Senate Resolution 66

A RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE SINCEREST CONDOLENCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI SENATE ON THE PASSING OF LEGENDARY ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY TENNIS COACH AND MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTOR ANTHONY BRUCE DODGEN.

WHEREAS, we join the administration, faculty, students and alumni of Alcorn State University in mourning the passing of legendary former ASU Tennis Coach and Mathematics Instructor Anthony Bruce Dodgen, who passed away on January 18, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Coach Dodgen spent 21 years as ASU's Head Tennis Coach for both men and women's teams; and

WHEREAS, Coach Dodgen was a 12-time SWAC Coach of the Year, the most of any coach in ASU history, and he won 12 SWAC Championships, the third most in school history among coaches, as follows:

· 1999 Men's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year;

· 2000 Men's and Women's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year;

· 2001 Women's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year;

· 2006 Men's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year;

· 2007 Men's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year;

· 2008 Women's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year;

· 2009 Men's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year;

· 2011 Men's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year;

· 2012 Men's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year;

· 2014 Men's SWAC Champion and Coach of the Year; and

WHEREAS, Coach Dodgen's ASU Tennis Team reached SWAC Championships 18 of his 21 seasons; and

WHEREAS, Purple and Gold ran in Coach Dodgen's blood, as he spent seven years at St. Aloysius High School in Vicksburg and 10 years at Chamberlain-Hunt Academy, before coming to Alcorn in 1996 and retiring in 2018; and

WHEREAS, we pay tribute and cherish fondly the memory of this most athletically and academically spirited supporter of Alcorn State University whose enormous success and energy will be missed by the ASU family:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby extend the sincerest condolences of the Mississippi Senate on the passing of legendary Alcorn State University Tennis Coach and Mathematics Instructor Anthony Bruce Dodgen, and commend his athletic and academic record of achievement and legacy of leadership and dedication to his University and to the State of Mississippi.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family and friends of Coach Dodgen, forwarded to the President and Athletic Director of Alcorn State University and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.