HR0750 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0750 LRB098 17182 GRL 52270 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Jordan Lynch on all of his accomplishments at Northern Illinois University, including his 3rd place finish in the vote for the 2013 Heisman Trophy; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch attended high school at Mt. Carmel in Chicago, where he earned all-conference honors twice while leading his team to 2 Class 8A semifinal appearances; and

WHEREAS, During the 2010 and 2011 football seasons, Jordan Lynch served as the back-up quarterback behind Chandler Harnish; during those seasons, he completed 19 of 26 passes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns; he also rushed for 608 yards on 76 carries with 6 touchdowns; and

WHEREAS, In 2012, his first year as a starter, Jordan Lynch broke 4 NCAA, 2 Mid-American Conference, and 14 Northern Illinois University records en route to earning All-American honors as an all-purpose player from the Associated Press; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch finished seventh place in the 2012 Heisman Trophy voting; he also won the Vern Smith Leadership as MAC Most Valuable Player, was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year, and was a consensus first team All-MAC selection; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch would lead the 2012 Huskies to a 12-2 record, including a 12-game winning streak, a Mid-American Conference Championship, and an invitation to the Orange Bowl, the first Bowl Championship Series berth ever earned by a MAC team; and

WHEREAS, During Jordan Lynch's senior year in 2013, he continued his record-breaking performances; he was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week a school-record 8 times and broke the NCAA record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback twice, with 316 and 321-yard rushing performances; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch won his second consecutive Vern Smith Leadership award as MAC MVP, his second consecutive MAC Offensive Player of the Year award, and again was named a consensus first team All-MAC selection; he was also honored as a first team All-American by the Associated Press; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch was a top 5 finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and the 2013 Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes seniors who excel in citizenship, leadership and the classroom as well as on the field; he was also one of 10 finalists for the Manning Quarterback Award and a semi-finalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch led the 2013 Huskies to a 12-2 record, including a 12-0 undefeated regular season record, a MAC West division title, and an invitation to the Poinsettia Bowl; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch ended his Huskie career by setting NCAA records for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a season, most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game, most 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback in a season, and most rushing yards per game by a quarterback in a season, while ranking second in the NCAA in rushing yards as a senior; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch set 16 single season, 6 career, and 3 single game records at Northern Illinois University, as well as 8 total NCAA marks over 2 seasons, while becoming the fifth player in FBS history to exceed 4,000 rushing and 6,000 passing yards in their career; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch finished his career with 100 total touchdowns; he is the third-leading rusher in the school's history and has a 24-4 record as a starting quarterback; the Huskies never lost a game at Huskie Stadium during his career; and

WHEREAS, Jordan Lynch was invited to New York as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, where he finished third in voting by receiving 40 first place votes and a total of 558 points; he posted the highest finish ever by a Mid-American Conference player; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Jordan Lynch on his third place finish in the voting for the Heisman Trophy and for all of his accomplishments as quarterback of the Northern Illinois University football team; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Jordan Lynch and Northern Illinois University as a symbol of our recognition of his great achievements.