MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE FIRST EXTRAORDINARY SESSION 2011

By: Senator(s) Michel, Dearing To: Rules

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 514

1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION SALUTING FORMER SENATOR AND LONGTIME 2 MINOR LEAGUE TEAM OWNER AND ADMINISTRATOR CON MALONEY 3 UPON HIS INDUCTION INTO THE MISSISSIPPI SPORTS HALL OF FAME. 4 WHEREAS, James Cornelius "Con" Maloney, Jr., former State 5 Senator and Jackson businessman, was one of six inductees at the 6 49th Annual BancorpSouth Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on August 7 12, 2011, a much-deserved induction of Jackson's "Mr. Baseball"; 8 and

9 WHEREAS, keeping organized baseball in Jackson at Smith-Wills

10 Stadium for 19 years, bringing 2.7 million fans through the 11 turnstiles at Smith-Wills Stadium, helping the and 12 Jackson Generals win five Championships, and becoming 13 the only club owner to serve as league president in the 124-year 14 history of the Texas League qualified Con Maloney for this honor. 15 Maloney has done more, including being one of the prime movers and 16 shakers in the creation of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and 17 Museum; and

18 WHEREAS, "Con" Maloney, Jr., comes by his love of baseball 19 honestly. His father, the late James Cornelius "Cowboy" Maloney, 20 Sr., was Jackson's original Mr. Baseball. Cowboy Maloney created 21 the Jackson Cowboys, a semi-pro powerhouse for decades. He was 22 also involved in helping bring the ' Class AA 23 franchise to Jackson and Smith-Wills in 1975. Cowboy Maloney died 24 in 1976 before the Mets' second season in Jackson. When the New 25 York Mets sought local ownership for the Class AA ballclub in

26 1981, they never talked to anyone other than Con Maloney, a State 27 Senator at the time; and

S. C. R. No. 514 *SS01/R20* N1/2 111E/SS01/R20 PAGE 1 28 WHEREAS, Maloney was very much a hands-on owner. He would 29 take infield with his players, who often ate meals or shot baskets 30 at his house. He would ride the buses with them. His first Mets 31 team was the 1982 club that included an of first-round 32 draft choices, , and , 33 and Maloney would wake up to the sound of bouncing balls or a

34 pickup basketball game going on outside his house with those three 35 involved. Former Delta State All-American and future New York Met 36 catcher Barry Lyons was a star on the 1985 Jackson Mets Texas 37 League Championship Team; and 38 WHEREAS, Maloney, who was born J. Con Maloney Jr., on May 13, 39 1939, in Washington, D.C., graduated from St. Joseph High School 40 and attended Hinds Community College and the University of Wyoming 41 on football scholarships. A young Con Maloney scored the first

42 in the history of Jackson Little League Baseball in 1951. He 43 was a football star at St. Joseph High School and signed as a 44 quarterback with Wyoming. After earning a Political Science 45 degree from Millsaps College in 1961, Maloney worked as an 46 assistant to the President of Maytag Company in Newton, Iowa, 47 before becoming a Regional Manager for the corporation in St. 48 Louis, Missouri. In 1965, he joined the family business. In the 49 late 1960s, Maloney bought the business from his parents, and the

50 name of the business was changed to Cowboy Maloney's Electric 51 City. Maloney has grown the company to 13 stores with more than 52 200 employees generating around $50 Million in annual revenues; 53 and 54 WHEREAS, Maloney has served in numerous other professional 55 capacities and has received countless service awards, including 56 the Owen C. Cooper Humanitarian Award, Hugh L. White Free 57 Enterprise Award and Millsaps College Distinguished Sportsman 58 Award. He has served on the Board of Directors for many notable

59 local corporations, including St. Dominic's Hospital, Metropolitan 60 YMCA, and Deposit Guaranty National Bank; and S. C. R. No. 514 *SS01/R20* 111E/SS01/R20 PAGE 2 61 WHEREAS, Maloney and his wife, Betty, have three grown sons: 62 Chris, a minor league baseball Manager for the St. Louis 63 Cardinals; Steve, an attorney and owner of Merchandise Warehouse; 64 and Mark, a partner with King & Spalding law firm in Atlanta; and 65 WHEREAS, Senator Maloney becomes the first person ever 66 inducted into both the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame and the

67 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Maloney's induction into the 68 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame is because he never considered 69 baseball a business, it was his passion: 70 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 71 MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That 72 we do hereby salute former Mississippi Senator and longtime Minor 73 League Baseball Team owner and administrator Con Maloney of 74 Jackson, Mississippi, upon his induction into the 49th Class of

75 the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, and extend to Con and his 76 family our best wishes on this auspicious occasion. 77 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to 78 Con Maloney, forwarded to the Executive Director of the 79 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and made available to the Capitol 80 Press Corps.

S. C. R. No. 514 *SS01/R20* 111E/SS01/R20 ST: Salute former Senator Con Maloney upon PAGE 3 induction into Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.