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 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, Michael Joseph Alstott,  born  on  December  21,
 3    1973  in  Joliet,  Illinois, otherwise known simply as "Mike"
 4    Alstott to his fans, recently led his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to
 5    victory in Super Bowl XXXVII at San  Diego,  California  over
 6    the Oakland Raiders by a score of 48-21; and

 7        WHEREAS,  Mike  broke the game open for Tampa Bay when he
 8    scored his team's first touchdown on a 2-yard run  with  6:24
 9    left  on  the  clock  in  the  second  quarter  to  give  the
10    Buccaneers  a  9-3  lead before a successful extra point gave
11    the Bucs a 10-3 lead; and

12        WHEREAS, Mike's success on  the  football  field  can  be
13    traced  back  to his roots in Illinois where he is well-known
14    for his days as a "Hillman" with the Joliet Catholic  Academy
15    football  team,  and where he led the Hillmen to the Class 4A
16    Illinois State Championship  in  1990  after  he  scored  the
17    winning  touchdown late in the fourth quarter and completed a
18    halfback option pass for a two-point conversion giving Joliet
19    Catholic the lead it would need to  secure  a  win  over  its
20    opponent; and

21        WHEREAS,  Mike  continued  his  personal success with the
22    Purdue Boilermakers where he was named the Boilermakers' most
23    valuable player during  his  senior,  junior,  and  sophomore
24    seasons,  the  only player in Boilermaker-football history to
25    accomplish the  feat,  and  where  he  finished  as  Purdue's
26    all-time  leading  rusher with 3,635 yards on 644 carries for
27    an average of 5.6 yards per carry, and where he  finished  as
28    Purdue's all-time rushing touchdown leader with 39; and

29        WHEREAS,  Mike  began his career in the National Football
30    League after having been chosen in the second  round  of  the
31    1996  NFL  Draft,  35th overall, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers;
32    and
 
                            -2-      LRB093 08787 KEF 09018 r
 1        WHEREAS,  Tampa  Bay's  choice  of  Mike  paid  immediate
 2    dividends as he led the  Bucs  in  yards-per-carry  with  3.9
 3    yards and in touchdowns with 6 and as he was only one of four
 4    offensive starters to start all 16 games for Tampa Bay during
 5    their 1996 season; and

 6        WHEREAS,  Mike  has  been  named  to  participate  in six
 7    consecutive NFL Pro Bowls due to what  experts  say  are  his
 8    intriguing  mix  of  swift  moves  and numbing power that has
 9    helped to cement his  reputation  as  the  National  Football
10    League's top all-around fullback; and

11        WHEREAS,  Listed  at  a height of 6-1 and a weight of 248
12    pounds,  Mike  instills  fear  in  his  defensive  opponents,
13    especially those who are charged with the unenviable task  of
14    having to tackle him; and

15        WHEREAS,   Mike   has   amassed  impressive  rushing  and
16    receiving statistics during his 7-year career in the National
17    Football League with 4,530 rushing yards on 1,171 carries for
18    an average of 3.9 yards and  45  touchdowns  and  with  1,692
19    receiving yards on 220 receptions for an average of 7.7 yards
20    and 12 touchdowns; and

21        WHEREAS,   Mike   is   also   known  for  his  charitable
22    contributions to the community and his involvement  with  the
23    Boys  &  Girls  Club  with  which  he established the Alstott
24    Football Camp in 1997 for youths ages 8-18; therefore, be it

25        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
26    NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
27    we congratulate Michael Joseph Alstott on  his  recent  Super
28    Bowl  victory  and his distinguished career as an amateur and
29    professional football player and that we are proud of Mike as
30    a son of Illinois and for the  way  he  represents  the  hard
31    working men and women of our home State; and be it further
 
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 1        RESOLVED,  That  we  wish  Mike  good  luck,  health, and
 2    continued success during his ongoing career as  a  member  of
 3    the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; and be it further

 4        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
 5    furnished to Mike Alstott.