[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO COACH MYERS

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 26, 2005

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay a special tribute to 
Richard J. Myers, a native son of Buffalo, New York. Richard J. Myers 
has devoted his entire career to the teaching, coaching, mentoring and 
overall development of our youth.
  Dick recently retired as an English teacher and the Head Basketball 
Coach for Gonzaga College High School after approximately 30 years of 
outstanding service. Coach Myers is credited with, among other things, 
taking a somewhat lackluster Gonzaga basketball program and 
transforming it to its current championship caliber.
  Mr. Speaker, in honor of his retirement, I am proud to recognize Dick 
Myers' legacy. His longstanding and tireless dedication to youth 
education and learning is without equal. As an athletic coach at 
Gonzaga College High School, he is regarded as an institution and 
treasure.
  Richard J. Myers was born in Buffalo, where a ``blue collar'' work 
ethic is the norm, and no one better personifies that strong ethic than 
Dick. While there is no doubt that Dick's inherent integrity, 
dedication to duty and commitment to community are qualities that were 
developed through the unselfish efforts of his parents and his family, 
there is little doubt that these attributes were nourished and allowed 
to blossom through his Jesuit education. The well-renowned teaching 
tradition of Jesuit educators, with a focus on the building of the 
``whole man'' by equally focusing on mental, physical and spiritual 
growth, helped to lead Coach Dick Myers on his path of service to youth 
and his greatness as a teacher and coach.
  In addition to his work ethic, Dick maintains a modest manner. He 
will always let you know that it was his students and athletes who made 
him successful. However, it is undeniable and oft-repeated by his 
former students and players that it was largely Dick Myer's guidance, 
teaching, coaching and encouragement that opened the pathway to their 
personal and team achievements.
  Since his arrival at Gonzaga, Coach Myer's accomplishments are not 
only good grist for stories by sports enthusiasts of the Gonzaga 
community, but also can be measured in concrete and demonstrable facts. 
With his induction into the Gonzaga Hall of Fame on November 3, 2000, 
he was acclaimed as ``an extraordinary man of great talent and 
integrity'' with successes in the Gonzaga basketball program, including 
four WCAC championships and a DC City Title Championship. 
Significantly, an April 1999 Washingtonian Magazine article entitled 
``Real Basketball,'' claims that under the tutelage of Coach Myers, the 
Gonzaga basketball team's third victory over DeMatha in 1999 was ``one 
of the most thrilling finishes of any sporting event in recent years.''

  All of Dick's accomplishments would be too numerous to mention and, 
as is so often the case with the contributions of successful teachers 
and coaches, the true milestones of their achievements are, to a large 
degree, immeasurable. However, Coach Myers' recordbreaking mark as 
basketball coach at Gonzaga with a lifetime record of 714-362 provides 
some perspective into Dick's basketball coaching feats.
  Dick Myers, an outstanding athlete in his own student days, attended 
Canisius High School (CHS), a Jesuit institution in Buffalo. Dick was a 
three sports star at CHS, and received All-Catholic Honors in both 
basketball and baseball. He was also voted MVP for the Manhattan Cup 
Catholic League Championship game, won by CHS. In 1992, he was inducted 
into the CHS, Hall of Fame and was selected at the recipient of the 
prestigious ``John F. Barnes Memorial Trophy.''
  He continued his academic and athletic successes at another fine 
Jesuit institution, LeMoyne College, in Syracuse, New York, graduating 
in 1964. At LeMoyne, he excelled in both basketball, helping to lead 
his basketball team to the NCAA playoffs in 1964, and in baseball, 
where his .300 batting average is still memorialized. In 1995, LeMoyne 
College honored Dick for his overall college level success by inducting 
him into the LeMoyne College Hall of Fame.
  Mr. Speaker, I know I can state unequivocally that Dick's family and 
the people of Buffalo are proud his many and varied accomplishments. 
More importantly, however, it is our country that should give praise to 
Dick Myers, and the many other dedicated teachers, coaches and youth 
mentors. Often in relative anonymity, these people have unselfishly 
dedicated their careers to a singular purpose of making our society and 
this great country a better place by their positive impact on our 
youth--our future.

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