Senate Concurrent Resolution 554

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING OLE MISS TENNIS COACH BILLY CHADWICK, WHO TOOK THE TEAM TO 20 CONSECUTIVE NCAA TOURNAMENTS, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AFTER 34 SUCCESSFUL YEARS.

WHEREAS, the face of Ole Miss Men's Tennis, Head Coach Billy Chadwick, will step down at the end of the 2014 season, having coached at Ole Miss for 34 years, including 30 years at the helm of the men's program; and

WHEREAS, in 1983, when he took over the tennis program, they were last in the Southeastern Conference. The Rebels broke into the national rankings in 1986. His first recruit, Dave Randall, who went on to become the first Mississippian to advance at Wimbledon, took the program to the next level, leading them to their first NCAA Team Championship appearance in 1989; and

WHEREAS, the defining moment for the program was the 1995 NCAA Semifinal match against the home team, Georgia, as Ole Miss went on to advance to the finals of the NCAA Team Championships. "The Rebs were up 6-5 in the third set, and we have match point," Chadwick recalled. "We hit a winner, and it was 6,000 people silent. And then the most amazing thing happened: They stood up and gave us a standing ovation. Many said it was the greatest match they had every witnessed. It was one of those moments that I sit and look back, and that was the defining moment for Ole Miss tennis. Since then, we haven't looked back"; and

WHEREAS, including 1995, Chadwick's teams have made 20 consecutive NCAA appearances, and his teams have finished ranked in the nation's Top Five seven times, and have earned a Top-10 ranking 15 times. The Rebels have won 18 Southeastern Conference Team titles, including five overall SEC Championships, 10 Western Division titles and three SEC Tournament Championships; and

WHEREAS, the 2014 team is ranked 11th in the nation in the preseason, and those around the program said there has been a noticeable jump in energy since the announcement as the players push to let Coach Chadwick go out the right way; and

WHEREAS, when Coach Chadwick stepped to the podium and looked around the M-Club Room in the Starnes Athletic Center at the retirement announcement, he saw the Ole Miss family, and that is what he said this program is all about and has always been about. Coach Chadwick cared about his players, not only about playing tennis, but he cared about them as student-athletes and their performance in the classroom and performance in life; and it is with great pride that we pay tribute to a Mississippi University Coach and instructor whose record of achievement and legacy of leadership is respected:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Tennis Coach Billy Chadwick, who took the team to 20 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, on the occasion of his retirement after 34 successful years, and extend our best wishes to Billy and his family for future success.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Billy Chadwick, forwarded to Chancellor Dan Jones and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.