[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 22 (Monday, February 11, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    CARROLL COLLEGE FIGHTING SAINTS

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, the December 24, 2007, ``Year in 
Pictures'' edition of Sports Illustrated featured a mud-soaked and 
elated Brandon Day on the cover. Day is a junior linebacker for the 
Fighting Saints of Carroll College in my hometown of Helena, MT. This 
amazing image was captured by photographer John Russell following the 
Fighting Saints fifth National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 
football title in the past six seasons on December 15, 2007, in 
Savannah, TN.
  The story of this team and the cover photo on Sports Illustrated has 
really moved me. With all the negative stories recently in the sports 
world, it was both heartening and appropriate for the magazine to honor 
the spirit of intercollegiate athletics by shining the spotlight on 
such a hard-working and deserving group of student athletes. The young 
men that make up Carroll's football squad truly embody the best of 
these ideals and Montana values. They have worked hard both on and off 
the field and have achieved not only athletic glory, but also success 
in the classroom and have given much back to the Helena community and 
their hometowns. Coming from small towns across Montana and the West, 
these student athletes certainly don't demand or expect this kind of 
recognition for their achievements, but they certainly are worthy of 
the praise. This group of young men are great ambassadors for the 
college they so proudly represent and are terrific role models for 
their fellow students and the many younger kids who look up to them.
  This strength of character is certainly a tribute to their fine and 
caring coach, Mike Van Diest, who has taught his players that devotion 
to school, family, and faith come before football. He demands 
excellence from his players both on and off the field, as does the 
president of the school, Dr. Thomas Trebon. Dr. Trebon recently wrote a 
letter to Sports Illustrated that tells the story of the Fighting 
Saints. I thank Dr. Trebon for all of his hard work and leadership at 
Carroll College, and I look forward to cheering on the Saints again in 
2008. I know that they will continue to make Montana proud.
  Mr. President, I ask to have the letter from Dr. Trebon printed in 
the Record.
  The material follows.

       Dear Sports Illustrated: All of Montana is thrilled by the 
     SI ``2007 Pictures of the Year'' front cover featuring 
     Carroll College junior linebacker Brandon Day's euphoric 
     reaction to the Fighting Saints' fifth NAIA National Football 
     Championship win.
       The untold story about the Saints found honest reflection 
     in the SI cover photo, with Day and his victorious teammates 
     soaked in mud while overcome with joy. It's a story about 
     humble happiness through hard work, where every standout 
     member of the Saints who receives recognition promptly points 
     to his teammates as the real reason for their success. It's 
     the story of Fighting Saint Luke DenHerder, who returned to 
     the gridiron after beating a lethal cancer, while his fellow 
     student-athletes cheered him and even shaved their heads in 
     solidarity during his chemotherapy. It's the story of a team 
     comprised of men hailing primarily from rural Western towns, 
     ranches and farms, from struggling middle-class families, who 
     know the meaning of hard work and who haven't seen much glory 
     in return. Until now.
       Carroll's story is about two-time NAIA National Coach of 
     the Year (2003 and 2005) Mike Van Diest, who led the Saints 
     to all five national championship wins, all while demanding 
     that our athletes' priorities must be God first, family 
     second, school third and football last. Indeed, the press 
     corps following our team to Tennessee took more photos of our 
     players studying for their final exams and volunteer reading 
     to school children in Savannah, Tenn., than engaged in pre-
     game practice. This fall, seven Fighting Saints were named 
     national Daktronics-NAIA Football Scholar-Athletes, the team 
     maintains a grade point average over 3.2, and nearly half of 
     our football squad is selected yearly as All-Academic 
     honorees in the Frontier Conference. Yet, the true story 
     about the Saints was told before the clock ran out during the 
     championship game. After each play, our Carroll student-
     athletes showed their commitment to sportsmanship by helping 
     their opponents up from tackles and shaking hands with the 
     University of Sioux Falls players.
       In these days when more of us long for a return to civility 
     and yearn to see our star athletes and athletic programs meet 
     the high standards of role models, SI's cover photo was 
     distinctly gratifying. In one shot, photographer John Russell 
     captured both a moment of athletic triumph and distilled our 
     dream of bringing back the values of simpler times, when good 
     men from humble beginnings win out in the end and become 
     heroes.
                                                    Thomas Trebon,
     President, Carroll College.

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