HR0106 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0106 LRB099 08930 MST 29103 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the Illinois State University football team, the Redbirds, on its remarkable 2014-2015 season, finishing with a record of 13 wins and 2 losses, and making it to the NCAA Division I Football Championship; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds are coached by Brock Spack, who is in his sixth year with the program, Offensive Coordinator Kurt Beathard, and Defensive Coordinator Spence Nowinski; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds kicked off the 2014-2015 campaign on September 6th at home with a win over the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils; the win against Mississippi Valley State started a 7-game win streak; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds only regular season loss came on November 1st against the University of Northern Iowa Panthers, 42-28, a team they eventually met again in the post season; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds won their next 4 contests to finish the regular season with a record of 10 wins and 1 loss, winning the Missouri Valley Football Conference for the first time in 15 years; and

WHEREAS, In the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on December 6th, the Redbirds again faced the University of Northern Iowa Panthers; they avenged their earlier defeat, winning by a score of 41 to 21 and advancing to the quarterfinals; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds faced the Eastern Washington Eagles in the quarter-final match-up on December 13th; it was a high-scoring shootout between 2 offensive driven teams, with the Redbirds prevailing 59 to 46; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds win over Eastern Washington was celebrated with heavy hearts, with one minute remaining in the game a fan in the stands suffered a medical emergency; that man was John Rodgers, father of Eastern Washington offensive lineman Jake Rodgers; after the game, many of the Redbirds players were calling home to talk with their own fathers and praying for the Rodgers family; and

WHEREAS, For the semifinal match-up, the Redbirds traveled to New Hampshire, going coast-to-coast in one week to face the top-seeded University of New Hampshire Wildcats on December 20th; trailing the Wildcats through the first 3 quarters and being down 18 to 6 to start the fourth quarter, the Redbirds refused to go down in defeat and responded with 15 unanswered points, taking the lead 21 to 18 and advancing to finals; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds family learned on December 26th that John Rodgers, father of Eastern Washington offensive lineman Jake Rodgers, had passed away from heart complications; his death shook the Eastern Washington family and stayed with the Redbirds; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds players and coaches wanted a way to honor the Rodgers family, deciding to wear a number 65 decal on their helmets, lineman Jake Rodgers number, when they faced North Dakota State University in the championship; Eastern Washington Coach Beau Baldwin in response, "The ISU football program and Coach Spack are not only incredible on the field, but are amazing men of character as well."; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds made their first ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 10th to face the North Dakota State University Bison in Frisco, Texas at Toyota Stadium; and

WHEREAS, Illinois State University alumni and fans from near and far hosted watch parties to cheer on their Redbirds; over 80 watch parties in cities across the United States, and as far away as Guatemala and Australia, had fans tuned in to see the conclusion of this miraculous season; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds knew the contest against the North Dakota State Bison would be tough; the Bison were appearing in their 4th straight championship game, winning the prior 3; the Redbirds were not afraid and welcomed the challenge; and

WHEREAS, The Redbird defense stopped North Dakota State on its first offensive drive, with Alex Donnelly forcing a Bison fumble in the red zone; the Redbirds drove to midfield before having to punt the ball away; the Redbird defense came up big again, stopping the Bison in 4 plays before taking over; the Redbird offense took over, capping a 5-play, 38-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Tre Roberson to Jon-Marc Anderson, putting the Redbirds first on the board, going up 7-0; North Dakota State responded by scoring on a 41-yard field goal; the score at the end of the first quarter was ISU 7 - NDSU 3; and

WHEREAS, In the second half, the Redbirds were unable to penetrate the Bison defense to find the red zone and score; North Dakota State had one successful drive scoring a touchdown on a 6-yard pass, the score at the end of the half was NDSU 10 - ISU 7; and

WHEREAS, The Bison opened the second half with key play on the kickoff recovering the ball on the Redbird 19-yard line; the Redbird defense held the Bison from a touchdown forcing them to settle for a field goal; the Redbirds had difficulties on the next drive going 3 plays and punting the ball away; the Bison then marched 71-yards downfield in 8 plays, scoring on a 7-yard run, putting the Bison up 20-7 with 7:28 remaining in the third quarter; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds on their next trip out on offense began to click with a 41-yard pass from Tre Roberson, finding James O'Shaughnessy towards the sideline for a touchdown; Nick Aussieker kicked the extra point and the final score of the third quarter was NDSU 20 - ISU 14; and

WHEREAS, The fourth quarter began with the Redbird defense holding the Bison from a touchdown and settling for an extra point, making it a 2 possession game with 11:20 left to play; the Redbirds were back on offense, charging down the field when Tre Roberson connected again with James O'Shaughnessy on a 3-yard touchdown pass, cutting the NDSU lead to 2 points; the Bison followed with a drive that ate up nearly 6 minutes of clock before the Redbirds forced them to punt; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds were back on offense down by 2 with 2:22 left to play; the Redbirds flew down the field trying to score; on the fifth play of the drive, quarterback Tre Roberson broke free on a run, rushing for a 58-yard touchdown, a career long; an extra points by kicker Nick Aussieker put the Redbirds ahead ISU 27 - NDSU 23 with 1:38 to go; and

WHEREAS, The Bison took over on offense, down for the first time since the first quarter; the Bison stampeded down the field gaining 3 successive first downs, stopping the clock each time; on the seventh play of the drive, the Bison running back found a hole and scored; the Redbirds blocked the extra point, but the damage was done, the Bison led NDSU 29 - ISU 27; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds came back on offense and tried to muster one last charge with 0:37 seconds remaining, but the Bison intercepted the ball and ran out the clock, defeating the Redbirds in a thrilling championship match-up between 2 great football programs, NDSU 29 - ISU 27; and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds had an amazing season, winning their first conference title in 15 years, and making it to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game; along the journey, the Redbirds defeated 7 nationally ranked opponents and set 16 school records, including most wins (13), most points scored (574), must touchdowns (76), and most rushing yards (3,619); and

WHEREAS, The Redbirds graduate 20 seniors, who will leave behind a strong program they helped take towards new heights and will have many returning starters with goals to build on the 2014-2015 campaign's success; and

WHEREAS, While the Redbirds were setting records and scoring on the football field, they also scored high in the classroom, having similar success in their coursework with a cumulative fall GPA of 2.87, setting an in-season record; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois State University Redbird football team was a model for success, setting many team records on the field, showing their strong moral character, and excelling in their academics; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Illinois State University football team, the Redbirds, on its successful 2014-2015 campaign, making their first appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, and we wish them great success as they continue to build their football program; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Illinois State University Redbirds President, Larry Dietz, Athletic Director, Larry Lyons, Head Coach, Brock Spack, the entire coaching staff, and the entire 2014-2015 Redbirds football team as a symbol of our respect and esteem.