[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 48 (Thursday, April 25, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S3428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF 1976 BROWN UNIVERSITY IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP 
                             FOOTBALL TEAM

 Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Brown 
University's 1976 Ivy League Championship Football Team, which recently 
was inducted into the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 
particular, I want to salute Joe Wirth, an assistant coach of that 
team, who was inducted into the Brown Hall of Fame in his own right in 
1995, and who was an important influence on my own collegiate athletic 
career.
  Joe coached at Brown from 1973 to 1979, and during his tenure, the 
Brown University Bears compiled an impressive 42-18-1 record. Joe Wirth 
was a defensive genius, and it certainly showed out on the field--the 
Brown defense was nationally ranked in five of those seven seasons. In 
the 1976 championship year, when the Bears led the way with an 8-1 
record, they allowed the second-fewest points in the Ivy League. And 
that stingy defense translated into victories over the traditional 
league powers: Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. It was the first time in 
the school's history that they beat all three in the same season.
  As if his responsibilities to the football team were not enough, Joe 
also was the coach of the wrestling team during that time and he helped 
keep the program alive. He produced a New England Champion in 1976. As 
one of Joe's co-captains on the 1975-76 wrestling team, I can attest 
that he had the respect and admiration of all of his wrestlers. We were 
all so grateful for his leadership and for his encouragement.
  Despite the time commitments associated with his football and 
wrestling teams, Joe remained a family man. With his wife, Carol, he 
raised a wonderful family of six children.
  To this day, Joe Wirth is a popular figure in Brown athletic circles. 
His players still recall his admonition to never give up ``until the 
last white line is crossed.'' In honor of his accomplishments as a 
Brown coach, I will conclude with a toast first offered to the 1976 Ivy 
League Champions by my classics professor, John Rowe Workman:

     To your continued good health
     To your continued prosperity
     And to the maintenance of the great tradition

                          ____________________