--- title: HR 1768. Gardner, George "Coach"; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1768 cite_as: HR 1768, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1768 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1768.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1768/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74231 date: 2026-03-18 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1767.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1769.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1768.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1768 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-18 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Deborah Silcox - Eddie Lumsden - Victor Anderson - Soo Hong text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1768/2025 upstream_id: 2135865 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - high school football - sports commendation - Georgia House resolution - football officiating --- # HR 1768. Gardner, George "Coach"; commend ## Text House Resolution 1768 By: Representatives Silcox of the 53rd, Lumsden of the 12th, Anderson of the 10th, and Hong of the 103rd A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending George "Coach" Gardner; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, George "Coach" Gardner founded the Georgia Football Officials Association (GFOA) in 1926 in Atlanta, Georgia; and WHEREAS, GFOA is the oldest and one of the largest high school football official associations in the state of Georgia; and WHEREAS, GFOA is an approved member of the Georgia High School Association; and WHEREAS, Coach Gardner graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in General Engineering, and played football at the school; and WHEREAS, he was elected team captain in 1924, and his name is included in the Georgia Tech Ring of Honor; and WHEREAS, Coach Gardner was an active football official in the SEC from 1932 until 1948, where he officiated the Sugar Bowl three times and the Rose Bowl once; and WHEREAS, he served as the SEC Supervisor of Officials from 1948 until 1970; and WHEREAS, in 1986, Coach Gardner became the fourth football official to be inducted in the National Football Hall of Fame; and WHEREAS, in 1992, Coach Gardner became the first official from any sport to be inducted into the National Federation of High Schools Sports Hall of Fame; and WHEREAS, Coach Gardner developed the first football officials' mechanics manual in 1933, becoming known as the "Father of Football Officiating"; and WHEREAS, many of these mechanics manuals are still in use by NFL, NCAA and high school football officials; and WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper the outstanding achievements and remarkable contributions Coach Gardner has made to the sport of football be appropriately recognized. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize George "Coach" Gardner for a lifetime of dedication to football and commend him for serving as an inspiration to athletes throughout the State of Georgia. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to George "Coach" Gardner. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution honors George "Coach" Gardner, founder of the Georgia Football Officials Association, for his decades of contributions to football officiating. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizes George "Coach" Gardner, who founded the Georgia Football Officials Association in Atlanta in 1926. It recounts his career: a Georgia Tech football player and team captain, an SEC football official from 1932 to 1948, and the SEC Supervisor of Officials from 1948 to 1970. It also notes his induction into the National Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the National Federation of High Schools Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, and credits him with writing the first football officiating mechanics manual in 1933. The resolution does not change any Georgia law. It formally commends Gardner for his lifetime of work in football and directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send him a copy of the resolution. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends George "Coach" Gardner for his contributions to football officiating. - Recounts his founding of the Georgia Football Officials Association in 1926 and his career as an SEC official and supervisor. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to Gardner. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement, as is typical for a commendation resolution. ### Who it affects This resolution primarily affects George "Coach" Gardner, who receives the formal commendation. It also touches the Georgia Football Officials Association and the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who is tasked with distributing the resolution. ### Why it matters The resolution carries symbolic and ceremonial weight rather than legal effect. It gives official state recognition to Gardner's long career in football officiating and his role in founding a major Georgia football officials organization, but it does not alter any rights, funding, or rules for Georgians. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses detail Gardner's founding of the Georgia Football Officials Association in 1926 and his career achievements. - The resolved clause formally commends Gardner for a lifetime of dedication to football. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute a copy of the resolution to Gardner. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-18) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-18) - Sponsors: Deborah Silcox, Eddie Lumsden, Victor Anderson, Soo Hong - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74231 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1768.md?full=1