MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2010 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Holloway, Middleton, Johnson, Clarke, Cockerham, Harrison, Jones (82nd), Straughter, Wooten
A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY HEAD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH SHIRLEY A. GIBBS WALKER.
WHEREAS, Alcorn State University Head Women's Basketball Coach, Shirley A. Gibbs Walker, has built a dynasty in Mississippi sports with her relentless work as the head of the Lady Braves Basketball Team; and
WHEREAS, under Coach Walker, the Alcorn State University Lady Braves produced 11 regular season SWAC Championships, seven SWAC Tournament Championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances; and
WHEREAS, personally, Coach Walker has 492 career victories and has been SWAC Coach of the Year an astonishing 10 times; and
WHEREAS, during the 1997-98 Lady Braves season, Coach Walker led her team to the longest home winning streak of 31 games; and
WHEREAS, adding to her trophy case, Coach Walker was named the Black Coaches Association Coach of the Year; and
WHEREAS, in order to be coach of the year, Coach Walker had to put in additional hard work that began in the early hours and continued into weekends and long nights; and
WHEREAS, Coach Walker has supported many of the Alcorn State University women's basketball players in balancing, not only school work, but also the many challenges that student athletes face daily; and
WHEREAS, being incredibly well-disciplined young women, the Lady Braves train every day, frequently in conditions that could stand in the way of the required training to compete nationally in college basketball, whether it is the fatigue, the heat or even the coldness after a defeat; and
WHEREAS, this relentless preparation and wisdom by Coach Walker have equipped all her basketball players for another, sometimes inequitable, challenge that they will all face: life; and
WHEREAS, during a typical week, a college basketball player may train anywhere from 25 hours per week up to 60 plus hours per week; and
WHEREAS, this Alcorn State University squad's ascent to the top is an exceptional accomplishment in the Magnolia State, particularly in the amount of time it took Coach Walker to obtain an elite status; and
WHEREAS, her work does not stop on the basketball court and Coach Walker worked actively in her position on the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee to help secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the Women's SWAC Tournament Champion; and
WHEREAS, many of the Alcorn State University women's basketball players will remember the lessons learned through playing for Head Coach Walker, such as pushing one's body past exhaustion, injury, pain and any other obstacles that were in front of their many victories; and
WHEREAS, Coach Walker is a 1964 graduate of Lillie Mae Bryant High School, and a 1968 graduate of Alcorn A&M College; and
WHEREAS, after college, Coach Walker earned her master's degree in athletic administration from Alcorn State University; and
WHEREAS, Coach Walker started teaching and coaching at Ester Tombs High School in Delhi, Louisiana, then at Jackson Junior High School in Houston, Texas, and she went on to teach and coach softball and track at Deady High School in Houston, Texas; and
WHEREAS, Coach Walker won the 2007 Georgia Peach Christmas Tournament and played in the first Maui Invitational Tournament in Maui, Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, her professional development includes: the NCAA Council--which is the highest ranking NCAA committee, the NCAA Basketball Officiating Committee, the NCAA Minority Opportunity and Interest Committee, the NCAA Top 25 Voting Poll, the NCAA Special Event Committee and the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee; and
WHEREAS, Coach Walker previously coached against Representative Jack D. Gadd, who is now a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives; and
WHEREAS, turning young ladies into women, the Alcorn State University program's future is bright with Coach Walker at the helm and further bolstered with the guidance and support of the college community; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize and commend outstanding athletic coaches, such as Coach Shirley Gibbs Walker, who have brought honor to their school, their community and to the State of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Alcorn State University Head Women's Basketball Coach, Shirley A. Gibbs Walker, and extend best wishes for continued success in all of her future athletic endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Alcorn State University, Head Coach Shirley A. Gibbs Walker and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.