This is not an official government website.
© 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Congressional Daily Record
This section is a tribute, commemoration, or district-facing statement. It mentions members such as Shomari C. Figures.
Issued
June 24, 2026
house side of the record
People
1
Linked members mentioned in this section
Legislation
0
No linked legislation in this section
Committees
0
No linked committees in this section
Senate Holds
0
No hold activity linked here
Source Document
Connected Data
People mentioned
Source Control
Reader mode is for comprehension. The linked government PDF is the official published source.
Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. 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.
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.
sport is not something that can be said lightly at all, but it is something that can honestly be said about Mikhail.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.