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Home , Don Kessinger, Jake Gibbs, Ken Hubbs, Professional baseball, Swayze Field

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2021

By: Representatives Deweese, Creekmore IV, To: Rules Beckett

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 67

1 A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING OLE MISS LEGEND 2 AND MAJOR LEAGUE ALL-STAR, MR. , UPON THE 3 CELEBRATION OF HIS MAGNIFICENT BASEBALL CAREER AND THE RETIREMENT 4 OF HIS NO. 11 JERSEY BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI. 5 WHEREAS, the University of Mississippi baseball legend and 6 All-Star, Don Kessinger, will have his 7 jersey number, No. 11, retired by the University of Mississippi on

8 Thursday, April 22, 2021, a true testament to his remarkable 9 collegiate and career; and 10 WHEREAS, Mr. Kessinger's No. 11 jersey, the number he wore 11 when he earned six All-Star and two Gold Glove selections as the 12 for the , will be displayed on the outfield 13 wall at Swayze Field in Oxford, Mississippi, beside the jersey of 14 , the only other Rebel baseball player to have his

15 number retired; and 16 WHEREAS, during his tenure as an Ole Miss Rebel, Mr. 17 Kessinger was a rare two-sport All-American who excelled in both 18 basketball and baseball from 1962 until 1964, earning All-SEC and 19 All-America honors in both sports; and H. R. No. 67 *HR12/R1956* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2 21/HR12/R1956 PAGE 1 (ENK\AM) 20 WHEREAS, bursting with wit and athleticism, Mr. Kessinger's 21 mental stamina and determination never waivered from the moment he 22 stepped onto the red, dusty diamond or ran onto the court until 23 the final out was called and the final buzzer alarmed, setting the 24 bar extremely high for all future Rebel athletes; and 25 WHEREAS, as a basketball player, Mr. Kessinger averaged 22.2

26 points per game to rank fourth in Ole Miss history as well as 11th 27 with 1,553 career points, and on the diamond, his feats were 28 equally impressive as his .400 career average still 29 remains number one in the Ole Miss record book, an effort which is 30 also sixth on the (SEC) career chart; and 31 WHEREAS, Mr. Kessinger's best year at the plate came in 1964 32 when he led the SEC by hitting .436, a performance which remains

33 as the best single-season effort in Rebel baseball history, and 34 his nine career triples and 44 career steals place him 10th on 35 each Ole Miss all-time list; and 36 WHEREAS, following a successful collegiate career, Mr. 37 Kessinger moved on to Major League Baseball (MLB) where he put

38 together an impressive 16-year career, as he started with the 39 Chicago Cubs in 1964 and played at until 1975, and

40 during that time as the Cubs' starting shortstop, he played in six 41 All-Star Games, earned two Gold Glove Awards and set a then-Major 42 League record for consecutive errorless games at shortstop with 54 43 in 1969; and

H. R. No. 67 *HR12/R1956* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 21/HR12/R1956 PAGE 2 (ENK\AM) 44 WHEREAS, in his last season in MLB, 1979, Mr. Kessinger 45 served as a player- for the White Sox, making him the last 46 player-manager in history to hold the elite 47 position; and 48 WHEREAS, a native of Forrest City, Mississippi, Mr. Kessinger 49 has been named an SEC legend as well as a member of the Chicago

50 Cubs, Ole Miss Sports, Mississippi, Arkansas, Chicago and National 51 High School Halls of Fame, but perhaps his best known trait was 52 his upstanding character, as he was an honoree at the 1976 Chicago 53 Baseball Writers Diamond Dinner, where he was presented with the 54 Ken Hubbs Award, given for exemplary conduct both on and off the 55 field; in 1977, he was named the recipient of the Danny Thomas 56 Memorial Award, for his exemplary Christian spirit in MLB; and the

57 following year, he was the recipient of the Memorial 58 Award, presented annually to the Major League Baseball player who 59 both on and off the field best exemplifies the character of Lou 60 Gehrig; and 61 WHEREAS, despite his exit from MLB, Mr. Kessinger's love for

62 baseball never dwindled, and in 1991, he returned to his alma 63 mater to become head of the Rebels, taking over for the

64 legendary Gibbs; and 65 WHEREAS, Mr. Kessinger won 185 games over six seasons as the 66 head baseball coach of the , and in 1995, he led 67 Ole Miss to its first-ever 40-win season, as well as its first 68 NCAA Regional berth since 1977; and

H. R. No. 67 *HR12/R1956* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 21/HR12/R1956 PAGE 3 (ENK\AM) 69 WHEREAS, as a coach and player-manager, Mr. Kessinger carried 70 himself with unparalleled amounts of grace and prestige while 71 providing invaluable leadership and personal guidance and 72 inspiration to countless young men both on his teams and across 73 the nation; and 74 WHEREAS, Mr. Kessinger's sons, Keith and Kevin, not only

75 inherited his love of baseball but his talents as well, as they 76 both followed in his footsteps and had outstanding Rebel careers 77 before moving on to professional baseball, and his legacy 78 continued even further when his grandson, , became 79 the second All-American shortstop in the family, earning 80 first-team honors in 2019; and 81 WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to

82 recognize and commend the outstanding contributions of fine 83 leaders such as Mr. Don Kessinger, who has shaped the lives of 84 countless Mississippians and made immeasurable contributions to 85 the University of Mississippi and the City of Oxford, bringing 86 great honor to his school, his community and the entire State of

87 Mississippi: 88 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF

89 REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby 90 commend and congratulate Ole Miss legend and Major League Baseball 91 All-Star, Mr. Don Kessinger, upon the celebration of his 92 magnificent baseball career and the retirement of his No. 11

H. R. No. 67 *HR12/R1956* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 21/HR12/R1956 PAGE 4 (ENK\AM) 93 jersey by the University of Mississippi and extend best wishes for 94 happiness on such a splendid occasion. 95 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be 96 furnished to Mr. Don Kessinger and to the members of the Capitol 97 Press Corps.

H. R. No. 67 *HR12/R1956* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 21/HR12/R1956 ST: Don Kessinger; congratulate upon occasion PAGE 5 (ENK\AM) of the retirement of his jersey number by the University of Mississippi.