[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 58 (Monday, May 11, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H3018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF CLYDE DREXLER ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE HOUSTON 
                          ROCKETS AND THE NBA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bentsen) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in proud recognition of a great 
athlete and legend in the City of Houston, Clyde Drexler, on the 
occasion of his retirement from the Houston Rockets and the National 
Basketball Association.
  Clyde ``the Glide'' Drexler had an impressive 15-year career in the 
NBA, but many people in Houston remember him first from his days with 
the University of Houston Cougars in the early 1980s. Under the 
leadership of head coach Guy V. Lewis, Drexler and his future NBA 
teammate, Hakeem Olajuwon, took the Cougars to the NCAA's Final Four in 
1982, with Clyde averaging 15.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
  In 1983, Drexler earned first-team All-America honors after leading 
the Cougars to their second straight NCAA Final Four in the first 
national championship game. The Cougars, known as Phi Slamma Jamma, 
ended the year 31-3 and won their first Southwest Conference regular 
season championship with a perfect 16-0 record, and were ranked atop 
the national polls. Drexler is the only Cougar to amass more than 1,000 
points, 900 rebounds, 300 assists, and 250 steals in a career. His 268 
career steals remain as a UH record.
  A first round selection of the Portland Trail Blazers in 1983, 
Drexler led the team to two NBA finals and made the playoffs in each of 
his 15 seasons. A member of the original Olympic Dream Team, Drexler 
won a gold medal in Barcelona in 1992.
  Clyde was reunited with Olajuwon when he was traded to the Rockets on 
February 14, 1995, and helped lead the Rockets to their second straight 
NBA championship. Drexler was named one of the NBA's 50 all-time 
greatest players in 1997 and made five all-NBA teams.
  Drexler, Oscar Robertson, and John Havlicek are the only players in 
league history to post more than 20,100 points, 6,000 rebounds, and 
6,000 assists. His 2,963 clear playoff points put him at number 15 on 
the all-time playoff scoring list. He also grabbed the 1,000th playoff 
rebound of his career on this past Sunday, when he finished his career 
in the NBA.
  On May 18, 1998, Drexler announced his retirement plans as he 
accepted the job as the head coach for the men's basketball program at 
the University of Houston. While the Rockets' season ended on a 
disappointing note, I'm sure the City of Houston is extraordinarily 
proud of the career of one of their own, Clyde Drexler. As the next 
chapter of his career begins, what better place to share his talent, 
heart, and determination than with the Cougars and the City of Houston.
  I know that I join with all sports fans in the City of Houston in 
looking forward to many more years of basketball excitement from Clyde 
Drexler, and wish him all the best in his new endeavor.

                          ____________________