Rich Wingo
| Richard Allen "Rich" Wingo | |
Alabama State Representative for District 62 (Tuscaloosa County)
| |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office November 5, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | John Merrill |
|---|---|
| Born | July 16, 1956 Elkhart, Indiana |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Cheri A. Wingo |
| Children | Jacob and Luke Wingo |
| Profession | Businessman Retired National Football League linebacker for the Green Bay Packers |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Richard Allen Wingo, known as Rich Wingo (born July 16, 1956), is a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives for District 62 in eastern Tuscaloosa County. A former linebacker in the National Football League, he played for five seasons for the Green Bay Packers from 1979 to 1984.
The Packers drafted Wingo from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, at which he played from 1974 to 1978 under legendary Coach Bear Bryant. He was integral to Alabama's 1978 national championship[1] and its 1979 Sugar Bowl victory over Pennsylvania State University. Wingo was in the pile of players who stopped Penn State's Mike Guman at the goal line.[2] He is the only Packers player to have a scoring total of 1 point, which he made in 1981, when he caught a pass in the end zone for a point-after-touchdown. While playing for the Packers, he scored no touchdowns.[3] He was named Most Valuable Player in 1979 and "NFL Man of the Year" in 1982.[4]
Wingo is a former head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Alabama. He is co-owner of Solid Rock Builders and the president of AIG-Baker. He is a deacon and Sunday school teacher at the First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa. He and his wife, Cheri, have two sons, Jake and Luke Wingo.[4]
When District 62 Representative John Merrill launched a successful campaign for Alabama secretary of state, Wingo entered the race for the open seat. On June 3, 2014, he defeated intra-party rival Jamey Clements in the Republican primary, 74 to 26 percent, and was unchallenged thereafter in the November 4 general election. In 2016, he was a district-level delegate to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, which nominated the successful Donald Trump and Mike Pence ticket. He was bound by state party rules to support U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas at the convention. Thereafter, he supported Trump.[1]
Wingo is a member of these House committees: (1) Financial Services, (2) Insurance, (3) Tuscaloosa County Legislation, and (4) Ways and Means General Fund.[4]
In 2015, Representative Wingo voted to allow officials to refuse to perform marriage ceremonies which the officials deem a violation of their moral standards. He supported legislation affirming the use of electrocution in executions. He voted to establish public charter schools in Alabama, a measure which passed the House, 58-41. He backed legislation to permit the home schooled to participate in public school athletic events, a measure approved by the full House, 52-43. He voted to increase the cigarette tax, which passed the House, 52-46. He opposed the failed bill which would have required animal shelters in Alabama to compile monthly records. In 2016, Wingo backed legislation to forbid the sale of fetal tissue or to permit its use in research, and he opposed dilation abortions in Alabama. He voted for an increase in funding for new prison facilities, a measure which passed the House, 52-33. In 2017, he voted to authorize midwives to practice in his state, a measure which won House approval, 84-11. He supported reducing the time for appeals from inmates on death row. He voted for the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017, which forbids the alteration or removal of historic Confederate monuments, a measure which the House approved, 72-29. Wingo voted to prohibit judicial override of sentencing guidelines, a measure which passed the House, 78-19.[5]
Wingo is a supporter of conservative Republican former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Roy Moore for the United States Senate seat vacated by now Attorney General Jeff Sessions.[6] Having defeated interim Senator Luther Strange in the Republican runoff primary in September, Moore now faces a liberal Democrat, former United States Attorney Doug Jones, in the December 12 special election.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rich Wingo. Ballotpedia.org. Retrieved on October 29, 2017.
- ↑ Rich Wingo helped famous Tide goal-line stand, now elected to Alabama legislature. AL.com (June 4, 2014). Retrieved on October 29, 2017.
- ↑ Rich Wingo Career Stats. footballdb.com. Retrieved on October 29, 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Rich Wingo. Project Vote Smart.
- ↑ Rich Wingo's Voting Records. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on October 29, 2017.
- ↑ Mike Casson (August 22, 2017). Roy Moore gets endorsements from 14 Alabama lawmakers. Al.com. Retrieved on October 20, 2017.
