[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 7, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H1293-H1297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS FOR WINNING SUPER BOWL XLI
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 130) congratulating the National
Football League champion Indianapolis Colts for winning Super Bowl XLI
and for bringing the City of Indianapolis and the State of Indiana
their first Lombardi Trophy.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 130
Whereas on February 4, 2007, in Miami, Florida, the
Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears by a score of
29 to 17 in Super Bowl XLI to win the National Football
League (NFL) Championship;
Whereas this is the first Super Bowl win for the
Indianapolis Colts following an overall season record of 16-4
and a regular season record of 12-4;
Whereas the Colts won their fourth American Football
Conference (AFC) South Title this year and the AFC
championship title with a stunning come-from-behind 38-34
victory over the New England Patriots on January 21, 2007;
Whereas Tony Dungy, in his fifth season with the Colts, is
the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl
and is one of the most respected coaches in the league,
cultivating Championship success for the team and boasting
10-plus victories and playoff appearances in his first four
seasons with the Colts;
Whereas Colts Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jim Irsay,
who assumed ownership of the Colts in 1997, has helped
revitalize the Colts franchise along with Colts President
Bill Polian whose name is synonymous with pro football
success;
Whereas quarterback Peyton Manning, who had 25 completions
for 247 yards, was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP)
of Super Bowl XLI; and
Whereas the entire Colts franchise has become a model of
professionalism, goodwill, and community service in
representing the City of Indianapolis and the State of
Indiana and brings pride to Hoosiers and Colts fans
everywhere: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives congratulates
the National Football League champion Indianapolis Colts for
winning Super Bowl XLI and for bringing the City of
Indianapolis and the State of Indiana their first Lombardi
Trophy.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I will defer my opening remarks,
and first shall be first. And I am going to yield such time as she
might consume to the first lady of Indiana, Representative Julia
Carson, who is the sponsor of this resolution.
[[Page H1294]]
Ms. CARSON. I do thank you very much, Representative Davis, for your
courtesy and your indulgence, especially being from Illinois, the
Chicago Bears. And the Bears have been overcome by the Colts. If you
watch the Animal Planet channel, you can see that the Colts are not to
be pushed around. So I want to thank you very much for your courtesy.
I come to the floor today to join my colleague, Danny Burton. We have
contiguous districts. I am fighting over mine because the Colts'
headquarters and the team is in my district, but I am sure he doesn't
mind that at all. I heard the wonderful remarks that he made yesterday
about the Colts, about Tony Dungy and Bill Polian and Jim Irsay. I want
to thank him for it.
I come today to congratulate the Indianapolis Colts, who are in my
district. See, we have good things in my district. They are not all
drive-by shootings. The Indianapolis Colts have made us extremely
proud. Here is a man, Tony Dungy, who incurred major tragedy, who hung
out about a week or two, and then he came back and got back on the
plate. I admired him for that. He sets an example for a lot of our
young kids to follow that your setbacks can be your setups and your
stumbling blocks can be your stepping stones.
Tony Dungy was determined to lead. He lead in a very positive way. He
could have stayed out, moaned and groaned about what had happened, but
he didn't do that. He incurred his spirituality and kept on moving.
I heard somebody mention the NASCAR a few minutes ago. We lost Paul
Dana in NASCAR out in Indianapolis, and he fought successfully to get
race cars to use ethanol. In 2008, all the race cars of NASCAR will be
fired up and fueled up by ethanol. I want to be sure and mention that.
I rise today to recognize the Indianapolis Colts, the Super Bowl
champions. The path they took was not easy, but they made it look easy
because they operated as a team. I think that is an illustration of
what we can become if we operate in unison as a team. When one member
faltered, two others would be there to fill the gap. And after a long
season, they filled the gap on a rain-soaked field in Miami to claim
the title of world champions. Tony Dungy, game MVP Peyton Manning and
Robert Sanders have all earned the title of champions.
I am proud that Indianapolis was represented by a very classy team
with character. In a day when so many athletes are questionable
examples, this team shows that you can be an active citizen and a
winner at the same time.
This is a championship of firsts. This is the first Super Bowl win
for the Indianapolis Colts, and the first time an African American head
coach led the team to an NFL title.
Congratulations, Indianapolis Colts, and team owner Jim Irsay and
President Bill Polian and all those who have supported this team
through the years. I want to thank Lovie Smith, class act; Chicago
Bears; and all my friends in Chicago for a wonderful Super Bowl.
You go, Colts.
I yield back to Danny, and I won't take my district away from him
right now.
Thank you, Mr. Burton.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
You know, there are a lot of reasons to thank Tony Dungy and Peyton
Manning and the whole team for the great victory they had last Sunday.
I sat in the rain for about 5 hours and watched them, and I didn't feel
a drop of rain because they did such a great job.
I might have felt a drop of rain in the first part when Devin Hester
ran 92 yards for the opening kickoff touchdown. It kind of scared
everybody to death who were Colts fans, but we all had faith in Peyton
Manning and the Colts, and we knew that they wouldn't give up,
especially after watching them coming back from the biggest deficit in
championship history to defeat New England 2 weeks before.
But the reason I want to thank them today is for my Illinois
colleagues. I want Coach Dungy and Peyton Manning and the whole team to
know, from my colleagues in Illinois, I want a deep-dish pizza, a pound
of cheese cake and a bunch of DVDs for our troops over in Iraq. So I
want to thank them very much for making sure I didn't have to pay for
all that other stuff, but my colleague on the other side of the aisle
does.
Let me be serious for just a moment. We are very, very thrilled to
have a Super Bowl champion in Indianapolis, we waited for a long, long
time. And it came at a time when we had some of the finest people that
have ever been on a football team playing in Indianapolis. It came at a
time when we had one of the finest coaches who ever coached football in
Indianapolis. And not only is Tony Dungy a great coach, but he is a
great American and a very patriotic man and a good Christian fellow.
And everybody in Indianapolis really respects him.
Peyton Manning has been a gentleman on and off the field. The whole
team has. I can name everybody on the team. And I just want to say, on
behalf of the Congress, me and Julia Carson, my colleague who
represents Indianapolis, and Steve Buyer and others, that we are very,
very proud of the Colts. We hope they bring us another Super Bowl next
year, but even if they don't, we are very, very thrilled. They have
done Indianapolis proud, and we are very proud to talk about them here
today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1215
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
might consume.
Mr. Speaker, this is obviously a bitter pill to swallow, especially
given the fact that I represent the Chicago Bears, who happen to be in
my district, the stadium that they use. We were anticipating great
thrills and great delights, and for a brief moment we did, in fact,
have that. But then someone said to me that we came in like lions and
went out like lambs.
I guess that is exactly what happened. This past Sunday, Tony Dungy
and the Indianapolis Colts beat Lovie Smith and his Chicago Bears 29-17
in a wet Super Bowl XLI.
The slippery conditions made for several muffs and miscues throughout
the game, including a Romo-like botched hold during the extra point
after the Colts' first touchdown.
The Bears got off to a quick start with Devin Hester returning the
opening kickoff for a TD, and Rex Grossman hitting Muhsin Muhammad with
a 4-yard pass in the first quarter for another seven points.
After this the Bears' offense sort of fizzled, and the Colts took
advantage with Peyton Manning leading several drives that ended in Adam
Vinatieri's field goals and a TD pass to Reggie Wayne. Joseph Addai and
Dominic Rhodes also both contributed some hard runs with a combined
rushing total of 190 yards and a touchdown. On the other side of the
ball, the Colts were the better defense, causing five turnovers.
As noted last week, this game made history with two African American
coaches facing each other for the title, and Tony Dungy being the first
black coach to win a Super Bowl.
Of course, I want to congratulate Coach Dungy on a job well done, and
adding to the celebration of Black History Month. I also want to
commend Peyton Manning for his leadership of the team. I want to thank
Representative Carson's staff for their hard work, especially Kathleen
Taylor, who did such a quick job of putting all of this together so
that we did not have to delay.
And so with serious regret on the part of the Chicago Bears, I
commend and congratulate the Indianapolis Colts and urge support for
this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, it sure is nice to hear the
gentleman from Illinois extol the virtues of the Indianapolis Colts. I
really appreciate that, Danny.
I am very happy to yield to my colleague from Indiana, another great
Colts fan, Congressman Steve Buyer, 2 minutes.
Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand here to honor the
Indianapolis Colts and Super Bowl champions. The Colts are a team that
I believe represent the best of professionalism and goodwill.
My congratulations to Tony Dungy for his accomplishments in leading
the
[[Page H1295]]
Colts to an overall season record of 16-4 and for becoming the first
African American head coach to win a Super Bowl. I am most hopeful that
such reference does not have to be made in the future. That is the
goodness of America. Coach, you have also demonstrated that nice guys
can win.
I also commend the passionate Indianapolis Colts who braved single-
digit temperatures to welcome back home for the first time to the city
of Indianapolis and the State of Indiana the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Mr. Speaker, I also learned something, though, that I think America
should know about the Super Bowl. You see, the teams that actually play
the Super Bowl actually get 17 percent of the tickets. Those tickets go
to those fans of the two teams, and they are upper deck, end zone
seats, which means that all of the prime seats of the Super Bowl go to
all of the other owners. So what I am most hopeful is that America
takes note here that actually the fans of the teams that get to play
the Super Bowl really do not get to see much of their team in a Super
Bowl. And so what happens here is the city who wants a Super Bowl in
their city, they trade seats for votes. And so it is like, hey, if I
want the Super Bowl in Detroit, and you are the team owner in Detroit,
I will give you 1,500 seats at the 35-yard line.
By the end of the first quarter with all of the rain, you had over
10,000 empty seats. You say, what happened to the fans? Well, those are
people there who wanted to see a football game, but do not necessarily
like to sit in the rain because they didn't like either team.
So we need to redo how they do the Super Bowl and actually sit the
fans where they can enjoy the game. So hopefully that is taken into
account.
To Coach Dungy, the entire team, the owner Jim Irsay, the dedicated
staff of the Colts organization and thousands of Colts fans, I offer my
congratulations to the Colts for the Super Bowl victory over my
father's beloved Chicago Bears. Go Colts.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, of course maybe the NFL could
learn from the House and realize that there should be no trading of
seats for votes, and that would make the disposition a bit different.
I yield 3 minutes to Representative Brad Ellsworth from Indiana.
Mr. ELLSWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations
to the Super Bowl champions, the Indianapolis Colts. The NFL season
came to a triumphant close Sunday night in Miami. But I am most proud
that the Colts began their history run to this Super Bowl in Indiana's
Eighth District last August on the training fields of Rose-Hulman
Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana.
On Sunday, Coach Dungy, along with Lovie Smith of the Bears, became
the first African American head coaches to walk the sidelines on the
Super Bowl. As the clock expired and the scoreboard read 29 for the
Colts and 17 for the Bears, a rain- and Gatorade-soaked Dungy made NFL
history again by becoming the first African American to win the
Lombardi Trophy.
After a sloppy start in a rainy Miami that included a kickoff
returned for a touchdown and an interception by the Bears, the Colts
found themselves in an early hole. But the Dungy-led team refused to
give up and charged back to take a 16-14 halftime lead, with Reggie
Wayne and Dominic Rhodes providing touchdowns.
The Colts dominated the second half of the game on both sides of the
ball, surrendering only three points while bolstering their lead.
Cornerback Kelvin Hayden, who was playing in place of injured starter
Nick Harper, put the game nearly out of reach in the fourth quarter
when he intercepted Rex Grossman's pass and returned it for 56 yards
for a touchdown.
Safety Bob Sanders, who forced a fumble earlier in the game, clinched
it on the ensuing drive with an interception of his own, and Colts
kicker Adam Vinatieri, the NFL's all-time leader in career Super Bowl
field goals, contributed the remainder of the team's scoring.
I am proud to congratulate the Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning. With
his performance, Manning silenced all of the critics who throughout his
career claimed that he could not win the big game. They do not get any
bigger than this.
Manning threw for 247 yards and a touchdown, while leading his team
to victory. Manning was aided in the backfield by the two-pronged
running attack of Rhodes and rookie Joe Addai, who combined to rush for
190 yards.
The Colts excelled on the field at the Super Bowl, but what makes it
truly a pleasure to cheer for is the dignity and class the team
displayed throughout the season. I believe that this starts at the top
with Coach Dungy. Karen Crouse of the New York Times summed up the
Colts' coach best when she wrote, and I quote, ``Dungy has the most
victories of any NFL coach since 1999 with a record of 90-38. But the
bottom line is not what defines him. His life has been about opening
people's eyes so they may see talent and not skin color; spirituality
and not celebrity; integrity and not self-interest. He has helped a lot
of people see more clearly,'' and I could not agree more. Go Colts.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to another
great Colts fan, Congressman Mike Pence.
(Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in this bipartisan gathering
with thanks to the leadership of Congresswoman Julia Carson to
congratulate the world champion Indianapolis Colts. I congratulate the
gentlewoman from Indianapolis for her leadership on this resolution and
its eloquent drafting.
As others of my colleagues have suggested, the Colts' victory was not
just a demonstration of athletic prowess, but it was a moment where I
think the world got to see a little bit of Indiana on the world stage.
They got to see the kind of serious work ethic, humility, commitment to
getting the job done without a lot of flash and a lot of fanfare that
really characterizes the people of Indiana.
As Congressman Burton said, I also had the privilege, along with my
wife Karen, of witnessing some history, not only the first world
championship to come to Indianapolis, but also I saw the first African
American coach lead a team to the Super Bowl, and to see two great
teams led by two African American coaches shatter that glass ceiling,
that for reasons of culture and habit had somehow been long
established, in that stadium for that great championship game.
You know, Mr. Speaker, it is said that attitude reflects leadership,
and I believe that Coach Tony Dungy really personifies just the type of
leadership that deserves rewarding in the NFL and is heralded in the
State of Indiana.
Let me say that Coach Dungy should be admired not only for that calm,
steady leadership on the sidelines, but also his career off the field
is equally impressive. Since his time in Tampa Bay, he brought his
commitment to Christian values to young people through the Fellowship
of Christian Athletes. He launched Mentors for Life, a program that
provided tickets to young people for home games and their mentors. And
I was there about a year ago when Coach Dungy, one of many such
occasions around the country, spoke in Anderson, Indiana, to a stadium
full of young people about his profound faith in Christ and about his
belief in the relationship of character to success.
But we also celebrate Peyton Manning, the man awarded with Most
Valuable Player in the Super Bowl, and of course now a man who others
have said has minted his reputation as one of the greatest quarterbacks
of all time. He personifies a humility and a work ethic that I believe
are rightly celebrated.
Let me close by saying, as Peyton Manning remarked on being selected
MVP, he said, ``I am excited, but I am proud to be on this team.''
I would like to close my remarks today by asking unanimous consent to
add to the Congressional Record the names of all of the members of the
Colts' offense, defense, substitutions and the coaching staff, because
this truly was a team effort. It was men and women in the head offices,
and on the fields, on the training staff, and the catching staff that
brought this world championship home to our capital city.
They have our praise, our congratulations.
Offense: Reggie Wayne--Wide Receiver, Tarik Glenn--
Offensive Tackle, Ryan Lilja--Offensive Guard, Jeff
Saturday--Center, Jake Scott--Offensive Guard, Ryan Diem--
[[Page H1296]]
Offensive Tackle, Dallas Clark--Tight End, Marvin Harrison--
Wide Receiver, Peyton Manning--Quarterback, Joseph Addai--
Running Back, and Ben Utecht--Tight End.
Defense: Robert Mathis--Defensive End, Anthony McFarland--
Defensive Tackle, Raheem Brock--Defensive Tackle, Dwight
Freeney--Defensive End, Cato June--Linebacker, Gary
Brackett--Linebacker, Rob Morris--Linebacker, Nick Harper--
Defensive Back, Jason David--Defensive Back, Antoine Bethea--
Defensive Back, and Bob Sanders--Defensive Back.
Substitutions: Adam Vinatieri--Kicker, Terrance Wilkins--
Wide Receiver, Hunter Smith--Punter, Kelvin Hayden--Defensive
Back, Marlin Jackson--Defensive Back, DeDe Dorsey--Running
Back, Dominic Rhodes--Running Back, Dexter Reid--Defensive
Back, Matt Giordano--Defensive Back, Justin Snow--Tight End,
Rocky Boiman--Linebacker, Keith O'Neil--Linebacker, Freddy
Keiaho--Linebacker, Tyjuan Hagler--Linebacker, Dylan Gandy--
Offensive Guard, Dan Klecko--Defensive Tackle, Bo Schobel--
Defensive End, Charlie Johnson--Offensive Tackle, Bryan
Fletcher--Tight End, Aaron Moorehead--Wide Receiver, Josh
Thomas--Defensive End, and Darrell Reid--Defensive Tackle.
Coaching Staff: Tony Dungy--Head Coach, Jim Caldwell--
Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks, Clyde Christensen--
Receivers Coach, Leslie Frazier--Special Assistant to Head
Coach/Defensive Backs, Richard Howell--Assistant Strength
Coach, Gene Huey--Running Backs Coach, Ron Meeks--Defensive
Coordinator, Pete Metzelaars--Offensive Quality Control, Tom
Moore--Offensive Coordinator, Howard Mudd--Offensive Line
Coach, Mike Murphy--Linebacker Coach, Russ Purnell--Special
Teams Coach, Diron Reynolds--Defensive Quality Coach, John
Teerlinck--Defensive Line Coach, Ricky Thomas--Tight End
Coach, Jon Torine-- Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Alan
Williams--Defensive Backs Coach.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Donnelly).
Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Congresswoman
Carson on her resolution, to add my name to it, and to also say I come
from a unique place, and that my district is not far from Chicago. Our
beautiful district has numbers of Bears fans in it as well as Colts
fans. And so to the Bears fans from Michigan City, Laporte, and South
Bend, I say a season well done; one step short is still a heck of a
year. We are incredibly proud of the Bears, but we are also beaming
about our world champion Indianapolis Colts who did it in a way to
reflect what our State's values are: dignity, hard work, class, and a
never-give-up attitude.
To Peyton Manning, to Joseph Addai, to all of the outstanding
players, and especially to Coach Tony Dungy, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith
come from a long tradition of fine men like Sherm Lewis, men like Eddie
Robinson, and to see Tony Dungy as the first African American coach to
win the Super Bowl was a tremendous moment. But he will not be the
last. There will be many, many more. But his name will be etched in
history forever. And as a man, we can only look at Tony and hope that
we can be as fine in image and in value to our sons and daughters as he
has been to all of us.
Hard work, nonstop class, I am proud to be from our beloved State and
proud of our world championship Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.
{time} 1230
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to yield 3
minutes to another Colts fan who is a friend of Peyton Manning from
Tennessee, the great Congressman from that State (Zach Wamp).
Mr. WAMP. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and
everyone from Illinois and Indiana for bringing us to this moment.
Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to represent the State of Tennessee in
coming to congratulate the Indianapolis Colts. Few people would know
this, but last Thursday here in Washington was our annual prayer
breakfast, where we bring people from all around the world for our
prayer breakfast. And Dr. Francis Collins of the Human Genome Project
was the speaker, and he just did an extraordinary job.
But what people wouldn't know was that before we invited Dr. Francis
Collins, we actually extended an invitation to Tony Dungy. But Tony
Dungy knew when we extended that invitation where he was going to be
the following Sunday, and he told us. Sorry, I can't come speak at the
National Prayer Breakfast because I will be preparing to play in the
Super Bowl. And boy, was he preparing.
Many people know the connections to Tennessee here with this Super
Bowl because of Peyton Manning, because he played his college football
at the University of Tennessee. And I dare say, other than the State of
Indiana, and maybe Mississippi, the State of Tennessee was cheering for
the Indianapolis Colts in greater numbers than any State in the Union
because of Peyton Manning, because he is our favorite son because of
where he played his college football.
To this very day, he owns real estate in Chattanooga. He plays his
golf in Chattanooga. We see him a lot. He is married to a Chattanooga
girl. We are very proud of that.
You wouldn't know also that R.V. Brown, who was the chaplain for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is one of Coach Dungy's closest friends and the
person to whom we extended the invitation. We are so very proud of
these relationships.
What about Lovie Smith? He coached at the University of Tennessee as
well. So all of these great players and coaches that really represented
the goodness of America on Sunday and in the days leading into Sunday
have some kind of Tennessee connections.
But I just want to close with this thought. Proverbs 16:15 says this:
Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives. They are like spring rain and
sunshine.
And I have got to tell you that Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are good-
tempered leaders straight from that scripture. They have invigorated
lives, and they refresh and give life to this great Nation. We honor
them today because of their leadership. We honor this team because of
what they stood for. And we are grateful, frankly, that this brings the
country together and lifts us to a new level.
Congratulations, Indianapolis Colts.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, now it is my pleasure to yield 3
minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana ( Mr. Hill).
Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I was in my office just a few minutes ago
watching, doing my work in my office, but I caught my colleagues
talking about the victorious Indianapolis Colts, and I couldn't resist
coming down here. I don't have any prepared remarks, but I want to come
to the floor today to also extend my congratulations to the
Indianapolis Colts.
My wife and my three daughters had the opportunity to see the Colts
win the AFC championship at Indianapolis. And at the time, I thought it
was good enough that we just made it to the Super Bowl. But that wasn't
good enough for Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and the rest of the
Colts and Tony Dungy. They wanted the ring. And they stepped up to the
plate and took it to another level. And I watched in amazement how they
held steady when the chips were down, especially when they were playing
against the Patriots, and how they held steady when the Chicago Bears
scored that touchdown right off the bat. They didn't panic. They showed
true leadership, and I am so proud of the Colts, and I am proud of the
fact that I had the opportunity to extend congratulations to them.
I think Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning are the best one-two punch
in the history of the NFL. These two players are magnificent athletes,
but they are also magnificent human beings in who they are and how they
lead. And I couldn't be more happy.
I also have to say something about the Chicago Bears. They are a
great football team. We beat a great football team. And Rex Grossman,
who is the quarterback of that team, has caught a lot of heat recently
for what he did. But he took the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl, and
that is a feat in itself.
And I single him out because I believe it was his dad or his uncle
that I actually played football against in Bloomington, Indiana, where
Rex Grossman actually is. So I consider him a constituent. Bloomington
is in my district. It is great to applaud him for his accomplishments.
I applaud the Chicago Bears, and I applaud the Indianapolis Colts for
all the good things that they have done for the State of Indiana.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, might I inquire of my colleague,
do you have any more speakers?
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. No, I don't believe we do.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Well, if he has no more speakers, I am
prepared to
[[Page H1297]]
yield back the balance of my time. But I just want to say to my
colleagues from Illinois, and I say this in a good-natured way, if you
need a Colts hat, I just happen to have a few in my office. I will be
very happy to buy you one.
But I still want my deep-dish pizza, my cheesecake, and I want to
make sure those DVDs get to the troops in Iraq.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, to close, I will just simply say
that, of course, Eli's has the best cheesecake in the world, and
Representative Burton, you shall be able to partake of that.
But also, let me say that we will congratulate all of the players,
all of the owners, all of those who made these two great teams. I have
never seen two men who have given more to a sport than Tony Dungy and
Lovie Smith. Not only are they masters of the game, not only are they
great coaches and leaders, but they exemplify the best of human beings,
the best that you could possibly be, and that is what they have done
for the game of football. That is what they have done for America. And
I am sure that Americans all over the Nation will be cheering them on
for years and years to come.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to Representative Julia Carson for the last
word.
Ms. CARSON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that all of the delegation of
Indiana has come to the floor to speak on behalf of this worthy
resolution.
Tony Dungy, if you don't mind, I will single him out, exhibits the
kind of character that we would all like our men to exhibit. Young men,
who were jumping up and down at the Colts Super Bowl, can learn so much
about how far you get in this world by displaying strength, by
displaying honesty and integrity and loving the Lord. That is what Tony
Dungy does.
He belongs to Northside New Era Church in Indianapolis, which is a
little church on a hill. It is not a big, palatial church that swings
around city blocks; just a little church on a hill. And the members
there love him.
And I notice that he took many of the young people from Northside New
Era to Miami, which was an experience that they will never replicate.
So I want to thank the Dungy family. His wife, when the church has an
event, she is right there with her little apron on cooking, too.
So it shows you that you can't think too highly of yourself. And Tony
Dungy certainly doesn't do that. He thinks highly of the Lord and of
all the people that he serves. And I am just happy that I lived long
enough to see this major event happen on behalf of the district that I
represent.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 130.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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