[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 34 (Thursday, February 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO COACH JIM CALHOUN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 2009

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the most recent 
achievement of one of college basketball's premier coaches. On February 
25, 2009, the University of Connecticut's Men's Basketball program 
celebrated a 93-82 win over Marquette University. Not just a typical 
victory in another impressive season for the Huskies, this victory was 
also the 800th in the career of Coach Jim Calhoun. Coach Calhoun is 
just the seventh coach in men's college basketball to reach this 
historic milestone, joining legends such as Bobby Knight, Dean Smith 
and Adolph Rupp.
  Coach Calhoun's' career as a basketball coach began in 1966 when he 
served as an assistant at his alma mater, American International 
College in Springfield, MA. Calhoun stayed at AIC until 1968 when he 
became a high school basketball coach in Old Lyme, Connecticut. He 
stayed in the high school ranks for a brief period until 1972, when he 
assumed the role of head coach at Northeastern University in Boston, 
Massachusetts. Calhoun's squad came to dominate the Eastern College 
Athletic Conference, leading those Huskies to a 248-137 record in 14 
seasons that included 5 league tournament championships and 4 outright 
regular season championships.
  In May of 1986, Coach Calhoun assumed the role of head basketball 
coach at the University of Connecticut. Since that time, UConn has 
become the Big East Conference's premier basketball program. Just two 
years later, Coach Calhoun won his first national title when UConn 
defeated Ohio State in the 1988 National Invitational Tournament with 
Phil Gamble and future NBA all star Clifford Robinson leading the way.
  During his 22+ seasons at the University of Connecticut, Coach 
Calhoun has led the Huskies to ten Big East regular season titles, six 
Big East tournament titles, an NIT title and 2 NCAA titles in 1999 and 
2004. During his tenure, Calhoun has coached more than two dozen 
players who have moved onto the NBA, including perennial stars such as 
Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton and Emeka Okafor.
  Coach Calhoun has received countless awards and has been consistently 
recognized for his remarkable career. In 2005, Coach Calhoun's career 
came full circle as he returned to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he 
started his basketball career. There, Coach Calhoun joined the ranks of 
basketball's greats when he was enshrined in the Dr. James Naismith 
Basketball Hall of Fame. Coach Calhoun is also a member of the American 
International College and Northeastern University Hall of Fame and has 
been awarded the John Wooden ``Legends of Coaching Award'' for his 
lifetime of service.
  Coach Calhoun's positive contributions to Connecticut are not limited 
to the basketball court. He has contributed huge sums of personal 
wealth to hospitals, charities and civic causes--often times with 
little fanfare. He is a strong voice for ``Coaches Against Cancer'', 
advocating for a stronger national effort to cure cancer and raising 
private funds for research and treatment.
  The most impressive contribution I believe was his willingness to 
publicly share his personal battle against three bouts of cancer--
educating and inspiring patients and families all across America to 
fight this illness and continue with their regular lives.
  For more than two decades, Coach Calhoun's coaching prowess has been 
well known to the people of eastern Connecticut. For those of us who 
have the honor of calling him our friend, and for the scores of Husky 
hoops fans across the state and the country, we congratulate Coach Jim 
Calhoun on this historic achievement and wish him well as he continues 
his leadership of our beloved Huskies.

                          ____________________