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1996 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 73
Honoring the memory of Henry Wendell Jordan.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 26, 1996
Agreed to by the Senate, February 1, 1996

WHEREAS, Henry Wendell Jordan, a native Virginian and one of the finest football players the Commonwealth has ever produced, died on February 21, 1977, at the age of 42; and

WHEREAS, Henry Jordan's achievements during his short life were remarkable indeed, and many of those achievements have recently been noted and commemorated; and

WHEREAS, a native of Greensville County, Henry Jordan moved to Newport News at a young age, graduated from Warwick High School and matriculated at the University of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, throughout his school years Henry Jordan proved himself a leader, on and off the football field, serving as class president, heading the Student Government Association, and winning championships as a wrestler and football player; and

WHEREAS, at the University of Virginia, Henry Jordan was a Dean's List student, captain of the football team and University Athlete of the Year; and

WHEREAS, drafted by the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League following graduation from the University, Henry Jordan was traded to the fabled Green Bay Packers of Coach Vince Lombardi in 1959; and

WHEREAS, for 12 years Henry Jordan played defensive tackle for the best football team of the era, five times winning All-Pro honors and playing on the Packer teams that were victorious in the first two Super Bowls; and

WHEREAS, Henry Jordan won innumerable awards and honors including induction into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in Portsmouth in 1974 and the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on July 29, 1995; and

WHEREAS, both Warwick High School and the University of Virginia honored the memory of Henry Jordan during their 1995 football seasons by retiring his jersey numbers; and

WHEREAS, his many football honors notwithstanding, perhaps the most lasting and valuable legacy of Henry Jordan can be found at Warwick High School, where the Henry Jordan Memorial Scholarship is awarded each spring to a senior student who has exhibited "academic excellence, exemplary citizenship, and outstanding achievement in athletics"; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly honors the memory of Henry Wendell Jordan, a Virginian of surpassing abilities and achievements; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Henry Wendell Jordan as an expression of the General Assembly's appreciation of his life and accomplishments.