Figures Honors Mobile Native Mikhail Torrance on House Floor

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Shomari C. Figures (AL-02) delivered a speech honoring the life and legacy of Mikhail Torrance, a Mobile native, former star basketball player for the University of Alabama, and community leader who tragically passed away last week.

Watch Congressman Figures speech here. Below is a transcript of his speech as delivered:

"Thank you, 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. An incredible young man who tragically and suddenly passed away last week at just the age of 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, same hometown as Mikhail. It's a place that has produced arguably the best historical collection of athletic talent of almost any city in this country. You know, we've 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. And in fact, just last night, we further added to that legacy with the first-round draft pick in the NBA of Labaron Philon. So 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's something that can honestly be said about Mikhail.

"I'm 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. And Florida, this is at a time where 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? And 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's a really good kid."

"And so 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 pre-draft 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. And imagine that. Being 21 years old and on the pathway to fulfilling a childhood dream and having done everything the right way - I mean 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, and he was able to ultimately play pro ball 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. You know 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.

"But as we know, life isn't always fair, and horrible things happen. And 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. And 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. And 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's the club of having a father or a husband whose life will be 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.

"And one day, as kids in that club do, his girls will research their dad. They'll look him up. And they'll see the articles about his games and his stats and the clips of his highlights and read about his accomplishments. They'll see the articles about his career being cut short, and they'll see the articles and the news stories covering his untimely death. But buried in that research 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.

"And so 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. And to Mikhail, on behalf of a grateful city and from a fan, I say thank you for the example that you set for the city of Mobile. Thank you 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. I yield back, Mr. Speaker."

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