Florida Senate - 2009 (NP) SR 2744 By Senator King 8-03341-09 20092744__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution honoring and congratulating the 3 Jacksonville University Dolphins football team on 4 winning their first Pioneer Football League 5 championship and participating in the program’s first 6 postseason bowl game. 7 8 WHEREAS, Jacksonville University started its 9 intercollegiate football program in 1998 and in its first 10 10 years of competition the nonscholarship team enjoyed only one 11 winning season, and 12 WHEREAS, under the institutional leadership of University 13 President Dr. Kerry Romesburg and Athletics Director Alan 14 Verlander, former University of Florida quarterback Kerwin Bell 15 took over the reins as head coach of the Dolphins program in 16 2007 and suffered through a 3-8 season before leading the 17 Dolphins to their most successful season ever in 2008, finishing 18 with a regular season record of 9-3 overall and 7-1 in the 19 Pioneer Football League, and 20 WHEREAS, on the final day of the 2008 regular season, 21 Jacksonville University hosted the University of Dayton, the 22 conference’s defending champion, and with an amazing second half 23 rally defeated the Flyers by a score of 19-14 before the largest 24 crowd in the school history to win the Pioneer Football League 25 championship, and 26 WHEREAS, the Dolphins were led by some outstanding 27 individual performances in 2008, with four players earning First 28 Team All-Conference honors, including Pioneer Football League 29 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year Josh McGregor, four 30 players earning places on the Second Team, seven players earning 31 All-Conference honorable mention, and Coach Kerwin Bell being 32 named Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year, and 33 WHEREAS, the 2008 conference championship earned the 34 Dolphins their first postseason bowl game, a matchup with the 35 State University of New York at Albany, the champion of the 36 Northeast Conference, in the Gridiron Classic in Albany, New 37 York, on December 6, 2008, and 38 WHEREAS, the team’s outstanding season brought tremendous 39 excitement and pride to the Jacksonville University campus and 40 the entire city of Jacksonville and further exemplified the 41 dramatic improvement in all of the university’s athletic 42 programs, from rowing and soccer to track and field and 43 volleyball, NOW, THEREFORE, 44 45 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 46 47 That the Florida Senate honors and congratulates the 48 Jacksonville University Dolphins football team for winning their 49 first-ever Pioneer Football League championship and 50 participating in the program’s first postseason bowl game, the 51 Gridiron Classic, and extends its best wishes to the Dolphins 52 football team and to the entire Jacksonville University 53 community for continued athletic and academic success.