[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 34 (Thursday, February 23, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H2156-H2157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO THE CENTRAL INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION BASKETBALL 
                               TOURNAMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Scott] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of the 
House to this year's Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association 
[CIAA] basketball tournament. As we commemorate Black History Month, it 
is fitting to recognize and to celebrate this exciting event. We are 
all familiar with the Negro Baseball league and basketball greats such 
as Wilt chamberlain and Michael Jordan. However, when we talk about 
athletics and history, we cannot forget the CIAA.
  This year the CIAA, its players, its coaches, its supporters, and 
fans are celebrating its 50th anniversary. Beginning in 1946 with 16 
teams, the CIAA has become one of the Nation's largest and most 
celebrated collegiate athletic conferences.
  In 1946 the CIAA tournament kicked off long traditions of both 
rivalry and sportsmanship. It was that year that Virginia Union and 
North Carolina Central University, then known as North Carolina 
College, came head to head in the tournament's championship game. It 
was that tournament and that championship game that started a legacy of 
comradery and competition that live on among players and fans today.
  But, Mr. Speaker, recognizing the CIAA tournament is not merely 
recognizing athletics, it is recognizing the importance of education. 
The CIAA represents a commitment to providing resources and education 
to athletes and other students.
  It is important for us to salute the 14 participating institutions, 
including the five from Virginia: Hampton University, Virginia State 
University, Norfolk State University, Virginia Union University, and 
St. Paul's College. These institutions, like many other historically 
black colleges and universities, not only offer athletics but most 
importantly, they provide top-notch, world-class educations.
  With that in mind, I salute the coaches, past and present, who have 
developed high-caliber players and students. Coaches like Talmadge 
``Marse'' Hill of Morgan State, Harry R. ``Big Jeff'' Jefferson of 
Virginia State, and Chet Smith of St. Paul's College who worked 
together to bring us the first CIAA and the 50 exciting years of play-
by-play action that has followed.
  We also cannot forget Clarence ``Bighouse'' Gaines, an assistant 
coach at the 1946 conference, who has gone down in history as the head 
coach of Winston-Salem State University and as the coach with the most 
wins in the CIAA.
  It goes without saying that the student athletes are what make the 
CIAA so great. Bob Dandridge and Earl Monroe were outstanding CIAA 
players before they joined the ranks of the NBA. In 1946, players like 
Rubert ``Rupe'' Johnson, Howard Bessett, Elmer ``Big Daddy Mac'' 
McDougal, Robert ``Skull'' Hering, Thornton Williams, and Jim Dilworth, 
who was named the 1946 MVP, ignited the heart stopping, hoop-to-hoop 
action that lives on today.
  If you have ever had the pleasure of attending a CIAA tournament, you 
know that the fans, friends, and supporters of the tournament and the 
league are dedicated and committed to CIAA basketball. These are the 
kinds of fans who not only cheer on players and students; they bring an 
arena alive.
  [[Page H2157]] While a tournament is not complete without its 
cheerleading and entertaining antics, CIAA supporters and fans have 
helped expand the CIAA from its meager $500 starting budget to a 
tournament that today generates approximately $7.5 million for the host 
city's economy. They, along with the coaches and players, make the CIAA 
the hottest--sold out--ticket in town.
  Mr. Speaker, I, along with the many alumni, fans, and supporters, 
look forward to this year's 50th anniversary CIAA tournament in 
Winston-Salem, NC, taking place this week and to many successful years 
to come.

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