|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, The life of an esteemed NFL and college football |
|
official drew to a close with the passing of Mason L. Cashion Jr. on |
|
February 10, 2019, at the age of 87; and |
|
WHEREAS, "Red" Cashion was born in College Station on |
|
November 10, 1931, to Mason and Winnie Cashion, and he grew up with |
|
the companionship of a brother, James; a multisport athlete at A&M |
|
Consolidated High School, he went on to attend Texas A&M University |
|
on a baseball scholarship and graduated in 1953; he was |
|
commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and spent much |
|
of his four-year military tenure with the National Security Agency; |
|
and |
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Cashion began officiating junior high football |
|
games while still a Texas A&M student, but his initial tenure |
|
calling Southland Conference college games in the 1960s came to an |
|
end after football coaches complained about his aloof demeanor on |
|
the field; determined to make a change, he adopted an enthusiastic |
|
approach to his work, and he returned to officiating in the college |
|
ranks before joining the NFL in 1972; initially a line judge, he was |
|
promoted to referee in 1976, and he went on to call more than 500 |
|
games over the course of 25 years, including Super Bowls XX and XXX; |
|
his trademark was his elongated "first dowwwwn" call, delivered in |
|
a Brazos Valley drawl, which became a favorite of TV audiences; |
|
after retiring in 1997, he remained active with the league, |
|
training officials on a paid and volunteer basis; and |
|
WHEREAS, Highly respected by his peers, Mr. Cashion served as |
|
president of the Professional Referees Association and garnered the |
|
NFL's prestigious Art McNally Award; moreover, he was inducted into |
|
the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, and the football officials' |
|
locker room at Texas A&M's Kyle Field bears his name; and |
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Cashion enjoyed the love and support of his |
|
first wife, Lou Burgess Cashion, during their 47 years together; |
|
following her death, he was fortunate enough to find love again and |
|
shared a rewarding marriage with Marie Cashion; he took great pride |
|
in his children, James, Sharon, Joyce, and Shelley, as well as in |
|
his six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; a valued member |
|
of the Bryan-College Station community, he helped found the |
|
Burgess, Cashion & Haddox insurance business, which later became |
|
Anco Insurance, and he was a member of several area congregations |
|
through the years, most recently A&M United Methodist Church; and |
|
WHEREAS, While Red Cashion's passing brings great sadness to |
|
all who had the good fortune to know him, his accomplishments will |
|
continue to be remembered and admired for many years to come; now, |
|
therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Mason L. Cashion Jr. |
|
and extend heartfelt sympathy to his relatives and friends; and, be |
|
it further |
|
R |
|
ESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
|
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Red |
|
Cashion. |
|
|
Raney |
|
|
|
Bonnen of Brazoria |
Guerra |
Noble |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bailes |
Hernandez |
Patterson |
|
|
|
|
Bell of Kaufman |
Hinojosa |
Perez |
|
|
Bell of Montgomery |
Holland |
Phelan |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bonnen of Galveston |
E. Johnson of Dallas |
Reynolds |
|
|
Bowers |
J. Johnson of Dallas |
Rodriguez |
|
|
Buckley |
Johnson of Harris |
Romero, Jr. |
|
|
|
|
Burns |
King of Hemphill |
Rosenthal |
|
|
Burrows |
King of Parker |
Sanford |
|
|
Button |
King of Uvalde |
Schaefer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Canales |
Kuempel |
Sherman, Sr. |
|
|
Capriglione |
Lambert |
Shine |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Davis of Dallas |
Lucio III |
Thierry |
|
|
Davis of Harris |
Martinez |
Thompson of Brazoria |
|
|
Dean |
Martinez Fischer |
Thompson of Harris |
|
|
Deshotel |
Metcalf |
Tinderholt |
|
|
|
|
Dutton |
Meza |
Turner of Dallas |
|
|
Farrar |
Middleton |
Turner of Tarrant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gervin-Hawkins |
Muñoz, Jr. |
Wray |
|
|
|
|
González of Dallas |
Murr |
Zedler |
|
|
González of El Paso |
Neave |
Zerwas |
|
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Speaker of the House |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 751 was unanimously adopted by a rising |
|
vote of the House on March 13, 2019. |
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
|