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League team, the Florida Blazers, then coached the Chicago Bears |
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from 1975 to 1977, guiding the team to the playoffs for the first |
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time since 1963; he took the helm with the Redskins from 1978 to |
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1980, and he was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press |
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in 1979; and |
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WHEREAS, After working for a season as an assistant coach |
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with the San Diego Chargers, he became head coach of the Houston |
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Gamblers of the U.S. Football League for two years before being |
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hired as the head coach for the University of Houston; during his |
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tenure at UH in the late 1980s, he installed the high-powered "run |
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and shoot" offense, and his team made NCAA history when it became |
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the first squad to finish with more than 1,000 yards of offense in a |
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single game; among the players Mr. Pardee mentored at the |
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university was Andre Ware, the first African American quarterback |
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to win the Heisman Trophy; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1990, Mr. Pardee returned to the NFL to coach the |
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Houston Oilers, leading the team to four consecutive playoff |
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appearances; he concluded his work with the Oilers in 1994 and |
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coached the Birmingham Barracudas of the Canadian Football League |
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for a year before retiring to his cattle ranch in Gause; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Pardee's accomplishments as a player and coach |
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were honored with a number of accolades, including induction into |
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the College Football Hall of Fame and Coach of the Year awards for |
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his work in the NCAA Southwest Conference, the NFL, the World |
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Football League, and the USFL; in all his endeavors, he enjoyed the |
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love and support of his wife, Phyllis, with whom he shared 56 years |
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of marriage and raised five children; and |
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WHEREAS, A superb athlete and an innovative coach, Jack |
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Pardee excelled in both roles, and his impressive contributions to |
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the sport of football over the course of more than four decades won |
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the respect of his players and peers, as well as countless sports |
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fans in the Lone Star State and beyond; 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 life of Jack Pardee and extend |
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sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, Phyllis; |
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to his children, Steven Pardee, Judee Peterson and her husband, |
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Bruce, Anne Pardee, Susan Brown and her husband, Scott, and Ted |
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Pardee and his wife, Elizabeth; to his grandchildren, Trevor |
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Pardee, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Jake Peterson, Matthew, Kelly, |
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Madeline, Caroline, and Chase Brown, and Ellie, Payton, and Luke |
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Pardee; to his brother, Bob Pardee; and to his other relatives, many |
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friends, and former colleagues and players; 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 Jack |
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Pardee. |