[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4757-S4758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  UCLA AND STANFORD IN THE FINAL FOUR

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, the tradition and success of 
collegiate athletics in California is as deep and rich as our academic 
excellence. Three different California universities have won the 
national championship in both men's and women's basketball in the past 
53 years, and over a century of football competition has been played. 
Over the years our universities have been equally adept in producing 
winners of Olympic medals as Nobel prizes.
  California is home to more division 1 schools than any other State. 
So it should come as no surprise California has sent a team to both the 
men's and women's college basketball Final Four. It also should not be 
a surprise that those two teams are the University of California, Los 
Angeles, and Stanford University, my alma mater.
  These two teams are not unique among Golden State colleges, rather 
they are representative of numerous schools with great academic and 
athletic traditions. In this past year California has provided the 
national champions in men's tennis, men's water polo, women's 
volleyball, and men's golf. California's universities and colleges have 
produced such sports legends as Jackie Robinson, Bill Walsh, Matt 
Biondi, Jackie-Joyner Kersee, Marcus Allen, Cheryl Miller, Arthur Ashe, 
Bill Russell, Dwight Stones, Rafer Johnson, and Kathy Jordan.
  The UCLA basketball program is one of the finest in the Nation, and 
is currently the No. 1 ranked team. It has won more national 
championships than any other school. More than Kentucky, Kansas, North 
Carolina, or Indiana.
  Under the leadership of John Wooden, the UCLA men's basketball team 
won 10 national titles in 12 years. To follow in Wooden's footsteps has 
been difficult at UCLA. The last time they went to the Final Four was 
1980, where they lost to Louisville, coached by Wooden protege Denny 
Crum.
  Coach Jim Harrick has returned them to the Final Four now, for the 
first time in 15 years. But, maybe what is more impressive, at least to 
the Senator from California, is that it is a team of Californians. Four 
out of five starting players are from California, Tyus Edney from Long 
Beach, the sensational siblings Charles and Ed O'Bannon from Lakewood, 
and freshman Toby Bailey from Los Angeles. Other Californians on the 
team are J.R. Henderson, Bob Myers, Kris Johnson, and Kevin Dempsey. I 
am proud to say that not only is it a California school, it is a 
California team.
  Rounding out the team are Cameron Dollar, George Zidek, Ike Nwanko, 
omm'A Givens. The players on this team are worthy successors of the 
greats of a generation ago Alcinder, Johnson, Walton, and Hazzard. In 
fact Marques Johnson's son, Kris, is a member of the current team.
  Stanford women's basketball Coach Tara VanDerveer is creating a 
legend of her own. In the 10 years since she took over the Stanford 
program they have gone to the Final Four four times and won the 
national championship twice.
  Rachel Hemmer and Anita Kaplan are the senior low-post players who 
lead the way with aggressive defense and consistent offense. Kristin 
Folkl, a two-sport star who was part of the national championship 
Stanford volleyball team this fall, got her first 
[[Page S4758]] start of the year this past Saturday, and she knocked 
down ``clutch'' three pointers for her team to advance to next weeks 
game against the No. 1 ranked women of the University of Connecticut. 
Kate Paye paces the team from the guard position, while Kate Starbird 
leads the team in scoring.
  Also contributing to the team effort are Olympia Scott, Jamila 
Wideman, Vanessa Nygaard, Regan Freuen, Charmin Smith, Bobbie Kelsey, 
Tara Harrington, Naomi Mulitauaopele, and Heather Owen. Their 30-2 
record this year is a mark of dedication and talent. The trip they make 
to Minnesota to be in the Final Four is a deserved reward.
  I salute these two teams and all the student athletes from 
California, and wish them the best in both competition and scholarship.


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