[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4218-H4219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MIKHAIL TORRANCE

  (Mr. Figures of Alabama was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. FIGURES. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay honor and tribute to 
one of the best that my hometown has ever had to offer: Mikhail 
Torrance.
  An incredible young man, who tragically and suddenly passed away last 
week at the age of just 37 years old. He was a young man whose passing 
has unleashed a tidal wave of shock and disbelief and raw grief and 
emotion back home.
  I am from Mobile, Alabama. It is the same hometown as Mikhail. It is 
a place that has produced arguably the best historical collection of 
athletic talent of almost any city in this country. We have had a 
number one pick in an NBA draft, an NFL draft, dozens of professional 
ballplayers, dozens of NCAA champions, NBA, Super Bowl, World Series 
champions, and six pro sports Hall of Famers, and that number will 
grow. In fact, just last night, we further added to that legacy with 
the first round draft pick in the NBA of Labaron Philon, Jr.
  Saying someone is among the best to come from my hometown in any 
sport is not something that can be said lightly at all, but it is 
something that can honestly be said about Mikhail.
  I am a few years older than Mikhail, so I was already in college at 
the University of Alabama when he was coming up through Mary G. 
Montgomery High School, but I remember when I found out that the 
University of Florida was recruiting him. It really surprised me 
because I had not heard of him much before that point. This is at a 
time when Florida was in the midst of winning back-to-back national 
championships, and so I called his high school coach, John Davis, who 
happened to be one of my high school coaches at LeFlore, and I asked 
him was this kid really that good. Without hesitation, and with the 
grin that a coach has when he knows he has a workhorse on his team, he 
said: Yeah, he is. But he also said: But he is a really good kid.
  Mikhail ended up coming out as a top recruit in the State of Alabama, 
ended up going to the University of Alabama where he did everything 
that was asked of him. He did it the right way. Every single year, he 
got better. He waited his turn, and by the time he came out, he was an 
all-conference player, excelled in the predraft process, and by all 
accounts was headed to the NBA.
  But he had a heart condition that was discovered and it cost him his 
shot at playing in the league. Imagine that, being 21 years old and on 
the pathway to fulfilling a childhood dream and having done everything 
the right way. This kid didn't have so much as a rumor of a blemish on 
his character or his reputation, and then that dream was suddenly taken 
away because of a medical condition. It was tough for him, but he 
pivoted.
  He was able to ultimately play proball overseas for a few years 
before returning home to Alabama to his wife, Jessica, and their two 
girls, Maci and McKenna, ages 11 and 7. He worked at the Army Corps of 
Engineers and in real estate, but he still stayed close to the game 
that he loved so much through coaching and training kids and hosting 
camps and refereeing local basketball games, even doing play-by-play 
announcing of televised college games and also doing motivational 
speaking, giving his testimony, sharing his pain, his struggle, his 
journey to inspire younger guys to continue to persevere and be better, 
even better than he was.
  As we know, life isn't always fair, and horrible things happen. Now, 
we sit here in this seemingly unreal moment, and his wife and kids 
suddenly find themselves in a club that no one wants to be a part of. 
Unfortunately, I, too, am a member of that club. Coincidentally, just 
like his daughters, I was 11 when my father suddenly passed, and my 
younger brother was 7. Having been in those shoes, I can tell you that 
as much as it sucks being in that club, you ironically end up in 
another club that a lot of people actually aspire to be in, and that is 
the club of having a father or a husband whose life will be

[[Page H4219]]

remembered and talked about for years to come because he lived with 
such a passion and dedication and was truly loved and respected by 
many, many people.
  One day, as kids in that club do, his girls will research their dad. 
They will look him up. They will see the articles about his games and 
his stats and the clips of his highlights and read about his 
accomplishments. They will see the articles about his career being cut 
short. They will see the articles and the news stories covering his 
untimely death.
  However, buried in that research, it is my hope that they will find 
mention of his name in the Congressional Record, perhaps even see this 
speech, and know that their father lived a life that was worthy of 
tribute and honor on the House floor of the United States Capitol in 
the same room where Presidents speak, where heads of State speak, where 
we recently just hosted the King of England, because he deserved that.
  To Mikhail's parents, you raised a hell of a young man. To Jessica 
and the girls, our hearts go out to you and know that thousands of 
people are here to support you all. To Mikhail, on behalf of a grateful 
city and from a fan, I thank him for the example that he set for the 
city of Mobile, for representing us well, and being amongst the best 
that Mobile has ever had to offer this world. You made us proud, boy. 
You really made us proud.

                          ____________________