HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

289

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

RECOGNIZING the INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE university of hawaii AT Manoa's athletics program.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, our island state has a proud tradition of participation and accomplishment in athletics, an activity that brings our families together; teaches our children the values of teamwork, collaboration, and leadership; and fosters relationships within our communities, across our islands, and around the world; and

 

     WHEREAS, the world of college sports and the opportunities it provides are brought home to our children by an array of teams across our state and a diverse roster of student-athletes who represent Hawaii with pride; and

 

     WHEREAS, the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII has a rich and storied history of accomplishments in collegiate athletics, especially football, diving, baseball, and men’s basketball, with a loyal and devoted base of fans both here at home and around the world; and

 

     WHEREAS, the year 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of Rainbow Wahine Athletics, a program that has experienced a remarkable evolution culminating in national championships, the development of world-class athletes, and widespread fan support and adoration; and

 

     WHEREAS, in recent years, Rainbow Wahine Athletics has overseen the rebirth of women's track and field, the continued dominance of women's volleyball, and national champions crowned in sailing, swimming, and diving; and

 

     WHEREAS, there are currently more than 200 female student athletes in 12 sports at the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, all of whom contribute to the mission of the Athletic Department at the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII to operate dynamic sports programs that encourage student-athletes in their pursuit of excellence in the realms of academic achievement and athletic competition at the highest levels, provide equal opportunities for male and female students of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and develop and promote sportsmanship and ethical conduct; and

 

     WHEREAS, the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII Warrior Football team is led by Head Coach June Jones, considered one of the most prolific offensive minds in the country, who has guided the Warrior Football program through 8 seasons with great success, particularly this past season, for which he earned his second Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Award; and

 

WHEREAS, under the tutelage of Coach Jones, the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII Warrior Football team celebrated a storybook season this past year, earning its first Associated Press Top 25 ranking since 1993, and finishing the season with a school record-tying 11 wins, capped off by a resounding 41-24 triumph over Arizona State in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on December 24, 2006, a win that gave Coach Jones his 64th victory, making him the school’s all-time winningest coach; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Warrior Football team was led this past season by All-American Quarterback Colt Brennan, who broke or tied 19 NCAA records and 26 school records during the 2006 season, including the NCAA single-season record for most touchdown passes with 58, and who was named the 2006 Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting, and was a finalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award; and

 

     WHEREAS, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII diver Megan Farrow earned All-American status at the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, and also earned honorable mention All-American status at the NCAA Championships in 2005-2006, won the 3-meter at the Western Athletic Conference Championships, won the 3-meter at the Big West Shootout, and is the current University of Hawaii record holder on the 3-meter; and

 

     WHEREAS, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII diver Magnus Frick picked up his second First-Team All-American honor in 2007, placed fifth in the men's 1-meter springboard finals at the 2006 European Swimming Championships, and won both the 1- and 3-meter springboard titles at the 2006 Swedish Nationals, and earned a top 10 performance in the 1-meter at the 2005 World Championships; and

 

     WHEREAS, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII diver Mats Wiktorsson placed fourth at the NCAA Championship on the platform, gaining All-American status and earning the highest national finish ever by a UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII male diver or swimmer, and was also honorable mention All-American in the 3-meter at the NCAA's, and was named the Conference USA Diver of the Year, winning both the 1-meter and platform, while placing second in the 3-meter, and broke the University of Houston pool record in the 1-meter, and won the platform event at the Zone E Diving Regional, and placed fourth in both the 1- and 3-meter springboard events at the 2006 Swedish Nationals, and is the current UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII record holder in the 3-meter and platform; and

 

     WHEREAS, the end of an era in UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII Rainbow Warrior basketball was marked this year with the retirement of Head Coach Riley Wallace after a 20-year career with the program, a program he helped resurrect when he came on board in 1987 as its 17th head basketball coach, and for which he would become its winningest coach with 334 victories, made possible by a dominating 92-75 win over Boise State in his last home game at the Stan Sheriff Center; and

 

WHEREAS, Coach Wallace guided the Rainbow Warrior basketball program to 16 winning seasons during his tenure, including the last 8 in a row, two Western Athletic Conference regular-season titles and three WAC tournament championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances and six appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, a record of consistency that never existed in the program’s history prior to his arrival, and for which he leaves behind a legacy of excellence and achievement that all Rainbow Warrior athletes—-past, present and future—and fans can be proud of; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that this body hereby commends and applauds the UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII for its Athletic Program, celebrates the 35th Anniversary of Rainbow Wahine Athletics, and congratulates Warrior Football Head Coach June Jones, Quarterback Colt Brennan, Diver Megan Farrow, Diver Magnus Frick, Diver Mats Wiktorsson, and the Rainbow Warrior basketball team led by Head Coach Riley Wallace for their outstanding seasons and accomplishments, and expresses its warmest aloha and best wishes for continued success.

 

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION