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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, In a fitting tribute to an outstanding career that |
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spanned more than four decades, basketball coach Nolan Richardson |
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is being inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame as a member of |
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the Class of 2015; and |
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WHEREAS, Born and raised in Segundo Barrio in El Paso, Nolan |
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Richardson graduated from Bowie High School and went on to attend |
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Texas Western College, where he played for legendary coach Don |
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Haskins; after beginning his career as a head coach at the high |
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school level, he entered the collegiate ranks in 1978 as the head |
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coach at Western Texas College; in 1980, he led the Westerners to an |
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undefeated record and the National Junior College Athletic |
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Association championship, and the following year he accepted the |
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head coaching position at the University of Tulsa; there, he guided |
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the team to a National Invitation Tournament title and compiled an |
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exemplary 119-37 overall record; and |
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WHEREAS, Coach Richardson took over the program at the |
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University of Arkansas in 1985, and during his 17 seasons at the |
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school, he helped the Razorbacks reach new levels of success; |
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employing an up-tempo offense and an aggressive pressure defense, |
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his squads played in the Final Four three times, and Arkansas proved |
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itself the finest team in the country in 1994, when it won the NCAA |
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Division I national championship; by the time Coach Richardson |
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completed his tenure in 2002, he had become the winningest coach in |
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the university's history; and |
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WHEREAS, This esteemed mentor has received numerous |
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accolades, including the National Coach of the Year award in 1994 |
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and induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame |
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and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; moreover, he |
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remains the only college coach to win a junior college |
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championship, an NIT title, and an NCAA Tournament crown; and |
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WHEREAS, Dedicated to helping others, Coach Richardson hosts |
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the Nolan Richardson Charity Golf Tournament each year in El Paso, |
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an event that benefits a number of worthwhile charitable |
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initiatives in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas; in recognition of his |
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accomplishments and his noteworthy contributions to his hometown, a |
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middle school, a street, and a recreation center in El Paso all bear |
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his name; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the course of his exceptional career, Nolan |
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Richardson distinguished himself as one of the top college |
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basketball coaches in the nation, and he is indeed deserving of this |
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prestigious hall of fame honor; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Nolan Richardson on his induction |
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into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and extend to him sincere best |
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wishes for the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Coach Richardson as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |