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Filed for intro on 02/04/99

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 35 By Fraley

A RESOLUTION to honor Coach and the 1998 University of Football Team on winning the NCAA National Championship.

WHEREAS, steeped in a tradition of gridiron excellence, with the strains of "" ringing triumphantly in their delighted ears, our beloved have fulfilled their long time goal of winning the NCAA National Championship; and

WHEREAS, on one of the most historic days in state history, January 4, 1999, this quest for superiority was achieved, much to the joy of Tennessee faithful throughout

Orange Land, as Coach Fulmer and the Volunteers defeated the tough

Florida State University Seminoles to become 1998 NCAA National Champions; and

WHEREAS, ranked 10th in the nation at the beginning of the season, this Orange-clad cast of players quickly established themselves as a team of destiny with an exciting come-from- behind 34-33 victory on the road against the Syracuse Orangemen; behind the running of Jamal

Lewis and the Vols emerged victorious as Winchester native Jeff Hall kicked a last- second 27-yard field goal in a thrilling game; and

WHEREAS, Hall was one of many heroes for the Vols in the second game against

Florida as they won a titanic battle with the Gators, 20-17; a 57-yard dash, Tee Martin-to- touchdown pass, and swarming defense, led by

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 35

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-1- sealed the Vols' overtime win over the Gators and a speechless in one of the nation's most anticipated rivalries; and

WHEREAS, after the game students and fans alike stormed the field, tore down the goalposts and ripped up sections of sod at hallowed Shield's Watkins Field in scenes reminiscent of the postgame celebration of the Vols' victory over Alabama in 1982; and

WHEREAS, on September 26, the Houston Cougars came calling on the Vols at

Neyland Stadium, only to be dispatched by a hungry band of Tennessee defenders; Tee Martin turned in a career performance, completing 14 of 19 passes for 234 yards, and rumbled 59 yards for a score as the Vols cruised, 42-7; and

WHEREAS, the next invitee to the "Vols Victory Tour" was ; Shaun

Ellis opened the scoring for the 5th-ranked Volunteers when he picked off an errant Auburn pass and, with a wall of teammates riding escort, scampered 90 "long" yards for a score; and

WHEREAS, Coach John Chavis and his tenacious Tennessee defense played a key role in the win as it launched a barrage of vicious hits on the Tigers, who failed in four attempts to reach the from the six inch line; the 17-9 win was not without cost for the Vols, however, as Jamal Lewis was lost for the season with an injury; and

WHEREAS, in a showdown "between the hedges" at Georgia, picked up the slack for the injured Lewis, rushing for 107 yards to lead the Vols; Tennessee's defense stifled the 7th-ranked Bulldogs and Tee Martin passed for two scoring strikes as the Vols cruised to their eighth straight win over Georgia, firmly establishing themselves as the team to beat for the SEC East title; and

WHEREAS, Tennessee struggled two weeks later against a tough Alabama team until

Peerless Price shook off would-be tacklers on a kickoff return and galloped 100 yards to the land of orange and white checkerboards; Vol fans from Mountain City to Memphis could hear

John Ward's magical countdown of "5-4-3-2-1…give him six…touchdown Big Orange" ringing in their ears at the end of Price's epic run; and

- 2 - 00176326 WHEREAS, the win was Tennessee's fourth consecutive against Alabama as the Vol defense "rolled" the Tide, holding their fifth consecutive opponent to under 20 points; Travis

Henry, one-half of the lethal "TNT" combination stepped up for the Vols on the ground as he blasted his way for 113 yards and two on 22 carries; and

WHEREAS, in their 49-14 thrashing of the South Carolina Gamecocks on Halloween, the Vols and Tee Martin did their best Grim Reaper impersonation as "Mr. Consistent" played a nearly flawless game, completing an NCAA record 23 consecutive passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns, with Price and Jermaine Copeland being the beneficiaries of Martin's efforts; and

WHEREAS, the Orange Crush defense, led by Al Wilson, again set the tone for

Tennessee's November 7th clash with the -Birmingham as the Blazers were held to 71 passing yards; the 37-31 win propelled UT to a No. 1 ranking, the first time in 42 years the Vols have ascended to such dizzying heights; and set the stage for a crucial SEC clash with undefeated and No. 9 ranked Arkansas; and

WHEREAS, Tennessee's rousing 28-24 comeback win against the Razorbacks was one for the ages. Arkansas led 24-22 and was on the verge of running out the clock when the Vols'

Billy Ratliff recovered a Hog ; minutes later thundered into the end zone on a one-yard run for the lead in one of Tennessee's biggest victories in school history; and

WHEREAS, the Big Orange Express rolled on, one week later, to a declawing of the

Kentucky Wildcats. Scoring early and often en route to a 59-21 dismantling of &

Company, Tennessee clinched its second consecutive SEC East title and lifted its record to 10-

0 for the first time since the 1956 season; and

WHEREAS, on November 28, Tennessee fans flocked to Nashville and Vanderbilt's

"Little " to see Travis Henry, Tee Martin and Peerless Price light up the scoreboard in a 41-0 "sinking" of the Commodores; linebacker Eric Westmorland's devastating hit on a Vandy reverberated all the way to the State Capitol; and

- 3 - 00176326 WHEREAS, in the SEC Championship game against Mississippi State, Coach Fulmer's charges locked up a berth in the and a shot at the national championship by rallying for a 24-14 victory over the Bulldogs; responding like a true champion, the Vols vaunted defense yielded a meager 65 yards rushing and 84 yards in the air as Tee Martin orchestrated two touchdown drives in less than a minute, sending the 'Dogs whimpering back to Starkville; and

WHEREAS, this victory marked their second consecutive championship; and

WHEREAS, in the Final Poll, the Volunteers were ranked number one and thus won the right to play Florida State University, ranked number two, in the

Fiesta Bowl, in Tempe, Arizona, for the undisputed National Championship; and

WHEREAS, thousands of Big Orange faithful filled the stands in Sun Devil Stadium and millions more around the world gathered to watch the “Delirium in the Desert” as their beloved

Vols took on Coach and Florida State; this Tennessee team of destiny was not to be denied; and

WHEREAS, Tennessee beat Florida State 23-16, scoring on a 4-yard Tee Martin to

Shawn Bryson pass and a 54-yard return in the second quarter; and a 79-yard Martin to Price pass and a Jeff Hall field goal in the fourth quarter; and

WHEREAS, so complete was Tennessee's defensive domination that Florida State's superb receiver, , had one catch for seven yards, and Marcus Outzen was intercepted twice and sacked four times; and

WHEREAS, never have the melodious tones of Rocky Top sounded so sweet as Coach

Fulmer and his team accepted the prestigious Sears Trophy, given annually to college football's national champion; and

WHEREAS, the Tennessee Volunteers achieved the distinct honor of being named the consensus National Champion, with number-one rankings in the final Bowl Championship

- 4 - 00176326 Series Poll with a 3.47 ranking; and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, with 1,550 points; the

ESPN/Collegiate Football Top 25 Fan Poll, with 35,265 total points and 11,182 first-place votes; and the Top 25 Poll; and

WHEREAS, this was the Volunteers' fifth National Championship, with the other titles coming in 1938, 1940, 1950, and 1951; and

WHEREAS, Coach Phillip Fulmer has done a marvelous job of blending the natural talent of the team into championship caliber, the season was truly a team effort; and

WHEREAS, Coach Fulmer was honored with the Eddie Robinson Award and as the

National Coach of the Year; the Sporting News National Coach of the Year Award; the George

Munger Award from the ; and the Associated Press Coaches SEC Coach of the Year; and

WHEREAS, his able Assistant Coaches were: Mike Barry and Mark Bradley, Offensive

Line; Dan Brooks, Defensive Line; Steve Caldwell, Defensive Ends; John Chavis, Defensive

Coordinator and ; , Offense and ; ,

Defensive Backs; , Recruiting Coordinator and Running Backs; and Pat

Washington, Receivers; and

WHEREAS, the powerful offense, which scored a phenomenal 431 points with an average of 33.15 points per game, included: starter seniors Peerless Price, Mercedes Hamilton,

Jarvis Reado, Jermaine Copeland, and Shawn Bryson; juniors Tee Martin, , and

Spencer Riley; sophomores and Travis Henry and freshman John Finlayson; and substitute seniors Diron Robinson, juniors Eric Diogu, Josh Tucker, and Phillip Crosby; sophomores Neil Johnson, Toby Champion, Bernard Gooden, , Cedrick Wilson, and Travis Stephens and freshmen Will Ofenheusle, Bobby Graham, Kevin Taylor, Eric Parker,

Burney Veazey, Joey Mathews, and ; and

WHEREAS, the stingy defense, which only allowed 189 points, an average of a mere

14.53 points per game, included: starter seniors Jeff Hall, Jeff Coleman, , Al Wilson,

- 5 - 00176326 and Steve Johnson; juniors , , , Dwayne

Goodrich, Fred White, and Kevin Gregory, and sophomores and Deon

Grant; substitute seniors Matt Ratliff, Ron Green; juniors Billy Ratliff, Roger Alexander, Gerald

Griflin, Derrick Edmonds, and Mikki Allen; sophomores DeAngelo Lloyd, ,

Chris Ramseur, Austin Kemp, , and Judd Granzow; and freshmen Bernard Jackson,

Fred Weary, Ed Butler, , Andre James, Maurice Fitzgerald, Teddy Gaines, Willie

Miles, and Tad Golden; and

WHEREAS, for their outstanding efforts, this body takes great pride in joining all

Tennesseans in bestowing upon Coach Fulmer, his staff and the entire Tennessee football team the honor and commendation they so richly deserve; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED

FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE

CONCURRING, That we honor, congratulate and commend Coach Phillip Fulmer and the

University of Tennessee football team on winning the 1998 College Football National

Championship, the Southeastern Conference title and going undefeated.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we extend our best wishes for what we are confident will be a spirited defense of their national and Southeastern Conference championships.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That appropriate copies of this resolution be prepared for presentation to the school and to each person named above, with this final clause omitted from such copies.

- 6 - 00176326