[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3302]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRATULATING COACH STEVE JENKINS ON HIS 600TH WIN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 25, 2014

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Coach Steve 
Jenkins on his 600th career win as head coach of Evangel University's 
men's basketball program.
  Coach Jenkins reached this impressive feat in his 32nd season at 
Evangel University, a small Christian college in Springfield, Missouri. 
With this win, Coach Jenkins is now only the seventh active coach in 
the NAIA-I division to reach 600 wins.
  Through his 30-plus seasons as head coach, Coach Jenkins' teams 
reached the NAIA national tournament 11 times, including a National 
Championship in 2002. His teams have captured seven Heart of America 
conference titles. He was honored as the NAIA National Coach of the 
Year in 2002, and was named Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach 
of the Year on six different occasions. Coach Jenkins was inducted into 
the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Missouri 
Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013. On March 18, 2014, 
he will be inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame.
  Coach Jenkins' legacy at Evangel University extends beyond his record 
as a basketball coach. A 1974 Evangel graduate, Coach Jenkins lettered 
in baseball for 4 years and basketball for 3 years. After pursuing 
graduate studies, he soon returned to Evangel in 1977 as head baseball 
coach for 6 seasons, and assistant basketball coach for 5 seasons. He 
was named head basketball coach in 1982, and on December 5th of this 
season, coached his 1000th game at Evangel University. In 1998, Coach 
Jenkins added the responsibility of being the men's golf coach, and is 
serving in that capacity for the 16th year. He has garnered two Heart 
of America Coach of the Year honors for men's golf. Steve and his 
lovely wife Rhonda, also a graduate of Evangel, have three grown 
children--Sarah, Jon, and David--and six grandchildren.
  Coach Jenkins' exemplary devotion to coaching is only matched by his 
devotion in the classroom, his love of his family, and his strength in 
his faith. The Springfield community is justifiably proud of Coach 
Jenkins and the Evangel basketball program. I urge my colleagues to 
join me in congratulating him on his well-deserved victory.

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