California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 195

Introduced by Assembly Members Holden and Gomez

(Principal coauthor: Senator De León)

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Bloom, Brown, Calderon, Chang, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Hadley, Jones-Sawyer, Linder, Lopez, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, and Santiago)

(Coauthors: Senators Hall, Hernandez, Hertzberg, Huff, Leyva, Liu, Mendoza, Morrell, Pavley, and Runner)

June 14, 2016

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 195—Relative to Vin Scully.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 195, as introduced, Holden. Vin Scully.

This measure would recognize the legendary career of Vincent Edward “Vin” Scully.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Vincent Edward “Vin” Scully was born in the
Bronx, New York City on November 29, 1927. At an early age,
Vin Scully became fascinated with football broadcasts on the radio
and decided that he wanted to become a sports announcer; and

WHEREAS, After serving in the United States Navy for two
years, Vin Scully began his career as a student broadcaster and
journalist at Fordham University. While at Fordham, Scully played
outfield for two seasons on Fordham’s baseball team and called
baseball, basketball, and football games for the university’s radio
station; and

WHEREAS, Vin Scully was recruited in 1949 by Red Barber,
the sports director of the CBS Radio Network, for the network’s
college football coverage. In 1950, Scully joined Hall of Fame
announcers Red Barber and Connie Desmond as part of the
Brooklyn Dodgers’ broadcast team, only a year after graduating
from Fordham. In 1953, Scully replaced Barber for the 1953 World
Series coverage. At the age of 25, Scully became the youngest
person to broadcast a World Series game, a record that stands to
this day; and

WHEREAS, During the 1954 season, Vin Scully became the
Brooklyn Dodgers’ principal announcer. Scully announced Dodger
games in Brooklyn until 1957. After the club moved to Los Angeles
for the 1958 season, Scully quickly became popular in southern
California; and

WHEREAS, In his illustrious career, Vin Scully has worked
with many accomplished broadcast partners, including Jerry
Doggett, Ross Porter, Don Drysdale, Sonny Jurgensen, Alex
Hawkins, George Allen, Jim Brown, John Madden, Hank Stram,
Pat Summerall, Curt Gowdy, Ken Venturi, Ben Wright, Brent
Musburger, and Sparky Anderson. Scully has worked for major
broadcast networks, including CBS, ABC, and NBC, covering
Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the
PGA Tour; and

WHEREAS, In 1982, 32 years after he first became a Dodger
broadcaster, Vin Scully reached the pinnacle of his immaculate
career in baseball when he was inducted into the Broadcaster’s
Wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a Ford C. Frick
Award recipient. In addition to this award, Scully has received a
Life Achievement Emmy Award for sportscasting and multiple
lifetime achievement awards and hall of fame inductions relative
to broadcasting and sportscasting; and

WHEREAS, On September 5, 2014, Bud Selig presented Vin
Scully with the Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Historic
Achievement Award, which was created to recognize
accomplishments and contributions of historical significance to
the game of baseball. Scully was the 14th recipient and second
nonplayer to receive the award, after Rachel Robinson; and

WHEREAS, The California Sports Hall of Fame inducted Vin
Scully in 2008. On May 11, 2009, Scully was awarded the
Ambassador Award of Excellence by the Los Angeles Sports and
Entertainment Commission. Scully has a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame, has the press box at Dodger Stadium named on his
behalf, served as Grand Marshal for the 2014 Tournament of Roses
Parade, and has had Elysian Park Avenue renamed to Vin Scully
Avenue in his honor; and

WHEREAS, Vin Scully hosted President Ronald Reagan during
the 1989 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Scully has also
hosted the charity event “Scully and Wooden, For the Kids” with
legendary University of California, Los Angeles basketball coach
John Wooden, an event that benefited the Pediatric Cancer
Programs at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA and pediatric cancer
research at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and City of Hope.
Scully has participated in multiple events with ThinkCure, the
Dodgers’ charity organization that raises funds to promote
collaborative research to cure cancer; and

WHEREAS, Vin Scully’s descriptions of baseball games have
thrilled fans for years. Scully’s 67 seasons with the Dodgers is the
longest time any broadcaster has been with a single team in
professional sports history. Scully is known for his smooth and
lyrical voice, vivid and descriptive style, and ability to weave
anecdotes between his play-by-play of the ballgame. Scully’s
signature introduction to Dodger games is beloved by Dodger fans
across California: “It’s time for Dodger baseball!”; and

WHEREAS, Vin Scully and his wife, Sandra, reside in Los
Angeles; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the legendary
career of Vincent Edward “Vin” Scully, the embodiment of the
artistic spirit of California; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.