H.R. No. 1568

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Alex G. Leal retired from his position as head
	football coach at Raymondville High School in December 2010,
	drawing to a close a remarkable 31-year career in which he became
	the all-time winningest coach in the Rio Grande Valley; and
	WHEREAS, Renowned for his achievements in guiding young
	athletes, Coach Leal also distinguished himself as a classroom
	instructor and principal after beginning his career as an
	elementary teacher in the Raymondville Independent School District
	in 1960; he became an assistant coach six years later and moved up
	to the positions of head football coach and athletic coordinator
	for the Bearkats in 1973; and
	WHEREAS, Over the following decades, this skilled mentor
	built an exemplary record while coaching at Raymondville, Rio
	Grande City, Port Isabel, McAllen, and Harlingen South High
	Schools, and in each of those assignments he also held the post of
	athletic coordinator or athletic director in addition to that of
	head coach; and
	WHEREAS, Though he initially chose to retire from coaching in
	2000, when he stepped down from his position at Harlingen South, he
	opted to return to Raymondville ISD in 2006 to once again lead the
	Bearkats; he served as coach for the next five seasons and will
	remain the district's athletic director, continuing a career in
	education that has spanned 51 years; and
	WHEREAS, Coach Leal's achievements have made him a
	distinguished figure in Texas high school sports; his overall
	record stands at 224 wins, 105 losses, and 6 ties, and he won or
	shared 11 district championships and took his team to the playoffs
	in 18 of his 31 years as a head coach; among his numerous honors are
	his induction into the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall
	of Honor and the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame and his
	selection as the winningest Hispanic football coach in the nation
	by Hispanic magazine in 2000 and as the number two coach of the
	millennium by the McAllen Monitor; moreover, he was named coach of
	the year 13 times, most recently in 2010, his final year overseeing
	the Bearkats, when he was awarded that accolade as the top coach in
	District 31-3A; and
	WHEREAS, Beyond the wins and awards, however, a more profound
	measure of Alex Leal's success is the positive role he has played in
	the lives of the hundreds of student-athletes with whom he has
	worked; for four and a half decades, he helped teach those young
	Texans important lessons about teamwork, commitment, and
	responsibility that had value far beyond the gridiron, and his work
	will continue to be respected and remembered for many years to come;
	now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
	Legislature hereby honor Alex G. Leal on his retirement from a long
	and accomplished career as a high school football coach and extend
	to him sincere best wishes for continued happiness; and, be it
	further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
	prepared for Coach Leal as an expression of high regard by the Texas
	House of Representatives.
	Lozano
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 1568 was adopted by the House on May
	5, 2011, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House