[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 7, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E4]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY

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                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 2014

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 2013 
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Football Champions, 
the Grand View University Vikings.
   Grand View University is one of eighty-five football programs across 
the country that compete in the NAIA. Each year, the best teams in the 
association qualify for the post-season playoffs to determine a 
national champion. Only six years after establishing a football 
program, the Grand View University Vikings have expertly developed a 
top-tier football team. On December 21, 2013, Grand View obtained its 
first-ever national football championship by defeating the top-ranked 
University of the Cumberlands by a score of 35-23. The Vikings finished 
the 2013 season with a perfect 14-0 record and the top NAIA ranking.
   Grand View University's recent success on the football field is 
emblematic of its long-held mission for both academics and athletics. 
Since its founding in 1896, Grand View has instilled its students with 
an uncompromising focus on the traditional Danish perspective of the 
``whole person.'' Through this perspective, each of Grand View's 2,300 
students is uniquely enabled to reach their potential through high 
expectations, smaller class sizes, and greater individual attention 
from professors and coaches. It is through this winning formula that 
Grand View University has positioned itself among our state's premier 
universities.
   Mr. Speaker, the pride and excitement that this team has brought to 
their campus and to the state of Iowa cannot be understated. The 
unrelenting commitment of these coaches and players speaks volumes 
about the Iowa work ethic and the rewards of working together. It is 
truly an honor to represent the players, coaches and families of this 
team in the United States Congress and I invite my colleagues in the 
House of Representatives to join me in congratulating our 2013 NAIA 
National Champions. I wish President Henning, Coach Woodley, and all 
the students of Grand View University continued success, both on and 
off the field, for many years to come.

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