[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 12 (Wednesday, February 4, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY ON WINNING THE 2003 NCAA DIVISION 
                   III FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

  Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the 
House of February 3, 2004, and as the designee of the majority leader, 
I call up the resolution (H. Res. 493) congratulating the St. John's 
University, Collegeville, Minnesota, football team on winning the 2003 
NCAA Division III Football National Championship, and ask for its 
immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of House Resolution 493 is as follows:

                              H. Res. 493

       Whereas St. John's University defeated Mount Union College 
     of Alliance, Ohio, by a score of 24-6 in the 2003 Amos Alonzo 
     Stagg Bowl on Saturday, December 20, 2003;
       Whereas St. John's finished the season 14-0 and is the 
     winningest football program all-time in Division III at 508-
     213-24 in their 93 seasons;
       Whereas this is St. John's first national championship 
     since 1976 and fourth in school history;
       Whereas this football championship capped a season in which 
     St. John's Coach John Gagliardi became the all-time 
     winningest football coach in NCAA history;
       Whereas Blake Elliott, St. John's senior wide receiver, was 
     the recipient of the 2003 Gagliardi trophy as the outstanding 
     Division III college football player;
       Whereas the St. John's University Johnnies snapped Mount 
     Union's NCAA-record 55-game winning streak in the 
     championship game; and
       Whereas three chartered planes full of loyal St. John's 
     fans were among the 5,073 people who watched the Stagg Bowl 
     in the freezing cold of Salem, Virginia, and many more 
     watched the nationally televised game: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives 
     congratulates the St. John's University, Collegeville, 
     Minnesota, football team on winning the 2003 NCAA Division 
     III Football National Championship.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
Tuesday, February 3 of 2004, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy) 
is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate the St. John's 
University football team from Collegeville, Minnesota on their NCAA 
Division III National Championship.
  The Johnnies were underdogs in the championship game against Mount 
Union College of Alliance, Ohio on December 20, 2003, because Mount 
Union entered the game with an NCAA record, a 55-game winning streak, 
and had won 109 of their 110 previous games.
  But as senior wide receiver Blake Elliott, winner of the Gagliardi 
Trophy said, all it took was 52 guys believing, and believe they did, 
and so did the other players, students, professors, monks, alums like 
myself and my family, and proud parents in Minnesota scattered 
throughout the country and on that frigid field in Virginia.
  The Johnnies put on quite a show for the fans of all ages. For the 3 
chartered planes full of St. John's faithful who braved the Minnesota-
like weather on the East Coast and the many more watching on nationally 
televised TV, St. John's put on a great game. They finished a perfect 
14 and 0 season with a 24-6 victory in the 2003 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, 
the Division III championship game. This team victory capped off a 
season that also saw Coach John Gagliardi become the all-time 
winningest football coach in NCAA history, earning him a trip to the 
White House. This is St. John's fourth national championship in school 
history, and highlights the tradition that has brought national 
attention to St. John's and its partner school, the College of St. 
Benedict in west central Minnesota. They are both exceptional liberal 
arts schools with a proud Catholic Benedictine tradition.
  I am proud to have been able to have followed closely each of the 
last two St. John's championship seasons. I was a student for the most 
recent championship in 1976 and now am proud to represent St. John's in 
my congressional district. As an alum and a fan of St. John's football, 
I try to make as many games as possible. The alums, professors, monks, 
local fans, and students alike watched the Johnnies play football in 
the recently renovated Clemens Stadium, set in a beautiful natural bowl 
that seats about 5,000 fans; although many more attend the games, like 
the 13,000 fans that attended the game against Bethel College to break 
the all-time coach and win record, as anybody who comes to the stadium 
can get in.
  The St. John's tradition is woven into these games, which can become 
more of a reunion than a mere football game, where fathers and 
grandfathers who played for St. John's come to watch their sons and 
grandsons play. Before the game begins, the St. John's men's chorus 
sings the National Anthem and the Johnny Fight Song, and all former 
men's chorus singers, including me, get a chance to come down and join 
in. Every player that goes out for the football team dresses for home 
games and the sidelines are filled with over 150 players. John 
Gagliardi joked to me that St. John's is the only team that gets 
penalties for having 2 players with the same number on the field at the 
same time, because John plays everyone he can.
  But the tradition at St. John's goes well beyond the football team. 
It extends to the classrooms and to the monastery. Players are expected 
to be student athletes and many of them go on to success in a wide 
variety of their chosen careers. In fact, during John's 51 years 
coaching at St. John's, no player has failed to graduate, and most do 
so in 4 years.
  Student life at St. John's is intertwined with the monastery life, as 
many of the resident directors and the professors are monks living at 
the on-campus monastery. Monks attend the games and are said to, on 
more than one occasion, tell the coaching staff that if the players 
just get the ball close enough, they will pray it in. This partnership 
shows the camaraderie, team spirit, and drive that leads to the success 
that is alive and the students that play football for St. John's year 
after year, and it is one we celebrate here today.
  Therefore, I once again congratulate the players, coaches, parents, 
and all of those associated with St. John's on the team's national 
championship and encourage the House to pass this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
Tuesday, February 3, 2004, the resolution is considered as read for 
amendment and the previous question is ordered.
  The question is on the resolution.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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