[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E28]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY COUGARS FOOTBALL TEAM FOR WINNING 
                       THE 2011 NAIA CHAMPIONSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 17, 2012

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Saint Xavier 
University for winning the 2011 NAIA National Football Championship. I 
am very proud of Head Coach Mike Feminis and the SXU Cougars for 
defeating reigning champion Carroll College 24-20 and bringing back the 
Chicago area's first collegiate football national championship since 
1913.
  Congratulations are also in order for long-time Athletics Director 
Bob Hallberg, University President Christine Wiseman, and all the 
faculty, staff, and students at Saint Xavier, Chicago's oldest Catholic 
University, which is located in the Third District in the Mt. Greenwood 
neighborhood and in Orland Park.
  The Cougars fielded a balanced team all year. They stifled opponents' 
offenses with an experienced defense and confused the opposition's 
defenses with a fast-paced spread offense. Senior captains Patrick 
Appino and Michael Prosser led one of the top defenses in the country, 
holding Carroll's running back, the NAIA player of the year, to only 57 
yards rushing in the championship game. On offense, local standouts 
Shane Zackery and Wes Gastel combined for 13 receptions and 109 yards 
receiving. Zackery and Gastel also provided quarterback Jimmy Coy and 
the rest of the offense favorable field position on several occasions 
with four kick returns for 113 yards. This balanced attack has been 
Coach Feminis' recipe for success all season long.
  I am proud to have the Cougars call my district home, not only 
because they are the best NAIA football team in the country, but also 
because they embody all the best attributes of true student-athletes. 
Coach Feminis is proud of the familial atmosphere he creates in the 
team's facilities and the emphasis he places on academics. I am certain 
the tradition of success Coach Feminis has established will continue 
for a long time at SXU.
  Please join me in honoring these hardworking, dedicated, and 
honorable men for a memorable season and bringing a championship home 
to Chicago.

                          ____________________