MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2020

By: Representative Wallace To: Rules

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 61

1 A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING NFL LIV 2 CHAMPION FOOTBALL OFFENSIVE TACKLE MARTINAS 3 ORLANDO RANKIN WHO WAS A STANDOUT AT MENDENHALL HIGH SCHOOL AND 4 MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE. 5 WHEREAS, Super Bowl LIV featured nine players with 6 Mississippi connections, five with the Kansas City Chiefs and four

7 with the San Francisco 49ers and among the championship Kansas 8 City team stars was Offensive Tackle Martinas Orlando Rankin from 9 Mendenhall, Mississippi; and 10 WHEREAS, Martinas Orlando Rankin was born October 20, 1994, 11 and after playing at Mendenhall High School in Mississippi, Rankin 12 spent two years at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 13 Perkinston, Mississippi where he was rated as the ninth best

14 junior college recruit by 247SPORTS and committed to play at 15 Mississippi State over offers from Oklahoma, Florida, Louisville, 16 Missouri, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas and others; and 17 WHEREAS, at Mississippi State University, Martinas was 18 redshirted in 2015 and earned a starting job as a junior in 2016 19 before having a breakout year in 2017, winning the prestigious H. R. No. 61 *HR31/R2130* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2 20/HR31/R2130 PAGE 1 (CAA\JAB) 20 Kent Hull Trophy and being named to the 2017 All-SEC Football 21 Team; and 22 WHEREAS, before his senior year, Martinas was projected as a 23 first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by several writers, and his 24 college career included the following: Mississippi Gulf Coast 25 Community College, 2013-2014: Academic Honor Roll, JUCO

26 All-American and nation's top JUCO offensive lineman; Mississippi 27 State University, 2015-2017: Major: Kinesiology; 2015-2016 and 28 2017 SEC Academic Honor Roll, Football Achievements: 2017 First 29 Team All-SEC (coaches), 2017 Second-Team All-SEC (Associated 30 Press), 2017 Honorable Mention All-American (SB Nation), 2017 31 Campbell Trophy Semifinalist and 2017 Team Captain and attended 32 SEC Media Day; and

33 WHEREAS, the selected Rankin in the third 34 round (80th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft making Rankin the 35 eighth offensive tackle drafted in 2018, and the pick used to 36 draft Rankin was acquired in a trade that sent to the 37 ; and

38 WHEREAS, on May 10, 2018, the Houston Texans signed Rankin to 39 a four-year, multi-million dollar contract that included a signing

40 bonus and the Texans drafted Rankin to play offensive tackle 41 although many scouts and draft experts viewed him as an interior 42 offensive lineman in the NFL; and 43 WHEREAS, on August 31, 2019, Rankin was traded to the Kansas 44 City Chiefs in exchange for running back , and he

H. R. No. 61 *HR31/R2130* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 20/HR31/R2130 PAGE 2 (CAA\JAB) 45 started five games at left guard before suffering a knee injury in 46 week 10 after which he was placed on injured reserve on November 47 11, 2019, and his Chiefs went on to win Super Bowl LIV, their 48 first championship in 50 years; and 49 WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we recognize a 50 professional Mississippi athlete who has brought honor to his

51 school, his community and to the State of Mississippi: 52 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF 53 REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby 54 commend and congratulate NFL Super Bowl LIV Champion Kansas City 55 Chiefs Football Offensive Tackle Martinas Orlando Rankin who was a 56 standout at Mendenhall High School, Mississippi Gulf Coast 57 Community College and Mississippi State University, and extend our

58 best wishes to Martinas for future success. 59 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be 60 furnished to Martinas Orlando Rankin and his family, and to the 61 members of the Capitol Press Corps.

H. R. No. 61 *HR31/R2130* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 20/HR31/R2130 ST: Martinas Rankin; commend and congratulate PAGE 3 (CAA\JAB) for being a member of the Super Bowl LIV Champions Kansas City Chiefs.