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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to recognize the accomplishments
4 of native Illinoisans; and
5 WHEREAS, Jerry Colangelo was born and raised in the
6 "Hungry Hill" neighborhood of Chicago Heights; as a youth he
7 was one of the top pitchers on a team that also featured the
8 talents of future New York Yankee Jim Bouton; he was also an
9 excellent basketball player, capturing All-State honors and
10 leading Bloom Township High School to a 49-8 mark and two
11 appearances in the Illinois State Tournament; his outstanding
12 athletic ability led to 66 college scholarship offers for
13 basketball and seven professional baseball contract offers;
14 he was honored with the dedication of the Jerry Colangelo
15 Gymnasium at Bloom Township High School in 1996; and
16 WHEREAS, At the University of Illinois, Jerry Colangelo
17 played two seasons of baseball and four seasons of
18 basketball; he earned All-Big Ten basketball honors,
19 averaging 15 points a game; he was the team captain as a
20 senior and he has been inducted into the Illinois Basketball
21 Hall of Fame; and
22 WHEREAS, Mr. Colangelo's professional career in sports
23 began when he became head scout and director of merchandising
24 for the Chicago Bulls in 1966; in 1968 he moved to Arizona
25 and became the general manager of the expansion Phoenix Suns,
26 making him the youngest general manager in professional
27 sports; in 1987, he led a group of investors that purchased
28 the Suns and he became the team's CEO; and
29 WHEREAS, After earning an unprecedented fourth NBA
30 Executive of the Year award in 1993, he began negotiating
31 with Major League Baseball to bring an expansion team to
32 Arizona and he was awarded the franchise that became the
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1 Arizona Diamondbacks; and
2 WHEREAS, As Chairman and CEO, Mr. Colangelo has built the
3 Arizona Diamondbacks into a team that, with its thrilling
4 victory over the New York Yankees in seven games in 2001, won
5 the World Series in only its fourth year, which is the
6 shortest time in which an expansion team has ever won the
7 World Series; and
8 WHEREAS, Jerry Colangelo has distinguished himself as one
9 of Arizona's most active community leaders; he serves either
10 as a board member, executive, or member of charitable, civic,
11 cultural, athletic, and religious organizations; and
12 WHEREAS, Although his time is always at a premium, Jerry
13 Colangelo has found time to author the book "How You Play the
14 Game", which gives insight into the business of sports; and
15 WHEREAS, Jerry Colangelo and his wife, Joan, reside in
16 Phoenix, Arizona; they are the proud parents of daughters
17 Kathy Holcombe, Kristen Brubaker, Mandie Okyere, and son
18 Bryan Colangelo, who serves as the president and general
19 manager of the Phoenix Suns; they are also the proud
20 grandparents of nine grandchildren; therefore, be it
21 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
23 we congratulate Jerry Colangelo on his lifelong record of
24 achievement in both Illinois and Arizona and we wish him and
25 his family continued success and happiness in the future; and
26 be it further
27 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
28 presented to Jerry Colangelo as an expression of our esteem.