[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 18, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E895-E896]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF COACH RICK ORTEGA'S ELECTION INTO THE NATIONAL WRESTLING 
                              HALL OF FAME

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 18, 2004

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Coach Rick Ortega of 
St. Mark's School of Texas. I am pleased to represent St. Mark's in 
Congress, and have been impressed with the quality of education 
produced by the school. My oldest son Bill currently attends St. 
Mark's, and one of the staffers in my Washington office is an alumnus 
of this college preparatory school.
  Coach Ortega has been a valued member of the faculty since coming to 
St. Mark's in 1982. Now in his third decade of service to St. Mark's, 
Coach Ortega has been elected as a member of the Class of 2004 for the 
National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I am very 
proud of Coach Ortega's election, and I know firsthand the quality of 
the wrestling program at St. Mark's. My son Bill is currently in the 
middle school wrestling program and the results of the wrestling 
program speak volumes to Coach Ortega's dedication to the young men 
that he educates.
  Wrestling is one of the few sports that a small school such as St. 
Mark's can compete in against larger high schools in Texas that have 
thousands of students. From 1992 to 1994, St. Mark's ``three-peated'' 
as Texas High School Wrestling Champions. St. Mark's three straight 
championships could not have been possible without the leadership and 
dedication of Coach Ortega and the many wrestlers that he inspires on a 
daily basis.
  During his time at St. Mark's and his prior stint as the Head 
Wrestling Coach at Burges High School in El Paso, Texas, Coach Ortega 
has amassed an impressive winning record. In his 32 years of coaching, 
he has an overall dual meet record of 532 wins compared with only 80 
losses. He won seven Texas State Championships, and five Prep State 
Championships. This is in addition to being Texas State Runner's up six 
times. During his time at St. Mark's, Coach Ortega has won 18 Southwest 
Prepatory Championships in 22 seasons, a very impressive record in the 
conference. On the individual level, Rick Ortega has coached 59 state 
champion wrestlers, and 53 prep all-Americans.
  Coach Ortega himself was a State Wrestling Champion in New Mexico in 
1966. He has a natural love for wrestling and for those that pursue the 
sport. Coach Ortega inspires discipline on the mats, and an emphasis on 
nutritional wellness off of the mats. His personal

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commitment to scholarship, sportsmanship, and excellence has served the 
school well throughout his career. I congratulate Coach Ortega on this 
important accomplishment, and I wish him all the best for continued 
success at St. Mark's.

                          ____________________