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Home , Sean Payton, Super Bowl XLIV

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2010

By: Representatives Palazzo, Bennett, To: Rules Carpenter, Compretta, Currie, DeLano, Fillingane, Fredericks, Guice, Huddleston (15th), Ishee, Mayo, McGee, Monsour, Morgan, Nicholson, Nowell, Puckett, Stevens, Upshaw, Whittington, Zuber, Frierson, Akins, Aldridge, Arinder, Bailey, Baker (74th), Baker (8th), Banks, Barker, Beckett, Bell, Blackmon, Bondurant, Broomfield, Brown, Buck (5th), Buck (72nd), Burnett, Byrd, Calhoun, Campbell, Chism, Clark, Clarke, Cockerham, Coleman (29th), Coleman (65th), Dedeaux, Denny, Dickson, DuVall, Eaton, Ellington, Ellis, Espy, Evans (70th), Evans (91st), Flaggs, Formby, Gadd, Gardner, Gibbs, Gipson, Gunn, Hamilton (109th), Hamilton (6th), Harrison, Hines, Holland, Holloway, Horne, Howell, Huddleston (30th), Jennings, Johnson, Jones (111th), Jones (82nd), Lane, Malone, Martinson, Mayhall, McBride, McCoy, Middleton, Mims, Moak, Moore, Moss, Myers, Norquist, Parker, Patterson, Peranich, Perkins, Pigott, Read, Reed, Reynolds, Robinson, Rogers (14th), Rogers (61st), Scott, Shows, Smith (27th), Smith (39th), Snowden, Staples, Straughter, Stringer, Sullivan, Thomas, Turner, Walley, Ward, Warren, Watson, Weathersby, Woods, Wooten

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 96

1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING THE NEW 2 ORLEANS SAINTS FOOTBALL TEAM FOR WINNING ITS FIRST 3 CHAMPIONSHIP AT SUPER BOWL XLIV. 4 WHEREAS, forty-three years after the Saints were

5 awarded the sixteenth franchise to the in 6 an announcement made by Commissioner Pete Rozelle at New Orleans' 7 Pontchartrain Hotel on November 1, 1966, the team franchise 8 launched a "just do it" campaign of insurrection against a sea of 9 naysayers, allowing its tactical and strategic precision and 10 accuracy in gridiron play to validate its hard-earned victory as 11 the forty-fourth champions of the National Football League in 12 Super Bowl XLIV, a rags-to-riches story for the ages; and

13 WHEREAS, the rallying 31-17 win by Coach , 14 and the Football Team 15 over the on , February 7, 16 2010, in 's Sun Life Stadium, has restored the hopes of loyal 17 and dedicated fans, resurrected the spirits of a city mounting a 18 progressive comeback after suffering mass devastation as a result 19 of the ravaging effects of in 2005, which left 20 85% of the city submerged under water, and has inspired a throng

21 of "Who Dat Nation" followers; and

H. C. R. No. 96 *HR03/R1949* N1/2 10/HR03/R1949 PAGE 1 (DJ\LH) 22 WHEREAS, the 16 and 3 Saints won all three postseason games 23 this season after winning only two in the previous 42 years, 24 defeating Arizona, Minnesota and Indianapolis, all division 25 winners, scoring 107 points and allowing only 59 in postseason 26 action, which catapulted the team in capturing its first NFC 27 Championship and first Super Bowl Championship in franchise

28 history; and 29 WHEREAS, four and one-half years after Hurricane Katrina 30 ravaged New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, displacing the 31 Saints from their New Orleans Superdome home for the 2005 season 32 and NFL's refusal to abandon the city that birthed and nurtured 33 the Saints, the team became the symbol and energy behind the 34 post-hurricane restoration of the City of New Orleans and the Gulf 35 Coast Region; and

36 WHEREAS, the Saints, who triumphantly marched in with this 37 victory as a testament of the culmination of the belief and faith 38 of a team committed to reversing a past stifled with 39 embarrassment, placed the burdens and pains of a city crying for 40 help upon its shoulders and carried the hopes, dreams and 41 aspirations of the entire city for the return of its pre-Katrina 42 vitality all the way to the top with it; and 43 WHEREAS, Drew Brees, who was the MVP of the Super Bowl, tied

44 a Super Bowl record with 32 completions on 39 attempts and threw 45 for 288 yards, two TDs and no interceptions in a magnificent 46 showing on the NFL's biggest stage, outdueling regular season MVP 47 and providing the leadership the Saints came to 48 expect in this magical season; and 49 WHEREAS, Coach Sean Payton's call to start the 50 second half worked like a charm and sent the Saints on their way 51 as the 74,059 fans at the game saw the momentum and the game's 52 pendulum of favor shift to the Saints' advantage in the second

53 half; and

H. C. R. No. 96 *HR03/R1949* 10/HR03/R1949 PAGE 2 (DJ\LH) 54 WHEREAS, the foundation for this miracle season was laid in 55 Jackson when Coach Payton brought the team to the Millsaps College 56 Campus for preseason practice in the 2006 and 2007 seasons which 57 solidified the generations-old Mississippi fan base for the 58 Saints; and 59 WHEREAS, former Saint and Ole Miss running back Deuce

60 McAllister, named honorary Captain for the Super Bowl-winning 61 Saints, conveyed the overwhelmingly unanimous sentiment of the 62 team of the significance and importance of this coveted title as 63 much more than just a game and victory for themselves, but a 64 gigantic feat in boosting the morale and reinvigorating the desire 65 to strive and persevere towards greatness par excellence of the 66 city, the entire Gulf Coast region and Saints fans everywhere; and 67 WHEREAS, the State of Mississippi is historically and

68 emotionally connected to the New Orleans Saints through the many 69 years of leadership of former Saint and Ole Miss Quarterback 70 , whose long-suffering career with the Saints is a 71 matter of NFL legend; and 72 WHEREAS, after 43 years of futility and one of the finest 73 quarterbacking performances ever delivered in a Super Bowl, the 74 Saints rode on a wave of support of an entire city and perhaps an 75 entire country; and

76 WHEREAS, it is with great pride that this Legislature honors 77 and commends the accomplishments of the New Orleans Saints as an 78 establishment of individuals deeply connected with the spirit of 79 its community and zealously impassioned with the desire to 80 revitalize the place they call home, that has inevitably become 81 the land of "Who Dats": 82 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF 83 REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING 84 THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate the New

85 Orleans Saints Football Team, owner , Coach Sean Payton

H. C. R. No. 96 *HR03/R1949* 10/HR03/R1949 PAGE 3 (DJ\LH) 86 and MVP Quarterback Drew Brees for winning its first NFL Super 87 Bowl Championship and extend best wishes for future successes. 88 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be 89 furnished to Saints owner, Tom Benson, Coach Sean Payton, Drew 90 Brees and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.

H. C. R. No. 96 *HR03/R1949* 10/HR03/R1949 ST: New Orleans Saints Football Team; commend PAGE 4 (DJ\LH) and congratulate upon winning Super Bowl XLIV.