Bill Text: VA SJR219 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Herman Boone.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-07 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ219ER) [SJR219 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-SJR219-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Herman Boone, a legend in Virginia sports who was immortalized in the feature film Remember the Titans for his role as head coach of the T.C. Williams High School football team, died on December 18, 2019; and
WHEREAS, Herman Boone was born in North Carolina and earned bachelor's and master's degrees from North Carolina Central University; he began his career in education in 1958 at Luther H. Foster High School in Blackstone, Virginia, where he also coached football, basketball, and baseball; and
WHEREAS, in 1961, Herman Boone returned to North Carolina as an assistant coach of the E.J. Hayes High School football team; he helped lead the team 99–8 record over the course of nine years, but he resigned after he was denied the position of head coach due to his race; and
WHEREAS, Herman Boone subsequently became the first black football head coach in Northern Virginia in 1971, after Alexandria City Public Schools consolidated students from a predominately white school and a predominately black school into T.C. Williams High School; and
WHEREAS, during a two-week preseason training camp, Herman Boone challenged his players to achieve greatness through his dynamic coaching style and emphasis on hard work and discipline while striving to also build trust and camaraderie between all members of the team; and
WHEREAS, Herman Boone's leadership paid off with an undefeated season that year; the T.C. Williams Titans recorded nine shutouts in 13 games, including a 27–0 state championship victory over Andrew Lewis High School of Salem; and
WHEREAS, during a time of intense racial strife, Herman Boone and the T.C. Williams Titans served as a unifying force for the City of Alexandria and the Commonwealth, and after the premiere of Remember the Titans in 2000, he became a football icon throughout the nation; and
WHEREAS, even after his retirement, Herman Boone remained a mentor and a father figure to many of his former players, in whom he instilled a lifelong appreciation for the importance of responsibility, respect, and punctuality; and
WHEREAS, predeceased by his wife of 57 years, Carol, and a daughter, Donna, Herman Boone will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his daughters, Sharon and Monica, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Herman Boone; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Herman Boone as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
