MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2000 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Senator(s) Michel, Gordon, Smith, Tollison, Frazier, Farris, King, Kirby, Hewes, Mettetal, Little, Hamilton, Burton, Dearing

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING CHANCELLOR ROBERT "BOB" KHAYAT, ALL-SEC FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL PLAYER AT OLE MISS AND NFL FOOTBALL PLAYER, UPON HIS INDUCTION INTO THE MISSISSIPPI SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2000.

WHEREAS, the Jackson Touchdown Club and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame unveiled the historic Class of 2000 of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, which features Robert Khayat, who hails from Moss Point, was an All-SEC football and baseball star at Ole Miss, played for the Washington Redskins, and now serves his alma mater as chancellor; and

WHEREAS, his loyalty and devotion to the University of Mississippi athletic and academic programs has earned him the title of the "Man Who Never Forgot Ole Miss," his full name is Robert Conrad Khayat; after graduating from Moss Point High, Khayat arrived at Ole Miss where he was a two-sport athlete, playing for renowned baseball coach Tom Swayze and legendary football coach John Vaught; he played both sports in a golden era of Rebel athletics in the late 1950's, as the Rebel catcher, Khayat helped lead Ole Miss to back-to-back SEC championships in 1959 and 1960 as the baseball team compiled a 40-9 record in two years; he was a two-time All-SEC baseball player in 1959 and 1960 along with diamond teammates Jake Gibbs, Jamie Howell, Billy Ray Jones, and Larry Williams; Robert broke into the starting diamond lineup as a sophomore and he earned three letters in 1958, 1959 and 1960; his .350 batting average as a junior ranked second on the team; he smashed a grand slam home run in the third game of the SEC title series win over Georgia Tech to highlight a six-run first inning as the Rebs won 11-7; in his senior baseball season, he hit .326 as the Rebels won their second straight SEC crown and put together a 17-game winning streak on the way to a final 22-3 mark and No. 5 national ranking; on the gridiron, Khayat played tackle and guard, but excelled as a place-kicker for Johnny Vaught's best Rebel squads; in 1957, he made 8 of 10 extra points, but was 0 for 1 in the field goal category; Khayat played in the 1958 Sugar Bowl and was three of four on P.A.T.s as the Rebels hooked the Texas Longhorns by a total of 39-7; he honed his kicking skills to perfection and led the nation in scoring by a kicker in 1958 and 1959, the only player in school history to do so in consecutive seasons; playing in the days of one platoon football with limited substitution, Robert flourished at kicking as he ranks 9th on the all-time kick scoring list in Ole Miss history with 82 points, making 55 extra points and 9 field goals; in the 1958 season, he was 25 of 29 on extra points and 4 of 8 on field goals for a total of 24 points; he kicked the only extra point for the Rebs in their 7-3 Gator Bowl win over Florida; he scored 40 points in 1959, connecting on 25 extra points and 9 field goals; the 25 extra points rank 12th best all-time at Ole Miss; the 1959 team was voted "SEC Team of the Decade" and crushed LSU in the famed 1960 Sugar Bowl rematch by a 21-0 score; during Robert's days as a Rebel football player, Ole Miss had an overall record of 28 wins, 4 losses, and one tie; Khayat was selected as an Academic All-American and Academic All-SEC player in 1959; he participated in many campus activities including the YMCA, M-Club, Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honors Fraternity, and several others; he was voted Colonel Rebel by the student body, one of the highest honors at Ole Miss, and he was also elected to the Ole Miss student Hall of Fame; his involvement in the University's Scholar's Program was instrumental in his life; following his college career, he was the 6th pick by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL draft, who traded him along with Francis O'Brien to the Redskins for Sam Baker; he signed with Washington on April 25, 1960, and played in the Chicago All-Star game which matched college all-stars against the NFL champions; from 1960 through his final season in 1964, Khayat was a scoring star for the Redskins; he played in 40 games, scoring 204 points; Khayat tied the all-time Redskins record for most field goals in a single game as he kicked 4 against the Dallas Cowboys on October 9, 1960, from distances of 15, 29, 10, and 38 yards; he was elected to the 1961 Pro Bowl for his kicking performance; in mid-April 1961, he was sidelined with a series of surgical operations beginning with an emergency appendectomy; despite the medical setback, he completed his career with Washington as one of their top scorers; while performing in the NFL, Khayat pursued his law degree at the Ole Miss Law School, finishing third in his class and earning his Juris Doctor in 1966; his days in professional sports behind him, Khayat immersed himself into the legal profession and entered private practice in 1967 in Pascagoula; he served as Municipal Court Judge for the City of Moss Point and developed a unique expertise in local government law; in 1969, he was hired as a law professor at the Ole Miss Law School on the Oxford campus; six years later in 1975, he re-entered private law practice in Oxford on leave from teaching until 1977; after returning to the classroom, Khayat pursued a Master's in Law degree; he took a leave of absence during the 1980-1981 academic year to attend Yale Law School on the prestigious Sterling Fellowship; earning his master's in the fall of 1981, he returned to Ole Miss as a law professor; Khayat held the Vice Chancellor post until 1989 when he left Ole Miss to take over as the first President of the NCAA Foundation in Mission, Kansas; his duties with the NCAA involved creating projects to fund scholarships for student athletes who had exhausted their eligibility and still desired to earn their undergraduate degrees; Khayat developed fellowships to allow student-athletes to have a career in sports administration and also researched and found funding for a major drug education program; following a three-year stint in this landmark NCAA position, he returned to Oxford to teach law once again and served as interim athletic director in the fall of 1994; during this short term, Khayat was the driving force in hiring former athletic director Pete Boone and former head football coach Tommy Tuberville; on July 1, 1995, Khayat was named the University's 15th Chancellor; as CEO of Ole Miss, he oversees the Oxford campus, the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, and degree-granting centers in Southhaven and Tupelo; over the years, Khayat has accumulated a wealth of awards and honors; locally, he has served as Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce President in 1973-1974 and was named Oxford's Citizen of the Year; he received the Distinguished American Award from the National Football Foundation in 1987 and 1989; Khayat was featured in the 1987-1988 and 1988-1989 NFL yearbooks for achieving success after football and was cited as one of the NFL's best examples of an accomplished scholar-athlete; in 1993, Khayat was inducted into the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame and he was selected to the Ole Miss Team of the Century (1883-1992) as place-kicker; Khayat was honored by the NFL Alumni for his achievements on and off the playing field when he was presented with a prestigious Career Achievement Award in March 1998; his professional memberships are an amazing blend that include the Board of Directors of the United Southern Bank, The Mississippi Bar, the American Bar Association, the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Bar Foundation, the Lamar Order Fundraising Society of the Ole Miss Law School, the American Trial Lawyers Association, and the Mississippi Committee for the Humanities; his leadership positions showcase his dedication to any project he undertakes; he was Chairman of the United Fund of Oxford-Lafayette County First Drive in 1971, the Chairman of the Courthouse Restoration Committee for the Lafayette County Courthouse in 1977, the President of the M-Club Alumni Chapter of Ole Miss from 1970-1971, the Chairman of the Law Center Dedication Committee from 1978-1979, and served as President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Adult Chapter in 1983; his popularity with students is legendary; the Law School Student Body chose him as the 1993-1994 Outstanding Law Professor of the Year and the school's Mississippi Law Journal staff established a scholarship in his name in 1995; he is affiliated with St. Peter's Episcopal Church; Khayat is married to the former Margaret Denton of Memphis, Tennessee; they have two children, Margaret D. Khayat Bratt, and Robert C. Khayat, Jr.; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we recognize this outstanding athlete and public official who has brought honor to his university and to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Chancellor Robert "Bob" Khayat, All-SEC football and baseball player at Ole Miss and NFL football player, upon his induction into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2000, and wish him and his family continued success in all endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to Chancellor Khayat at induction ceremonies and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.