--- title: SR 353. Valdosta State University Football Team; congratulate collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr353 cite_as: SR 353, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr353 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr353.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr353/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71183 date: 2025-03-10 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12 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/sr352.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr354.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr353.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 353 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-10 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Russ Goodman - Carden Summers - Sam Watson - Drew Echols - Billy Hickman - Freddie Sims - Mike Hodges text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR353/2025 upstream_id: 1994225 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Valdosta State University - college football - NCAA Division II - Georgia Senate resolutions - Gulf South Conference --- # SR 353. Valdosta State University Football Team; congratulate ## Text Senate Resolution 353 By: Senators Goodman of the 8th, Summers of the 13th, Watson of the 11th, Echols of the 49th, Hickman of the 4th and others A RESOLUTION Congratulating the Valdosta State University football team for winning the 2024 Gulf South Conference Championship, the Super Region Two Title, and reaching the NCAA Division II National Championship Game; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Valdosta State University is nationally known for its tradition of athletic and academic excellence, having won nine national championships and 57 Gulf South Conference titles in multiple sports, as well as having numerous athletes win Academic All-Conference and Academic All-American titles; and WHEREAS, The 2024 Valdosta State football team won the program's 11th Gulf South Conference Championship, marking the most of any school in Gulf South Conference history; and WHEREAS, the Blazers reached the national championship game for the seventh time in program history and third time since 2018, while the seven appearances in the title game are second-most all-time in NCAA Division II history; and WHEREAS, the Valdosta State University football team has established and maintained a proud tradition of excellence with equal emphases on character and academics; and WHEREAS, this outstanding team has completed another championship season football competition by posting an outstanding record of 13 wins and only one loss, marking the fifth time in program history of winning 13 or more games in a season; and WHEREAS, this season also marked the team's 20th appearance in the NCAA post-season, the 34 post-season victories are the fourth-most all-time in Division II; and WHEREAS, the football team has now had five different Blazer head coaches reach the NCAA title game, marking the most number of coaches reaching the championship at one school in Division II history; and WHEREAS, the phenomenal performance of the 2024 season saw the team go undefeated in league play for the sixth time in program history, finished the season with five All-America selections, and recognized quarterback Sammy Edwards as a finalist for the prestigious Harlon Hill Award for the second-straight year; and WHEREAS, the Blazer football team now stands at 346 victories with 138 defeats and four ties in 42 playing seasons of football, with the 2024 team posting the 15th season of double-digit victories in program history; and WHEREAS, as this magnificent team earned its well-deserved reputation for excellence by performing with courage and precision over months of training and competition, it is abundantly proper to call them champions. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body congratulate the Valdosta State University football team for winning the 2024 Gulf South Conference Championship, the Super Region Two Title, and qualifying for the NCAA Division II National Championship game, and extend best wishes for continued success. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the Valdosta State University football team. ## 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 Senate resolution congratulates the Valdosta State University football team for winning the 2024 Gulf South Conference Championship and reaching the NCAA Division II national title game. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia Senate honors the Valdosta State University football team for its 2024 season. The team won its 11th Gulf South Conference Championship, the most of any school in that conference's history, and captured the Super Region Two Title before advancing to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game. The resolution recounts the team's record of 13 wins and one loss, its 20th appearance in the NCAA postseason, and several individual honors including quarterback Sammy Edwards being named a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award. It formally congratulates the team and directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the team. Resolutions like this one do not change Georgia law; they are ceremonial statements adopted by the Senate. ### What it does - Formally congratulates the Valdosta State University football team for its 2024 Gulf South Conference Championship and Super Region Two Title. - Recognizes the team's run to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game and its 13-1 season record. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the football team. - Extends the Senate's best wishes to the team for continued success, without creating any new law or funding. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Valdosta State University football team, its coaches and players, including quarterback Sammy Edwards, and the university itself. It also involves the Secretary of the Senate, who is tasked with distributing a copy of the resolution to the team. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect; it is a public, formal statement of recognition from the Georgia Senate. Its main real-world effect is symbolic, giving the team and university official acknowledgment of their athletic achievements from the state legislature. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount the team's history, including nine national championships and 57 Gulf South Conference titles across sports. - The resolved clause formally congratulates the team for the 2024 Gulf South Conference Championship, Super Region Two Title, and NCAA title game appearance. - A further resolved clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to make a copy of the resolution available for distribution to the team. - The resolution does not set an effective date or allocate funding, consistent with its ceremonial nature. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-10) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-03-10) - Sponsors: Russ Goodman, Carden Summers, Sam Watson, Drew Echols, Billy Hickman, Freddie Sims, Mike Hodges - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71183 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr353.md?full=1