Bill Text: MN SR94 | 2023-2024 | 93rd Legislature | Draft
Bill Title: A Senate resolution honoring Forster Davis and his contributions to youth soccer in Minnesota
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-24 - Referred to Rules and Administration [SR94 Detail]
Download: Minnesota-2023-SR94-Draft.html
1.1A Senate resolution
1.2honoring Forster Davis and his contributions to youth soccer in Minnesota.
1.3WHEREAS, Forster Davis began his soccer refereeing career in 1974 in the Fargo/Moorhead area; and
1.4WHEREAS, he began his long career and love of the game of soccer as one of the leading organizers of the
1.5first youth soccer program created in the Fargo/Moorhead area. Forster also learned the rules and became a soccer
1.6referee; and
1.7WHEREAS, after moving to Northfield, Minnesota, in 1979 he continued to referee youth soccer in the
1.8metropolitan area and throughout southern Minnesota; and
1.9WHEREAS, in 1985, Forster was among the founding group of officials that signed up to referee a new
1.10tournament held at the National Sports Center in Blaine, the Schwan's USA Cup, which would go on to become the
1.11largest international youth soccer tournament in the Western Hemisphere; and
1.12WHEREAS, he refereed between ten and 25 games at the USA Cup every year. By his count, he reached his
1.13600th game at the tournament in 2015 and continued to referee the tournament every summer; and
1.14WHEREAS, he was inducted into the Minnesota State Referee Committee Hall of Fame in 2013 and was
1.15honored at the USA Cup Opening Ceremonies in 2017 for his then 30-plus years of service to the tournament; and
1.16WHEREAS, he refereed year round: outdoor soccer in the spring, summer, and fall and indoor soccer in the
1.17winter. Nights and weekends, during even the coldest winter days, you could see his yellow car with a surfboard on
1.18the roof rack on I-35 headed to the Soccer Blast in Burnsville; and
1.19WHEREAS, following his 80th birthday, he was regularly refereeing more than 15 games and logging over
1.2030 miles on his digital tracker each week. He would always joke, when someone asked him why he refereed, that it
1.21was better than running on a treadmill; and
1.22WHEREAS, in 2018, Blue Cross Blue Shield featured Forster in a statewide ad campaign, stating "Through
1.23his actions, Forster is an inspiration to us all"; and
1.24WHEREAS, he retired from refereeing in 2022, at age 84. He estimated that in his more than 50 years of
1.25refereeing he worked at over 10,000 games and ran over 60,000 miles; and
1.26WHEREAS, he was a husband, father, friend, mentor, and guide to many. His humor and dry sarcasm endeared
1.27him to most everyone who met him. He would talk to anyone about anything, which served him well over the course
1.28of his life; and
1.29WHEREAS, he made a point to know everyone's name, say hello to everyone by name, and send funny cards
1.30in appreciation when it felt necessary. Through it all, Forster was a people person and he would love it if others were
1.31as well; and
1.32NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that it recognizes Forster
1.33Davis and his valuable role in the Minnesota youth soccer community.
1.34BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare an enrolled copy of
1.35this resolution, to be authenticated by the Secretary's signature and that of the Chair of the Senate Rules and
1.36Administration Committee, and transmit it to Forster Davis' son, Robert Davis.
1.2honoring Forster Davis and his contributions to youth soccer in Minnesota.
1.3WHEREAS, Forster Davis began his soccer refereeing career in 1974 in the Fargo/Moorhead area; and
1.4WHEREAS, he began his long career and love of the game of soccer as one of the leading organizers of the
1.5first youth soccer program created in the Fargo/Moorhead area. Forster also learned the rules and became a soccer
1.6referee; and
1.7WHEREAS, after moving to Northfield, Minnesota, in 1979 he continued to referee youth soccer in the
1.8metropolitan area and throughout southern Minnesota; and
1.9WHEREAS, in 1985, Forster was among the founding group of officials that signed up to referee a new
1.10tournament held at the National Sports Center in Blaine, the Schwan's USA Cup, which would go on to become the
1.11largest international youth soccer tournament in the Western Hemisphere; and
1.12WHEREAS, he refereed between ten and 25 games at the USA Cup every year. By his count, he reached his
1.13600th game at the tournament in 2015 and continued to referee the tournament every summer; and
1.14WHEREAS, he was inducted into the Minnesota State Referee Committee Hall of Fame in 2013 and was
1.15honored at the USA Cup Opening Ceremonies in 2017 for his then 30-plus years of service to the tournament; and
1.16WHEREAS, he refereed year round: outdoor soccer in the spring, summer, and fall and indoor soccer in the
1.17winter. Nights and weekends, during even the coldest winter days, you could see his yellow car with a surfboard on
1.18the roof rack on I-35 headed to the Soccer Blast in Burnsville; and
1.19WHEREAS, following his 80th birthday, he was regularly refereeing more than 15 games and logging over
1.2030 miles on his digital tracker each week. He would always joke, when someone asked him why he refereed, that it
1.21was better than running on a treadmill; and
1.22WHEREAS, in 2018, Blue Cross Blue Shield featured Forster in a statewide ad campaign, stating "Through
1.23his actions, Forster is an inspiration to us all"; and
1.24WHEREAS, he retired from refereeing in 2022, at age 84. He estimated that in his more than 50 years of
1.25refereeing he worked at over 10,000 games and ran over 60,000 miles; and
1.26WHEREAS, he was a husband, father, friend, mentor, and guide to many. His humor and dry sarcasm endeared
1.27him to most everyone who met him. He would talk to anyone about anything, which served him well over the course
1.28of his life; and
1.29WHEREAS, he made a point to know everyone's name, say hello to everyone by name, and send funny cards
1.30in appreciation when it felt necessary. Through it all, Forster was a people person and he would love it if others were
1.31as well; and
1.32NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that it recognizes Forster
1.33Davis and his valuable role in the Minnesota youth soccer community.
1.34BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare an enrolled copy of
1.35this resolution, to be authenticated by the Secretary's signature and that of the Chair of the Senate Rules and
1.36Administration Committee, and transmit it to Forster Davis' son, Robert Davis.
| Tom BotternSecretary of the Senate | Erin P. MurphyChair, Senate Committee onRules and Administration |
| John A. HoffmanState Senator, District 34 |
