Congratulating Legendary Gene Arrington on His Life Accomplishments

Floor Speech

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Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a very special constituent, a legendary west Texan, and a great American and the most recent inductee into the Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame, Gene Arrington.

At 6-foot-6, ``Big Air,'' as his friends call him, is a giant of a man with a larger-than-life story.

He was raised by a single mom on the south side of Amarillo, Texas, with little more than a roof over his head. In spite of his humble beginnings, God blessed him with an abundance of athleticism and drive that helped him achieve tremendous success in the sport of basketball.

In 1956, Arrington led the Palo Duro Dons to their first State championship basketball title, averaging 20 points a game, and named to both the all-State and all-tournament teams. He was the only Texan to be invited to play in the North versus South All-Star Game in Murray, Kentucky.

After high school, Arrington joined Polk Robison's Texas Tech Red Raiders, where he started for 3 years, scored 652 points, and pulled down 409 rebounds in 71 games.

His greatest feat, Mr. Speaker, while playing ball at Texas Tech was winning the heart of a young coed from Austin, Texas, Betty Lee Cook, who is now his wife of over 50 years.

If you asked my dad about his greatest achievements, he wouldn't reference championship titles, all-star games, or all-State and all- conference teams. He wouldn't mention a single athletic achievement or accolade.

Instead, he would talk about the day he met Jesus and joined God's kingdom team and what joy and blessing and peace and purpose he experienced from that relationship.

He would talk about his most impressive score of convincing my mom to marry him and spend over 50 years doing life with him and how she has been such a faithful friend and partner and such a hardworking woman and an amazing mother.

He would talk about coaching three boys to be men and how proud he is of all three of us and how he prayed every day--every day--for our happiness in life and in the Lord.

He would talk about his all-star friends and what a blessing they have been and how sweet life has been and how they have helped him be more successful.

I am proud of my dad's induction into the Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame, but, Mr. Speaker, the most important thing to my dad is not being a Hall of Fame athlete. It is being the best husband, father, and friend that he can be.

So I congratulate my dad on his Hall of Fame honor. But, more importantly, I congratulate him on realizing his deepest desires and his biggest dream of being a world-class father and teaching his boys the game of life, the love of God, and the true meaning of success.

He is our hero. God bless, and go West Texas.

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