[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 10, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H8101-H8103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMENDING CLEMSON UNIVERSITY TIGERS MEN'S GOLF TEAM FOR WINNING 2003 
    NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION DIVISION I MEN'S GOLF 
                              CHAMPIONSHIP

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 266) commending the Clemson 
University Tigers men's golf team for winning the 2003 National 
Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Men's Golf Championship.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 266

       Whereas on Friday, May 30, 2003, the Clemson University 
     Tigers men's golf team won the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's 
     Golf Championship, the first National Championship for the 
     Clemson men's golf team;
       Whereas the Tigers finished the Championship with a four-
     round total of 1191 strokes, for 39 shots over par, beating 
     the second place Oklahoma State University Cowboys by two 
     strokes;
       Whereas the Tigers won the National Championship on the 
     home course of Oklahoma State University, one of the most 
     decorated golf schools in the Nation;
       Whereas the Clemson golf team was the first in NCAA history 
     to win its conference championship, a NCAA regional title, 
     and the National Championship in the same year;
       Whereas the Tigers started the year and ended the year as 
     the number one ranked team in the Nation;
       Whereas the Tigers finished the season with a 128-8-3 
     record against opponents ranked in the top 25 teams in the 
     country, which amounts to an incredible winning percentage of 
     93 percent, by far the best in the Nation and the best in 
     Clemson history;
       Whereas all of the Tigers players who participated in the 
     NCAA Championship are native-born South Carolinians;
       Whereas players D.J. Trahan, Jack Ferguson, and Matt 
     Hendrix were honored as All-Americans for the 2002-03 season;
       Whereas Head Coach Larry Penley won the Golf Coaches 
     Association of America's Dave Williams Award as the National 
     Coach of the Year;
       Whereas the Clemson University men's golf team has 
     displayed outstanding dedication, teamwork, and sportsmanship 
     throughout the season in achieving collegiate golf's highest 
     honor; and
       Whereas the Tigers have brought pride and honor to the 
     State of South Carolina: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the Clemson University Tigers for winning the 
     2003 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I 
     Men's Golf Championship;
       (2) recognizes the achievements of all the team's players, 
     coaches, and staff and invites them to the United States 
     Capitol Building to be honored in an appropriate manner;
       (3) requests that the President recognize the team's 
     accomplishments and invite the team to the White House for a 
     ceremony in honor of their National Championship; and
       (4) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to 
     make available enrolled copies of this resolution to Clemson 
     University for appropriate display and to transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this resolution to each coach and member of 
     the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship team from 
     Clemson University.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Andrews) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).


                             General Leave

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks on H. Res. 266.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from South Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 266. I would 
like to thank my hardworking colleague, the gentleman from South 
Carolina (Mr. Barrett), for bringing this resolution forward.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution recognizes the achievement of the 
Clemson University men's golf team, the Tigers, for their NCAA Division 
I national collegiate championship. Clemson became the first school in 
NCAA history to win its conference championship, gain the NCAA regional 
title and the national championship all in 1 year.
  The national championship Tigers deserve recognition for winning the 
title by just two shots over host school Oklahoma State University 
after starting the day just one stroke apart. Clemson finished with a 
72-hole team total of 1,191, 39 strikes over par. The championship 
Tigers will enter the 2003-2004 season with a streak of 18 consecutive 
top three finishes, a Clemson record. In addition to inspiring the team 
victory, three players distinguished themselves from the field by being 
named to the All-America teams at the conclusion of the season.
  Coach Larry Penley was named National Coach of the Year by the Golf 
Coaches Association and was the first Clemson coach in any sport to win 
a National Coach of the Year in over 10 years.
  The distinction earned by these individuals and the remarkable repeat 
victories of the team reflect the dedication of each player, the 
leadership of Coach Larry Penley, and the support of family, friends, 
and fans.
  I extend my congratulations to each of the hardworking players on 
this successful Tiger team, to Coach Penley, President Jim Barker, and 
to student body president Fletcher Anderson and all the students of 
Clemson University. I am happy to join my colleagues in honoring the 
accomplishments of this team and to wish them continued success.
  I would like to pause briefly now to relay the news I learned this 
morning of the death of a real institution in South Carolina. According 
to the Associated Press, Jim Phillips, whose voice carried the dreams 
and disappointments of Clemson fans for 36 years, died yesterday at age 
69. Jim Phillips, the voice of the Tigers, did the play-by-play for 
Clemson baseball, football, and men and women's basketball. He will be 
missed, and our thoughts and 
prayers are with his family.
  I ask my colleagues to support this resolution, and I particularly am 
happy to be presenting this today in that my family has association 
with Clemson University. My son is a senior, Julian, who has been an 
intern here in Congress. I am very proud of his association, following 
in the footsteps of his late grandfather, Julian Dusenbury, who was a 
Clemson graduate.
  I am also pleased that the communications director of the second 
district congressional office, Wesley Denton, is a Clemson graduate and 
also the health care legislative assistant, Micki Howard.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of this resolution, and I commend and congratulate 
the gentlemen from South Carolina (Mr. Barrett), (Mr. Spratt), (Mr. 
Clyburn), (Mr. DeMint), (Mr. Brown), and my friend (Mr. Wilson) for 
their authorship and sponsorship of this resolution. I can understand 
why the South Carolina delegation is so justifiably proud of the young 
men who have achieved so much on the links.
  Among the very most important classrooms, teaching places in our 
system of our higher education, is the field of athletic competition. 
There is a reason why we want to encourage colleges and universities 
around our country to continue educating young men

[[Page H8102]]

and women on playing fields; and the achievements of the young men of 
the Clemson University men's golf team are an example of that 
principle.
  I must say parenthetically one of the issues that I am proud of is my 
alma mater, which did not win the NCAA golf tournament, Bucknell 
University, was recently noted for graduating 100 percent of its 
student athletes who participate in NCAA sports, and that is an 
aspiration that I know is shared around the country.
  These young men of Clemson and these young Tigers had an 
extraordinary year amidst extraordinarily difficult competition. I am 
told that they finished the season with a record of 128 wins, eight 
losses and three draws, or three ties, against opponents ranked in the 
top 25 teams in the country. So when they took on the very finest 
competition there was, they won 93 percent of the matches, which is 
really an astonishingly good record. I wish that I was right 93 percent 
of the time in the things that I do here in doing my job.
  We also want to commend the Oklahoma State University Cowboys who 
were in second place in the tournament. My understanding is that the 
tournament took place on their home course, and I think that adds 
special luster to the achievement of the young men from Clemson because 
when one is playing against competition that is used to playing on that 
course day in and day out, it is an advantage for the home team that 
the Clemson team was able to overcome.
  It is my understanding that each of the Tigers players who 
participated in the NCAA championship are native-born South 
Carolinians. That must be a source of great pride for the schools and 
the coaches and families of the State of South Carolina for which we 
congratulate those schools and coaches and families.
  Finally, it is my understanding that players D.J. Trahan, Jack 
Ferguson, and Matt Hendrix were all honored as All-Americans in the 
2002-2003 season. To have three All-Americans on one team in any sport 
is quite an achievement; and I know that Head Coach Larry Penley, who 
himself was honored as the Golf Coaches Association of America's Dave 
Williams Award winner as Coach of the Year, should be justifiably 
proud.
  This morning, as we speak, there are young Americans who are in 
science labs and lecture halls and technology centers and study areas, 
all in campuses all around our country, and we commend them for that; 
but we also recognize that one of the most important places to learn 
about life and about the principles of life is on the field of battle 
and athletic competitions. It is obvious Clemson University should be 
very proud of these young men.
  I also add one thing parenthetically now to inject a controversial 
topic for those of us, and I mean those of us on both sides of the 
aisle who so strongly support title IX and support equal athletic 
opportunities for young men and women. This is one example of how we do 
not have to choose between broader opportunities for all athletes and 
broader opportunities for some. One of the concerns about title IX is 
that nonrevenue-producing sports on the men's side, like golf, which 
really does not produce revenue, would be jeopardized if we have a 
strong and robust title IX. Well, we have a strong and robust title IX. 
We are pleased we are going to keep this, and I think this is one more 
example of how we can have men and women excel in the field of athletic 
competition.
  So I congratulate Clemson University, and all of their alumni and 
students and followers must be very, very proud of these young men who 
have won such an esteemed championship.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of our time.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  I would like to first thank the gentleman from New Jersey. It is very 
ironic, as the gentleman mentioned, that the persons who are on this 
team were native born, in the public institutions of South Carolina, 
but the State which provides the highest percentage of out-of-state 
students is New Jersey, and so we have a very strong relationship with 
our sister State to the north that people would not really recognize, 
but we have really benefited--
  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. I yield to the gentleman from New 
Jersey.
  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, we appreciate that very much. We like to 
keep the smart ones in the State, but we let a few of them go to South 
Carolina.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, we do enjoy that. Many 
choose to stay, but the bottom line is we do have the warm relationship 
with the State of New Jersey.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina 
(Mr. Barrett).
  Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman 
from South Carolina for yielding me the time, and I am excited and 
proud to be here today, growing up in the shadow of Clemson University.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 266, which 
honors and congratulates the Clemson University men's golf team for 
winning the 2003 NCAA National Championship. First, I would like to 
thank the entire South Carolina delegation for cosponsoring this 
resolution and the chairman of the subcommittee of the Committee on 
Education and the Workforce for their diligent work in bringing this 
resolution to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, Clemson University was founded in 1889 as a small 
agricultural school, but over the past 100 years the Tiger community 
has grown to over 16,000 students, studying not only agriculture but 
also engineering, economics, genetics, and architecture.
  Over the years, Clemson's high standards have been set outside the 
classroom as well as in athletic venues throughout the campus. The 
Tigers men's soccer team won two national championships in 1984 and 
1987. The football team won a national championship in 1981; and most 
recently, the men's golf team won the 2003 national championship.
  The list of accomplishments achieved by the 2003 golf team is much 
like their tee shots, Mr. Speaker, long and intimidating. The 2003 
Tiger golf team was the first team in NCAA history to win its 
conference title, NCAA regional title, and the national championship in 
the same year. The Tigers began the season as the top-ranked team in 
the country and finished the year ranked number one after defeating an 
excellent Oklahoma Cowboy State squad by two strokes, despite playing 
on the home course of OSU.
  Mr. Speaker, the Clemson Tiger golf team finished the year with an 
impressive record of 128-8 and three; and as my friend, my colleague 
from New Jersey, said, 93 percent of the time they went out, they won. 
That was against the top 25 opponents, the best in Clemson history.

                              {time}  1145

  An equally astonishing fact, and one I am extremely proud of, Mr. 
Speaker, is that the team is comprised entirely of South Carolinians. 
The Tiger golf team has brought honor and pride to the university, the 
Third Congressional District, and the entire State. Throughout their 
outstanding play during the 2003 season, the team demonstrated to all 
of us that with dedication and hard work comes great reward.
  I would like to extend my personal congratulations to each player: 
D.J. Trahan, Ben Duncan, Matt Hendrix, Greg Jones, Michael Sims, Jack 
Ferguson, Brian Duncan, Martin Catalioto, and Nick Biershenk, as well 
as Coach Larry Penley, who was awarded the Dave Williams Award as the 
National Coach of the Year by the Golf Coaches of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to again extend my sincerest congratulations to 
the entire Clemson family on this great day commemorating the first 
national championship for the Clemson University Men's golf team, and I 
hope there will be many more days like this in the future.
  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume to thank and congratulate the gentleman from South 
Carolina (Mr. Barrett) for his leadership on this issue and his 
promotion of a great university.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.

[[Page H8103]]

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
to simply congratulate our colleagues from South Carolina and to urge 
adoption of the resolution.
  Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable 
achievement. In May of this year, the Clemson Tigers men's golf team 
from my great State of South Carolina won the NCAA Division I golf 
championship in dramatic fashion, edging out the Oklahoma State Cowboys 
by two strokes on their own course.
  The team was led by Senior D.J. Trahan, the number one ranked college 
golfer for much of this year, and Sophomore Jack Ferguson, who was 
ranked in the top 25 for most of the year. Trahan finished 22nd with a 
four round 299 to become the only Clemson player ever with four top 25 
finishes, and Ferguson finished 19th with a team best four round 298. 
Also anchoring the team were Junior Matt Hendrix, Junior Gregg Jones, 
and Senior Ben Duncan, who finished tied for 35th, 35th, and 52nd 
respectively.
  My hat goes off to Coach Larry Penley and the entire squad for their 
remarkable 124-8-3 record this year, and for bringing Clemson their 
first ever national golf championship. They have made your State very 
proud. It gives me greater pride to see that every member of the 
Clemson team makes their home in South Carolina. If this keeps up, we 
may start to see athletes drinking sweet tea instead of Gatorade.
  On top of their golf achievements, I am proud that each of these 
young men will leave with a Clemson academic degree. With that 
background, I am sure they will be as successful in life as they have 
been in golf.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
the outstanding achievement of the 2002-2003 Clemson University Golf 
Team. The Tigers, who started and ended the year as the number-one 
ranked team in the Nation, clinched the school's first NCAA Division I 
golf title in May in Stillwater, OK and became the first school in NCAA 
history to win its conference championship, NCAA regional title and 
National Championship in the same year. The national title victory was 
the sixth tournament win of the year for the Tigers, a single season 
record, and the team finished the season with a remarkable 124-8-3 
record against top 25 opposition, an incredible 93 percent winning 
percentage--by far the best in the Nation and in Clemson history.
  The 2003 National Champions were led by team number one, D.J. Trahan, 
the 2002 National Player of the Year and the 2000 USGA Public Links 
Champion. D.J. is a member of the ACC's 50-Year Anniversary team and 
has represented the United States as a member of the 2001 Walker Cup 
team and the 2002 Palmer Cup and World Amateur teams. He was awarded 
the Ben Hogan Award as top colleague golfer and named the top 
collegiate golfer by Golf World in 2002. D.J., whose career GPA is a 
3.2, was also elected to the Verizon Academic All-America third-team 
for 2002 becoming the first Clemson athlete to be named a National 
Player of the Year and Academic All-American in the same year. I am 
proud to have Mr. Trahan, a resident of Mount Pleasant, as a 
constituent in South Carolina's First District.
  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Duncan). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 266.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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