2012R1273A
1 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 8
2 (By Delegates Frazier, Ellington and Gearheart)
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6 Requesting the Division of Highways to designate the interchange of
7 Interstate 77 and U.S. Route 460 in Princeton, West Virginia
8 the “All-American Rod Thorn Interchange.”
9 WHEREAS, Rod Thorn, the son of Joe and Jackie Thorn, was raised
10 in Princeton and graduated from Princeton High School in 1959; and
11 WHEREAS, Rod Thorn played baseball and basketball at Princeton
12 High School for four years, and while under the tutelage of
13 basketball coach William "Buster" Brown, was named to the West
14 Virginia All-State Basketball team his sophomore, junior and senior
15 years; and
16 WHEREAS, Rod Thorn was heavily recruited by many of the top
17 college basketball programs in the country, but chose to stay home
18 and play for West Virginia University; and
19 WHEREAS, Rod Thorn was a baseball and basketball standout at
20 WVU from 1961-1963, and played on three NCAA baseball and two NCAA
21 basketball teams. In 1963 Rod was named the Southern Conference
22 Athlete of the Year. In basketball, Rod scored 1785 career points
23 and led the Mountaineers in scoring, rebounding, shooting
24 percentage and assists while earning All-America honors from the
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1 Helms Foundation, Look, Coach and Athlete and Converse; and
2 WHEREAS, Rod Thorn was the second player selected overall in
3 the 1963 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets and was named to the
4 NBA All-Rookie Team his first year with the Bullets. Rod went on
5 to play with Detroit, St. Louis and Seattle during a career that
6 spanned eight years; and
7 WHEREAS, After finishing his playing career in 1971, Rod Thorn
8 stayed with the Seattle Supersonics as an assistant coach under
9 head coach Lenny Wilkens. In 1973, Rod became an assistant coach of
10 the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association, and
11 helped the Nets, who were led by Julius Erving, to win the 1974 ABA
12 championship. Rod also served as head coach of the ABA St. Louis
13 Spirits in 1975 and was an assistant coach with the Nets when they
14 moved to the NBA in 1976; and
15 WHEREAS, In 1978, Rod Thorn began a seven year stint as
16 general manager of the Chicago Bulls and he was instrumental in the
17 team's selection of Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft. During his
18 tenure with Chicago, Rod also served as interim head coach for
19 thirty games in 1982; and
20 WHEREAS, From 1986 to 2000 Rod Thorn was the NBA's Executive
21 Vice President of Basketball Operations, where he oversaw all on-
22 court operations, including officiating, game conduct and
23 discipline; and
24 WHEREAS, In 2000 Rod Thorn became President of the New Jersey
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1 Nets and was named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2002 after the
2 Nets advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise
3 history. In 2010 Rod Thorn became President of the Philadelphia
4 76ers NBA team after serving with the Nets organization the
5 previous ten years; and
6 WHEREAS, Rod Thorn has an honorary degree from West Virginia
7 University and served on the WVU Board of Directors for five years.
8 Rod also has a degree from the University of Washington that he
9 completed while coaching with the Seattle Supersonics; and
10 WHEREAS, Rod Thorn was inducted into the West Virginia
11 University Sports Hall of Fame in 1992; and
12 WHEREAS, Rod and his wife, Peggy, have a son, Jonathan, and
13 twin daughters, Amanda and Jessica; and
14 WHEREAS, Throughout his storied career, Rod Thorn has remained
15 a loyal West Virginian who has continued his close ties with West
16 Virginia University, the City of Princeton and the State of West
17 Virginia; and
18 WHEREAS, It is only fitting and proper that Rod Thorn's good
19 works and important contributions to the game of basketball, to
20 West Virginia University, the City of Princeton and the State of
21 West Virginia be so honored and remembered; therefore, be it
22 Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
23 That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to designate
24 the interchange of Interstate 77 and U.S. Route 460 in Princeton,
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1 West Virginia the “All-American Rod Thorn Interchange”; and, be it
2 Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways is requested
3 to have made and be placed, signs or other appropriate markers,
4 identifying the interchange as the “All-American Rod Thorn
5 Interchange”; and, be it
6 Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates
7 forward a certified copy of this resolution to Rod Thorn and his
8 family, and the Secretary of the Department of Transportation.
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