[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 4, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E28]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              TRIBUTE TO JOE PATERNO AND THE NITTANY LIONS

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                      HON. WILLIAM F. CLINGER, JR.

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 4, 1995
  Mr. CLINGER. Mr. Speaker, on this historic first day of the 104th 
Congress, I would like to publicly extend my warmest congratulations to 
Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions of Penn State on their Rose Bowl 
victory.
  As the winner of the Big Ten Conference, the Nittany Lions went to 
Pasadena to meet a worthy adversary, and the Oregon Ducks proved to be 
just that. In the end, however, Penn State triumphed, 38 to 20, after 
displaying fine teamwork and unrelenting determination.
  With this Rose Bowl victory, Joe Paterno passes Bear Bryant as the 
coach with the most bowl game victories to his credit. This win 
completes the fifth undefeated season in his 29 years of coaching at 
Penn State.
  The Associated Press and CNN/USA Today have awarded the national 
championship to another undefeated team, but in my mind Penn State has 
earned the right to be called a national champion.
  While my colleagues from Nebraska may disagree with my assessment of 
Penn State's ranking, the only way to settle, once and for all, the 
question of which team is the national champion can only be decided in 
a head-to-head competition. As USA Today indicated in a cover story 
headline yesterday, without a match between these two undefeated teams, 
the question of which team is better is still open to debate.
  One thing is certain, Pennsylvanians and Penn State alumni across the 
country can take pride in the performance of this team and the football 
program at Penn State. With many of the players returning next year, we 
may see this open question settled after all.


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