[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 17 (Monday, January 29, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H957-H958]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE CARDINALS FOOTBALL TEAM FOR 
                     THEIR 2007 ORANGE BOWL VICTORY

  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 82) commending the University of Louisville 
Cardinals football team for their victory in the 2007 Orange Bowl, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H. Res. 82

       Whereas on January 2, 2007, the University of Louisville 
     Cardinals football team defeated the Wake Forest Demon 
     Deacons 24-13 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida, to win 
     the Orange Bowl;
       Whereas the Cardinals victory marked the climax of a 12-1 
     season, which yielded the most wins in the program's history, 
     a Big East Championship, and the school's first Bowl 
     Championship Series victory;
       Whereas junior quarterback Brian Brohm was named the most 
     valuable player of the game after completing 24 of 34 passes 
     for 311 yards, and junior wide receiver Harry Douglas tied an 
     Orange Bowl record with 10 catches totaling 165 receiving 
     yards and finished the season with a school record 1,265 
     receiving yards;
       Whereas the Cardinals offensive line provided protection 
     and momentum throughout the season and was a major factor in 
     the team's 457 yards of offense in the Orange Bowl;
       Whereas the relentless defense of the Cardinals played a 
     vital role in the Orange Bowl victory;
       Whereas the Cardinals defense was led by senior cornerback 
     William Gay, who broke up 2 passes late in the game and 
     extinguished the final hope of the Demon Deacons with an 
     interception;
       Whereas the success of the Cardinals is due in no small 
     part to the dedication of Coach Bobby Petrino and his staff, 
     as well as the Cardinals coaches of the last 2 decades, who 
     led a magnificent ascent begun by Coach Howard 
     Schnellenberger;
       Whereas Cardinals fans, who stuck with the program through 
     darker times, now have the team they deserve;
       Whereas the University of Louisville has achieved a 
     formidable football program, which is consistently among the 
     strongest in college football; and
       Whereas the exceptional group of young men who comprised 
     the 2006 Cardinals should be publicly recognized as the 
     greatest football team in the history of the University of 
     Louisville: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the University of Louisville Cardinals 
     football team for their victory in the 2007 Orange Bowl;
       (2) recognizes the achievements of the players, Coach Bobby 
     Petrino and his staff, Director of Athletics Tom Jurich, and 
     President James Ramsey at the University of Louisville for 
     the hard work and dedication that led to the Cardinals Orange 
     Bowl victory; and
       (3) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the director of 
     athletics at the University of Louisville for appropriate 
     display.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.


                             General Leave

  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may insert material relevant to H. Res. 82 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kentucky?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to commemorate the 
University of Louisiana Cardinals' first BCS victory, and I can hardly 
believe the words coming out of my mouth.
  To say that this moment was unthinkable to the football world 25 
years ago is an understatement. After decades of lost games and 
revenue, the Cardinal football team was on the verge of packing it in 
for good. Denny Crum had won a national championship and had just taken 
the basketball team to its third Final Four in 4 years, and for a town 
and school that had grown accustomed to winning, faith that next year's 
football team would be different became harder and harder to come by.
  But then athletic director Bill Olsen found a believer in the most 
unlikely of places. Fresh off a national championship and Orange Bowl 
win of his own, Howard Schnellenberger returned to his old hometown to 
resurrect the Cardinal football program from the burial ground of 
college never-had-beens. And he did just that.
  In only 10 years at the helm of the University of Louisville, Coach 
Schnellenberger tripled the number of bowl wins in the school's history 
and laid the foundation for the program that John L. Smith and Bobby 
Petrino built into a perennial winner, which this year earned a trip to 
its ninth straight bowl game.
  The ascent of the Cardinal football program emblemizes a ubiquitous 
spirit at the University of Louisville, not just in athletics but in 
all programs, in all walks of life.
  When the FDA approved the first completely effective cervical cancer 
vaccine last year, it was two scientists from the University of 
Louisville, Ben Jenson and Shin-je Ghim, who were credited with the 
discovery.
  At Louisville's Jewish Hospital, U of L faculty performed the first 
three successful hand transplants in the United States and implanted 
the world's first successful artificial heart.
  And 3-year-old Chase Ford became the first child to regain the 
ability to walk after a spine injury, thanks to the work of U of L 
researcher Susan Harkema.
  U of L also ranks first among major research universities in National 
Institutes of Health funding growth and just became the only higher 
learning institution in Kentucky to promise a debt-free education to 
students from low-income families through their landmark Cardinal 
Covenant program.

[[Page H958]]

  This spirit of success was exemplified by Orange Bowl MVP Brian 
Brohm, who never failed to live up to the tremendous hype that followed 
him to the school. His dedication to his team and his hometown grew all 
the more evident when he chose to bypass an NFL draft in which many 
predicted he would be the first player chosen so that he could continue 
his dream of playing in a Cardinal uniform.
  Receiving 10 of Brohm's passes in the final game and tying the Orange 
Bowl record, Harry Douglas also captured the spirit of Louisville all 
season long and set the single season record for receiving yards at U 
of L with 1,265.
  These two, along with a committee of skilled runners and receivers 
and an unmovable offensive line, created an offense that seemed to 
score at will. Coupled with an impenetrable defense led by Nate Harris, 
William Gay, Amobi Okoye, and special teams anchored by Art Carmody, 
the Nation's best kicker, they formed the greatest football team in the 
history of the University of Louisville.
  While the Orange Bowl victory is unprecedented in our community, it 
epitomizes the dedication, work ethic, and success that we in 
Louisville have come to expect from our flagship university.
  I stand here today to commemorate one win that served as a 
exclamation of a stellar season, but the victory is far from fleeting. 
This Orange Bowl and this 12-win season serve as a benchmark of long-
term success; and as athletic director Tom Jurich hands the reins to 
new coach Steve Kragthorpe, there is no one left in the football world 
who is not confident that he has handed him a winner.

                              {time}  1500

  For the players who personified greatness on the field and the 
coaches who led them, for the program that defied the odds, producing 
the greatest team in its history, and for the university that 
consistently acts an example of excellence, I urge my colleagues to 
join me in support of H. Res. 82, commemorating the 2007 Orange Bowl 
champion, U of L Fighting Cardinals.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 82. This 
resolution recognizes the 12-1 season of the University of Louisville 
Cardinals, as well as the come-from-behind 24-13 win over the Wake 
Forest Demon Deacons at the 2007 Bowl Championship Series in the Orange 
Bowl.
  The Cardinals averaged 39 points a game and ranked second in the 
Nation in total offense this season, but fell behind 13-10 in the final 
quarter before their offense went into high gear. Touchdown drives of 
81 and 71 yards on consecutive possessions sealed their first win in a 
major bowl since the 1991 Fiesta Bowl.
  The final victory capped a storied season for the Cardinals that 
included a Big East championship and the school's first-ever win in a 
Bowl Championship Series game. I extend my congratulations to head 
coach Bobby Petrino and all of the hardworking players and fans and to 
the University of Louisville.
  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to join my good friend and colleague, 
Representative Yarmuth, in honoring this exceptional team and all of 
its accomplishments, and wish all involved continued success. I ask my 
colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to approve this 
resolution and join me in honoring the ``Ville on the Hill,'' and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res 82, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those voting have responded in the affirmative.
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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