TITLE: Honoring Robert Griffin III for winning the 2011 Heisman Trophy.

SUMMARY: Honoring Robert Griffin III for winning the 2011 Heisman Trophy.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Robert Griffin III was named the winner of the 2011 Heisman Trophy after leading the Baylor University football team to one of its best seasons in a quarter-century; and WHEREAS, The son of Robert and Jacqueline Griffin, Robert Lee Griffin III was raised in Copperas Cove, where he was a standout high school athlete in football and in track; opting to attend Baylor, he enrolled in the spring of 2008 and immediately proved his athletic abilities by earning All-America honors in outdoor track during his first semester at the university; in the fall, he was the starting quarterback for 11 of 12 games as an 18-year-old freshman; and WHEREAS, After suffering a knee injury during the 2009 season, Mr. Griffin returned in 2010, rested and ready; that year, he set or tied 11 single-season school records, threw for more than 3,500 yards and 22 touchdowns, and helped Baylor to attain its first bowl-game appearance in more than a decade and a half; in recognition of his performance, he was named to the All-Big 12 team and won the league's Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year awards; and WHEREAS, Suiting up as a fourth-year junior in 2011, he began by leading Baylor to an opening-game victory against defending Rose Bowl champion Texas Christian University and then secured key conference wins against Iowa State, Missouri, and Kansas; on November 19, in a game that made Baylor history, he threw a last-second, 34-yard touchdown pass that enabled the Bears to defeat Oklahoma for the first time ever, and the team ended the regular season with triumphs against Texas Tech and Texas; in the Alamo Bowl, this respected athlete closed out his award-winning year on a high note as he and his teammates knocked off Washington 67-56 in the highest-scoring bowl game in history; and WHEREAS, Mr. Griffin is renowned for his speed, accuracy, and ability to throw the ball deep; during 2011, he completed 72 percent of his passes for nearly 4,300 yards and 37 touchdowns and rushed for 699 yards and 10 TDs; and WHEREAS, In addition to his success on the gridiron, Mr. Griffin excelled in his academic studies at the university, earning a degree in political science in 2010 and going on to pursue a master's degree in communications; and WHEREAS, By winning one of the most important trophies in American college sports and sparking the resurgence of the Baylor football program, Robert Griffin furthered the Lone Star State's exceptional tradition of athletic achievement, and his accomplishments will be remembered for years to come; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Robert Griffin III on winning the 2011 Heisman Trophy and extend to him sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Griffin as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Patrick Kacal J. Davis of Harris Leach Phillips Anderson Sanford Straus M. Gonzalez of El Paso Oliveira Allen N. Gonzalez of El Paso Orr Alonzo Gooden Otto Alvarado Guerra Paddie Anchia Guillen Parker Anderson Gutierrez Patrick Ashby Harless Perez Aycock Harper-Brown Perry Bell Hernandez Luna Phillips Bohac Herrero Pickett Bonnen of Brazoria Hilderbran Pitts Bonnen of Galveston Howard Price Branch Huberty Raney Burkett Hughes Ratliff Burnam Hunter Raymond Button Isaac Reynolds Callegari Johnson Riddle Canales Kacal Ritter Capriglione Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar Carter King of Hemphill Rodriguez of Travis Clardy King of Parker Rose Coleman King of Taylor Sanford Collier King of Zavala Schaefer Cook Kleinschmidt Sheets Cortez Klick Sheffield of Bell Craddick Kolkhorst Sheffield of Coryell Creighton Krause Simmons Crownover Kuempel Simpson Dale Larson Smith Darby Laubenberg Smithee Davis of Dallas Lavender Springer J. Davis of Harris Leach Stephenson S. Davis of Harris Lewis Stickland Deshotel Longoria Strama Dukes Lozano Taylor Dutton Lucio III Thompson of Brazoria Eiland Marquez Thompson of Harris Elkins Martinez Toth Fallon Martinez Fischer Turner of Collin Farias McClendon Turner of Harris Farney Menendez Turner of Tarrant Farrar Miles Villalba Fletcher Miller of Comal Villarreal Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo Frank Moody Walle Frullo Morrison White Geren Munoz, Jr. Workman Giddings Murphy Wu Goldman Naishtat Zedler Gonzales Nevarez Zerwas Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 10 was adopted by the House on March 12, 2013, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House