[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 56 (Monday, April 29, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S4362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA GRIZZLIES

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, in December of last year, my staff and I, 
as well as some Montanans who were in the DC area, traveled hundreds of 
miles to West Virginia to see a football game. It wasn't just any 
ordinary football game, it was the NCAA Division I-AA Football 
Championship, which pitted the University of Montana against Marshall 
University.
  The game was the most exciting of my life. After a come-from-behind 
drive that lead to a last minute field goal, the University of Montana 
Grizzlies won their first football championship in the school's 
history. That day I saw my team beat an opponent that ESPN said was the 
heavy favorite. I saw my team beat an opponent that had played in the 
big game many times before. I saw my team beat an opponent that has so 
dominated Division I-AA football that they will soon be moved to 
Division I competition. You see, my team possessed qualities that are 
hard to measure: heart, self-discipline, work ethic. A player can learn 
these qualities from only one person, their coach.
  Mr. President, I was saddened, but not disappointed, to learn that 
Don Read will retire from coaching the Montana Grizzlies football team. 
I was saddened to see that our coach, with 10 straight years of winning 
seasons and a national championship under his belt, had decided to move 
on. But I was not disappointed because I know that Don will still play 
a major role in his community.
  Ask anyone involved with Grizzly football and they will tell you that 
Don is not only a great coach, but an even better person. UM president 
George Dennison said it best:

       The Read legacy has much more substance than winning at all 
     costs. For him, winning mattered. But other things counted 
     more. As his record and actions revealed, the welfare and 
     success of his players as students, athletes and human beings 
     always came first.

  Coach Read rode a wave of success that went beyond winning football 
games. He made winners of his players on and off the field.
  Don would be the first to tell you that Montana has been good to him. 
On behalf of all of us in our State, coach, you have also been very 
good to Montana.
  Mr. President, I close by asking to have printed in the Record an 
editorial published by the Missoulian that reflects my sentiments 
exactly.
  The editorial follows:

                  [From the Missoulian, Apr. 16, 1996]

                      Thanks for the Memories, Don

       Thank you, Don Read, for 10 truly remarkable and wonderful 
     years. That national NCAA championship was something. Those 
     faces of UM's athletes, the thrill, the pride. It was classy 
     win on all fronts, earned outright by coaches and players 
     alike. We still ride high.
       Thanks for those very impressive statistics. Ten seasons, 
     all winners. Ten wins against the Bobcats. Wow.
       Thanks for selecting high-quality assistant coaches who 
     lead with skill and compassion.
       Thanks for loving and respecting Missoula. We saw you 
     walking, with your wife, Lois along the river, through 
     downtown streets, on campus, in your own neighborhood, 
     meandering through the Farmers' Market. You took time to know 
     this place and all it offers. Even when you built a new house 
     in an old district, you did so with sensitivity to 
     neighborhood history and character.
       Thank you for loving your family. We saw that, too, when 
     you talked with pride and respect of your own children and 
     grandchildren.
       And who knows what marvelous effect you've had on other 
     children. Kids who gathered to watch the Grizzlies practice 
     met a coach who welcomed them and their daydreams--and who 
     offered them gum and wise words on the sidelines:
       UM's players, too, seem to understand both the value of 
     individual accomplishments and the necessity and beauty of 
     teamwork, traits made strong by the quality of leaders on the 
     coaching staff.
       Thank you for carrying yourself with pride and honor on the 
     road, during and after the season, when meeting with alumni, 
     when talking to fans, when wooing contributors, when meeting 
     everyday people. Never once did we cringe at what you said or 
     how you acted, in private or in public.
       Did you ever whine about salaries or belittle players or 
     make snide comments about other coaches? Not that we ever 
     heard. Even after losses you offered nothing but words of 
     support and pride and encouragement along with honest 
     analysis.
       Thanks for the seasons. For the wins. For the class.
       The pleasure was ours.

                          ____________________