Bill Text: VA HR408 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Louis Alexander Wacker.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-22 - Bill text as passed House (HR408ER) [HR408 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-HR408-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Louis Alexander Wacker, Virginia native and hall of fame coach, died on February 15, 2019; and
WHEREAS, Louis Alexander "Lou" Wacker excelled in multiple sports from a young age; a graduate of Highland Springs High School and the University of Richmond, he still holds records at both schools for low hurdles in track and number of passes intercepted in a football game, respectively; and
WHEREAS, after a professional football career with the Detroit Lions and Calgary Stampeders, Lou Wacker returned to the Commonwealth to embark on what would be a storied, 46-year coaching career; and
WHEREAS, early success at Midlothian High School and Colonial Heights High School led Lou Wacker to a position as the defensive coordinator for the football team at Hampden-Sydney College under legendary coach J. Stokeley Fulton; from 1969 to 1979, this team's defense was one of only two Division III programs to limit opponents to a single digit average; and
WHEREAS, in 1982, Lou Wacker became head football coach at Emory & Henry College, where he would remain for the rest of his career, tallying 164 victories, 11 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championships, and five NCAA Division III playoff appearances; he was named ODAC Coach of the Year five times and coached 136 All-ODAC first team players; all of these accomplishments were ODAC records at the time of his retirement in 2004; and
WHEREAS, for his remarkable achievements as a coach and dedication to more than 2,000 student-athletes, Lou Wacker was inducted into the Highland Springs Hall of Fame (HOF), the University of Richmond HOF, the Hampden-Sydney HOF, the Emory & Henry HOF, and the Virginia Sports HOF; and
WHEREAS, predeceased by his wife, Mary, Lou Wacker will be dearly remembered and greatly missed by his children, Bruce, Kristen, and Louis, and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of Louis Alexander Wacker, son of Virginia and hall of fame coach; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Louis Alexander Wacker as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.