House Resolution 105

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CELEBRATING THE OUTSTANDING HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL CAREER AS WELL AS THE IMPRESSIVE BASKETBALL COACHING CAREER OF JOHN STROUD.

WHEREAS, John Stroud is one of the greatest basketball players to grace the court in the State of Mississippi, and his statistical record is one that dreams and legends are made of; and

WHEREAS, born on October 29, 1957, to Johnny and Frances Stroud, John Stroud is an All-American former basketball player and coach who played for four years at the University of Mississippi, before being drafted by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 1980 NBA Draft as their first pick, and following his playing career, he coached for 32 years at various levels; and

WHEREAS, John Stroud followed in both his father's and his mother's footsteps when he first outfitted himself in the West Union High School basketball uniform, as in 1944, his father's team won the state championship and his mother's team ranked third in the state, and his father was the first Mississippi player to make All-State all four years of high school play and his mother made All-State three years; and

WHEREAS, during his tenure at West Union High School, John was All-American, All-State, played in the Mississippi High School All-Star game and received his baseball letterman; and

WHEREAS, after finishing at West Union High School, John signed with the University of Mississippi, and he played for the Rebels from 1976 through 1980, and during the 1978-1979 season, he led the SEC in scoring with 26.3 points per game and was named as an All-American honorable mention; and

WHEREAS, John again led the SEC in scoring in the 1979-1980 season with 25.2 points per game, and during his time at Ole Miss, he led the Rebels to their first postseason tournament victory over Grambling 76-74 at Tad Smith Coliseum in the National Invitational Tournament; and

WHEREAS, additionally, during his career in Oxford, John recorded the highest career point total in Ole Miss history and is still the third-most in league history with 2,328 points and sixth in field goals made in the SEC with 894, and he is fifth in free throws made in a season at 233, as only Pete Maravich and Bailey Howell made more free throws in a season and only five players have attempted more free throws in a single season in the SEC than he has; and

WHEREAS, John's 39 points in the first round of the 1979 SEC tournament ranks as the second most points ever scored in an SEC tournament game, and likewise, his 15 field goals in that game are the second most in a tournament game; and

WHEREAS, following his senior season in 1979-1980, John was selected to All-American honors for the second straight season and named SEC Athlete of the Year, and after his stellar senior year at Ole Miss, he was the top choice of the Houston Rockets in the 1980 NBA draft; and

WHEREAS, John played with the Rockets from 1980 until 1981 and was a member of the 1981 team that lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, and after his tenure with the Rockets, he played the 1982-1983 season in Europe with Caja de Ronda, located in Málaga, Spain; and

WHEREAS, after his basketball playing career ended, John began a remarkable and successful coaching career, with his first coaching job landing him at the University of Alabama in 1984 as a graduate assistant; and

WHEREAS, in 1985, he became the head basketball coach at W.P. Daniel High School in New Albany, Mississippi, where he helmed the boy's program to back-to-back state championships in 1986 and 1987, and he compiled a 71-24 record in three years; and

WHEREAS, John accepted the head coaching position at East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) in Scooba, in 1988, and immediately started making an impact, as he led EMCC to its first-ever state tournament appearance and its first regional tournament appearance in 25 years; and

WHEREAS, in his two seasons at EMCC, John compiled a 30-30 record and was named the Mississippi Junior College Coach of the Year following the 1989-1990 season before assuming the reins of the Millsaps' basketball program the following year; and

WHEREAS, John began an illustrious career at Millsaps College in 1990, and during his thirteen-year career, he guided his team to three Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships and led the Majors to three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament appearances; and

WHEREAS, the two-time SCAC Coach of the Year and the all-time wins leader at Millsaps, John compiled a record of 204-131, reaching the 200-victory plateau that season in a 71-48 triumph over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on January 31, 2003, and suffering only two losing seasons while at Millsaps, John posted seven seasons of at least 16 wins, including three campaigns of 20 wins or more; and

WHEREAS, John's best year at Millsaps came in 1994-1995 as he led the Majors to a 25-3 mark, an SCAC title, and a trip to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16, a true testament to his unrivaled coaching abilities; and

WHEREAS, upon his retirement from Millsaps in 2003, then President Frances Lucas-Tauchar commented, "John has given Millsaps College 13 years of superior leadership and coaching. He is also a personal role model, which is the ultimate form of teaching, and he will be greatly missed."; and

WHEREAS, after his retirement, John returned to New Albany and went into private business, first by purchasing an insurance agency and later by opening a dry cleaners, and he has subsequently been inducted into the SEC Business Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, unable to stay away from the court and the coaching arena, in 2004, John became the coach of the girls team at New Albany High School, where he compiled a 248-131 record over 13 years and won the Class 4A state title in 2011, and his New Albany team also made appearances in the Mississippi High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state tournaments in 2009 as a semifinalist, in 2010 as the Class 4A runner-up, and in 2015, as a quarterfinalist, losing in triple overtime to Bay High School; and

WHEREAS, John retired yet again from coaching in 2017, but continues to give back to his community in a multitude of ways, including Kiwanis Clubs International, Tate Reeves for Governor Financial Advisory Board, Family Medical Group Advisory Council, New Albany Main Street Association, Union County Development Association, First United Methodist Church Administration Board and Tanglefoot Trail Corporate Sponsor; and

WHEREAS, John has received the following awards: Regions SEC Business Hall of Fame; Ole Miss Student Hall of Fame; Colonel Rebel and Student Senate (1980); Outstanding Young Men of America (1987); Runner-up Clarion Ledger's Most Popular Athlete Mississippi sports history (1989); West Union High School Alumni Hall of Fame (1991); Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame (1995); SEC Living Legends Team, Atlanta, Georgia (1999); Millsaps Athletic Hall of Fame (2005); SEC Business Hall of Fame (2007); and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (2009); and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize and pay homage to the stellar athletic feats of sports legends of John Stroud's caliber, who are few and far between and have brought honor and glory 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 celebrate the outstanding high school, college, professional and coaching career of John Stroud and extend most sincere wishes for success in all his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to John Stroud and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.