[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 177 (Wednesday, December 19, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13675-S13676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                FOOTBALL

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I compliment the University of Montana. 
They did, in fact, play well--too well--against the University of 
Northern Iowa.
  Before I had bragged to Senator Daschle 2 weeks ago about how we were 
going to show the University of Montana how to play football, I wish I 
had researched how they have done so well in the last few years. I 
probably would not have been so boastful. But we had just come away 
from a tremendous victory, the UNI Panthers over the University of 
Maine Black Bears, just the week before. I thought if the Panthers 
could beat the Black Bears, they could surely beat the Grizzlies. But 
it did not turn out that way.
  You played tremendous football, and I thank you very much for being 
so temperate in your remarks about the Panthers of the University of 
Northern Iowa.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, before the Senator begins a more serious 
discussion, and I will wait my turn, may I intervene to discuss this 
issue for just a moment, coming from a State that has won Division II 
championships more than any of you, and one that this year for the 
first time in a long while did not make it in the playoffs.
  I want my friend from Montana to know I warned my seatmate from

[[Page S13676]]

South Carolina about you all. We understand about the Grizzlies in 
Delaware. They have been a very powerful Division I-AA team actually 
the last--almost the last decade, the last 8 years or so. I just want 
you to know that, even though the Presiding Officer is from a State 
that has a team called the Spartans--and they only get 100,000 folks or 
so to show up to their games; they don't understand, as the Presiding 
Officer prior to this, from the University of Michigan and Michigan 
State, where they get 110,000 people--they don't understand real 
football that the three of us understand.
  At some point we should have a more far-reaching discussion about 
football as it is really still played, where there are student athletes 
who take seriously that undertaking, as they do their football.
  I want to say that people who do not follow and understand that--and 
many do not because of the media--who do not follow Division II 
football, should understand there are some very serious ballplayers. It 
is very good football, high-caliber football. And, in any given year, 
such as this year, a team such as the Grizzlies is able to compete with 
Division I teams. They couldn't do it day in and day out. They could 
not do it 10 games a year. But it is very serious football.
  I have been through these bets myself over the last 29 years here 
because my alma mater has been engaged in this national championship 
more than once. Delaware this year had a lousy season, relatively 
speaking--a winning season but a lousy season. But we have a coach who 
this year made it to the ranks of only 6 coaches in the history of 
college football to win over 300 football games.
  I just want to rise and salute Division II football, where it is not 
a 40-hour-a-week job to attend school, but it is serious, serious 
football. I would argue the pressure on some of the fine athletes at 
Northern Iowa and the University of Montana, the University of 
Delaware, to play this caliber football and what is also expected of 
them off the field, is a real strain, a real burden on some of them 
because they do not get the same opportunities, same scholarships, same 
treatment, on occasion, that some of the major Division I school 
athletes do.

  I salute the Grizzlies. They are one tough team. When I told my 
friend from South Carolina about your record, because I was very 
familiar with it, he blanched and said, as only he could say because he 
is one of the most humorous guys here: My Lord, if that's the case and 
they lose, and I have to recite that, they should change that fight 
song.
  Having said that, I yield the floor and wait my turn to speak on a 
more serious subject.
  Mr. BAUCUS. If I may ask the indulgence of my good friend, one of the 
teams in the home State of the Presiding Officer, of course, is the 
Badgers. For the previous occupant of the chair, it was the Wolverines, 
and the Grizzlies of Montana.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Wellstone). The Chair would observe the 
team in Minnesota is the Gophers. The Badgers are Wisconsin.
  Mr. BAUCUS. So we have the Gophers, Wolverines, Panthers, Grizzlies, 
and Maine has the Black Bears. I am going to ask my good friend from 
Delaware, whom do we have in Delaware?
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, Delaware has proudly named after the 
strongest group of revolutionary fighters in the Revolution from the 
State of Delaware. Back in those days, cock fights were very much in 
vogue. The toughest of those competitors were the Blue Hens of 
Delaware. I want the record to show the Blue Hens have taken Panthers, 
Badgers, and Bears in their stride, including the Black Bears of Maine. 
We are little, but we are very strong.
  I often wish the mascot in the Revolutionary War for the Delaware 
regiment had been a panther or a lion, but it happened to be a blue 
hen. So we are the Delaware Blue Hens, and proud to be such.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I will bet they are the strongest, 
toughest Blue Hens that have ever existed on this Earth.
  Mr. BIDEN. That is a fact.
  Mr. BAUCUS. I look forward to next year when the Senator from 
Delaware stands in the Chamber and gives a recitation of the Grizzlies' 
fight song. I hope we can come to that day.
  I thank all Senators for indulging me.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Iowa 
with the good-looking holiday sweater.

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