A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring the wake forest university football team on winning the 2006 atlantic coast conference championship.

Whereas, on December 2, 2006, Wake Forest University's football team won the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship, defeating Georgia Tech by a score of 9‑6 in Jacksonville, Florida; and
Whereas, this victory earned Wake Forest a berth in the Bowl Championship Series and a bid to the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl; and
Whereas, Wake Forest was the first team from North Carolina to earn a berth in one of the top five bowls (Orange, Fiesta,  Rose, Sugar, and Cotton) since 1961; and
Whereas, this championship gave Wake Forest its second ACC title, having won its first title in 1970; and
Whereas, Wake Forest finished the 2006 football season with an 11‑3 record, shattering the previous school record of eight wins captured in 1944, 1979, and 1992; and
Whereas, Wake Forest's five wins in September 2006 marked the most victories in any month of the year in Demon Deacon football history; and
Whereas, Wake Forest won six ACC games for the first time in school history and won the ACC's Atlantic Division after being picked to finish last by the league's media in the preseason; and
Whereas, Wake Forest was the most improved team in America, based upon win differential; and
Whereas, Wake Forest was the first team in ACC history (out of 113) to go 6‑0 in true road games; and
Whereas, Wake Forest swept its ACC Tobacco Road rivals – Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University – for the first time since 1987; and
Whereas, Wake Forest shut out Florida State University in Tallahassee for the first time since 1959, snapping a 17‑game losing streak; and
Whereas, Wake Forest was ranked in the top 25 for eight straight weeks; and
Whereas, head coach Jim Grobe was voted the National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, the Bobby Dodd Foundation, and other media outlets; and
Whereas, sophomore placekicker Sam Swank and senior offensive tackle Steve Vallos were chosen as first team All‑Americans; and
Whereas, junior linebacker Jon Abbate and senior safety Josh Gattis were named honorable mention All‑Americans; and
Whereas, freshman quarterback Riley Skinner was voted the ACC's Rookie of the Year; and
Whereas, eight Wake Forest players earned All‑ACC recognition from the league's voting body; and
Whereas, the entire football team and staff deserve recognition and congratulations for winning an ACC Championship and a berth in the FedEx Orange Bowl, which has brought great honor and distinction to the State; Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

SECTION 1.  The General Assembly congratulates the Wake Forest University football team on winning the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and recognizes the achievements of the players, coaches, students, alumni, and support staff who were instrumental in helping the football team have a successful 2006 season.
SECTION 2.  The General Assembly honors the Wake Forest University's football team, a North Carolina institution.
SECTION 3.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a copy of this resolution to Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch, Athletics Director Ron Wellman, and Head Coach Jim Grobe.
SECTION 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 12th day of March, 2007.

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		 Marc Basnight
	 President Pro Tempore of the Senate

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		 Joe Hackney
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives