[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 5, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S1968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CARROLL COLLEGE WINS NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

   Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
great bunch of college athletes from one of the best colleges in the 
Northwest. On December 21, the Carroll College Fighting Saints from 
Helena, MT, defeated the Georgetown Tigers of Georgetown, KY, to win 
Carroll's first NAIA national football championship.
  The Fighting Saints scored 21 points in the first half, leading the 
Tigers 21 to 7. These 21 points were the most the Tiger defense had 
given up all season. Additionally, this was the first time they had 
trailed at halftime all season. During the second half, the Saints 
scored their fourth touchdown. This touchdown went unanswered by the 
Tigers, and the Fighting Saints won their first NAIA title by a score 
of 28 to 7.
  The 2002 Carroll team is truly one of the best to play in the 
Frontier Conference, and I can personally attest to that since I had 
the pleasure of watching this fine team play last year. However, this 
is not by any means the first time this school has had an outstanding 
football team. Carroll College has a long tradition of outstanding 
coaches and student athletes. One noteworthy team was the 1931 Mount 
Saint Charles College football squad. It wasn't until the next year 
that Mount Saint Charles became Carroll College. This 1931 team went 6 
and 0, beating Montana State University twice. Incidentally, these 
football players were unscored upon during that year. This team was the 
Carroll College team of the 20th century, and the 2002 Fighting Saints 
are truly the team of the 21st century.
  The 2002 national championship team had four players named to the 
NAIA All American football team, a great honor for any program. While 
these are outstanding athletes, they are not alone. Every member of 
this team played an important role in winning this national 
championship. That is why, at this time, I would like to submit a full 
Fighting Saints roster to be printed in the Record of the Senate 
following my statement. I would also like to commend Coach Mike Van 
Diest and his coaching staff for putting together and leading such a 
fine team.
  Carroll College has long been known for quality athletic programs, 
but its academic reputation is one that receives national attention 
year after year. In the fall of 2002, U.S. News and World Report ranked 
Carroll as the fourth best comprehensive college in the West. This is 
Carroll's ninth year in the top 10 in this category. The pre-med class 
of 2002 had a 100-percent acceptance rate at prestigious medical 
schools all across the country. Carroll's accounting students achieve a 
first-time CPA exam passage rate three times the national average. The 
Carroll College Talking Saints forensics team ranks among the best in 
the Nation year after year. In 1999, the Talking Saints won the 
National Parliamentary Debate Associations national championship.
  Today, I congratulate the student athletes and coaches of the 2002 
NAIA national championship football team, but would also like to 
commend the many fine accomplishments of the students and faculty of 
Carroll College.
  The roster follows:

       Bryan Chase, Mike Miller, Heath Wall, Zach Bumgarner, Matt 
     Garreffa, Nick Garreffa, Bryce Doak, Cory Perzinski, Dustin 
     Michaelis, John Klaboe, Mark Esponda, Travis Bradshaw, Marcus 
     Atkinson, Jeremy Pantoja, Tom Boyle, Devin Wolf, Mike Maddox, 
     Sheridan Jones, Kyle Baker, Buck Bower, D.J. Dearcorn, Dustin 
     Barber, Arnie Bloomquist, Jason Ostler, Regan Mack, Matt 
     Slingsby, Nate Chiovaro, Rhett Crites, Joey Stuart, Darold 
     Debolt, Mike Pancich, Chris Ramstead, Casey Glenn, Shawn 
     Wanderaas, Jarrod Wirt, A.J. Porrini, Chris Jones, Gary 
     Cooper, Jared Petrino, Matt Thomas, Nick Porrini, Quinn 
     Erwin, Scott Wunderlich, Tyler Emmert, Brett Bermingham, John 
     Forba, Justin Wigen, Spencer Schmitz, Tyler Maxwell, Kevin 
     McCutcheon, Paul Barnett, Jeff Pasha, Curtis Lineweaver, Matt 
     Peterson, James Grimes, Tim Bowman, Luke Lagomasino, Shane 
     Larson, Nick Hammond, Robb Latrielle, Brad Grutsch, Matt 
     Ventresca, Jeremy Grove, Mike Ward, Pat Womac, Kyle East, 
     Nick Colasurdo, Zack Zawacki, Gary Hiner, Casey FitzSimmons, 
     Sam Morton, Brandon Sheahan, Josh Schmidt, Mark Gallik, Jeff 
     Shirley, Mike Donovan, Andrew Hunter, Ben Shapiro, Jeff 
     Michelson, Zac Titus, Mike Kuhnly, Jessie King, Phillip 
     Wilson 

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