Bill Text: VA SR74 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Louis Anderson, Jr.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-02-15 - Bill text as passed Senate (SR74ER) [SR74 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SR74-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Louis Anderson, Jr., a highly admired football coach who inspired generations of student-athletes in Central Virginia to achieve greatness in sports and in the classroom, died on October 13, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Louis "Lou" Anderson grew up in Richmond and graduated from Maggie L. Walker High School; he continued his education by earning an associate degree from Kittrell College in North Carolina and a bachelor's degree from what is now Clafin University in South Carolina, where he was captain of both the football and basketball teams; and
WHEREAS, Lou Anderson began his career at Luther H. Foster High School in Nottoway County working as a government teacher, assistant football coach, and assistant basketball coach until 1970, when he returned to his alma mater to replace his own former mentor, Fred Cooper, as head coach of the Maggie L. Walker High School football team; and
WHEREAS, in 1979, Lou Anderson became the head football coach of John Marshall High School, which later merged with Maggie L. Walker High School to form Marshall-Walker High School; over the course of a decade, he led the football team to six district championships, two regional championships, and two state semifinal appearances; and
WHEREAS, Lou Anderson subsequently coached at Armstrong High School for one season, then became the first local high school coach to transition to the college level when he joined Virginia State University in 1991; and
WHEREAS, Lou Anderson led the Virginia State University Trojans to an impressive 10–1 record in 1993 and back-to-back Colonial Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championship titles in 1995 and 1996; and
WHEREAS, Lou Anderson encouraged his players to reach their fullest academic potential and gain the tools they needed to become leaders in their communities and career fields, and he proudly helped student-athletes from the Richmond region achieve college scholarships; and
WHEREAS, among many accolades over the course of his career, Lou Anderson was twice named the CIAA Coach of the Year and received the Richmond Touchdown Club Coach of the Year Award and the Richmond City Outstanding Citizen Award; he was inducted into athletic halls of fame at Virginia State University, Clafin University, and Marshall-Walker High School, as well as the CIAA John B. McLendon Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, after his well-earned retirement in 2001, Lou Anderson served as a mentor to former coaches and players through an annual football camp, and he offered his wise insights as a frequent guest on a sports talk radio station, where he was hailed as the godfather of local athletics; and
WHEREAS, a man of deep and abiding faith throughout his life, Lou Anderson served as a trustee at Cedar Street Baptist Church and was ordained as a deacon at Second Baptist Church, where he was also a member of the men's choir, sports ministry, and men's fellowship group; and
WHEREAS, Lou Anderson will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his children, Cynthia, Brenda, Glenn, and Keesha, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Virginia hereby note with great sadness the loss of Louis Anderson, Jr., a longtime fixture of high school and college football in the Richmond region who touched the lives of countless young people in Central Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Louis Anderson, Jr., as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's respect for his memory.
