[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 30, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E566-E567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO COACH MIKE GOTTFRIED--2010 MOBILIAN OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 30, 2011

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, in my home state of Alabama, we know 
something about winning football, and there is one fact we don't 
dispute. Behind every winning team is a great coach. The success of the 
City of Mobile is due in no small measure to the tireless efforts of 
our own ``coach'' and my dear friend, Mike Gottfried. I'm especially 
proud to note that Coach Mike Gottfried is being honored on April 7, 
2011, with a most deserving honor, 2010 Mobilian of the Year.
  Many Americans may recognize Mike Gottfried as a long-time ESPN 
sports analyst who covered both college and NFL football for nearly two 
decades on prime time television. A fixture on the cable network's 
Thursday Night Game of the Week and College Football Thursday Night, 
not to mention ESPN's NFL draft coverage, Mike was particularly 
compelling as a voice for character as well as athletic achievement.
  An Ohio native, Mike was quarterback at Morehead State University 
from 1962 to 1965. Upon graduation in 1966, he proceeded to coach high 
school football in Ohio before embarking on a distinguished college 
coaching career that took him to Murray State, Cincinnati, Kansas and 
Pittsburgh. During his four years at Pittsburgh, Mike earned a 26-17-2 
record, including wins over rivals Notre Dame, Penn State and West 
Virginia.
  Mobile was fortunate when Mike moved to our city in 1990 and became 
an active member of our community. A member of the Mobile Sports Hall 
of Fame, Mike is credited with helping to establish the GMAC Bowl--now 
the GoDaddy.com Bowl--in Alabama's port city.
  Mike may be a giant on gridiron, but he stands even taller in the 
lives of hundreds of young men who grew up without fathers. In 2000, 
Mike founded Team Focus, an organization which has enabled hundreds of 
single parent children to advance their education in an environment in 
which they are ``motivated, encouraged, and challenged.''
  He is the co-author of Coach's Challenge: Faith, Football, and 
Filling the Father Gap, written with Ron Benson in 2007.
  A nationally sought-after motivational speaker and supporter of youth 
programs, Mike partnered with First Lady Laura Bush in promoting her 
Helping America's Youth (HAY program), benefitting at-risk students. 
For over ten years, Mike and his wife, Mickey, have also led 
fundraising efforts for L'Arche, a Christian community for people with 
intellectual disabilities, raising more and a half millions dollars. 
Mike and his wife are also the recipients of the 2010 FBI Director's 
Community Leadership Award for their community outreach work with Team 
Focus.
  Mike's selfless record of service to disadvantaged youth and his 
uncommon devotion to our community, have certainly earned him the honor 
of 2010 Mobilian of the Year.
  On behalf of the people of South Alabama, I congratulate Mike on 
receiving this award and I extend a personal thank you to Mike and his 
wonder wife and partner, Mickey, for all they continue to do for our 
community and our country.

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