Whereas, on December 16, 2023, the Harding University Bisons football team (referred to in this preamble as the Bisons ) won the 2023 National Collegiate Athletic Association (referred to in this preamble as the NCAA ) Division II national championship; Whereas the Bisons defeated Colorado School of Mines 38–7 at McKinney Independent School District Stadium in McKinney, Texas; Whereas this was the first time the Bisons ever competed for an NCAA Division II national championship; Whereas the Bisons are the first Arkansas college sports team to win an NCAA Division II football national championship, and 1 of only 6 college football programs in Arkansas to win a national championship; Whereas the Bisons completed a perfect season, winning all 15 games played in the 2023 season; Whereas the Bisons rushed for a season total of 6,160 yards, becoming the first team at any level of NCAA football to rush for over 6,000 yards in a single season; Whereas Bisons player Blake Delacruz rushed for 212 yards on 27 carries, breaking the NCAA Division II championship game record for rushing yards; Whereas Paul Simmons became the Bisons head coach in 2017, was named the 2023 National Coach of the Year by D2Football.com, and under his leadership, the team— (1) has gained a 65–13 overall record, making Simmons Harding University's fastest head football coach to obtain 65 career wins; (2) won the 2021 and 2023 Great American Conference championship and has never finished lower than second in the conference; (3) has reached the NCAA Division II playoffs 5 times, compiling an 8–4 record and reaching the national semifinals in 2017, the Super Region 3 semifinals in 2021, and winning the NCAA Division II national championship game in 2023, marking Simmons as the only active coach in the Great American Conference to have more than 1 NCAA II playoff win