[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 3 (Tuesday, January 6, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S23-S24]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Fernando Mendoza

  Mr. BANKS. Madam President, as we begin the new year, there are a lot 
of things that Members of Congress and the American people are paying 
attention to. But something really extraordinary is going on in my home 
State of Indiana. It is not just Hoosiers who are paying attention; the 
whole country is following Indiana football.
  I am the first in my family to go to college, and it was a no-brainer 
for me to attend Indiana University in Bloomington.
  Everyone knows that IU is a basketball school. IU basketball won five 
national championships. We had the legendary 1976 undefeated team in 
the NCAA--the only undefeated team in college basketball history.
  When I got to college in the 1990s, one of the reasons I attended IU 
was to watch Bobby Knight-coached basketball games. We had great 
players over the years: Isaiah Thomas, Damon Bailey, Steve Alford, and 
so many others who played on the floor at Assembly Hall and made 
Indiana very proud. Assembly Hall is the mecca of college basketball. 
Again, it is one of the reasons that I wanted to go to college there in 
the first place. When I go back to IU and attend basketball games, I 
still get choked up in the pregame show at Assembly Hall each and every 
time.
  But IU was never known as a football school. Sure, we had some great 
talent over the years--Antwaan Randle El was the star player when I 
attended IU--but IU football always had a lot more downs than it had 
ups. In fact, when I was a student at Indiana University, the football 
program was so bad that they gave free season tickets to all of the 
students who lived in the dorms, and at every game, the stadium was 
hardly ever even half full except for those occasions when the Ohio 
State Buckeyes came over the State line to play in Bloomington.
  As IU fans, we were trained to never get our hopes up about Indiana 
football, but now, my, how the tides have turned. Now, the entire 
country is watching one of the greatest turnarounds in sports history. 
From being college football's alltime leader in losses to now having an 
undefeated season, wherein we won the Rose Bowl, the Big Ten 
Championship, and had a Heisman Trophy winner, IU football has captured 
the country's attention. In fact, the great Dick Vitale said, ``Hoosier 
football is the greatest turn around'' that he has ever seen.
  When IU President Pam Whitten and athletic director Scott Dolson 
brought on coach Curt Cignetti, IU's football program turned around 
overnight. And when my wife and I attended the IU game earlier this 
season against Wisconsin, the stadium was absolutely packed--a real 
change from what past games used to look like. Coach Cignetti has 
brought great pride to the State of Indiana.
  I want to highlight the incredible young man who has led IU's team to 
glory this season, the great Fernando Mendoza.
  Just 3 weeks ago, Fernando became the first Heisman Trophy winner in 
Indiana University's history. When I was in college, I have got to tell 
you that it would have been impossible to imagine having had a Heisman 
Trophy winner at Indiana University. What makes this man truly 
exceptional is not simply his award-winning career on the field. What 
makes Fernando so incredible is that he represents the very best of 
what we hope to see in our Nation's young people--a combination of 
excellence, character, faith, and service to others.
  In fact, a few days ago, Fernando led the Hoosiers to an incredible 
38-to-3 victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl, winning the first ever 
Rose Bowl in IU's history and the first win in the modern playoff era 
for the Indiana Hoosiers.
  Right after the game, Fernando was asked about the big win. And do 
you know what he said? Before saying anything else, he said:

       My team and I want to give all the glory to God.

  In all of his interviews, Fernando always makes sure to thank God 
first. That is a man who has his priorities straight. That is a man who 
is proud to live out his faith, who honors God in everything that he 
does.
  But there is more.
  With Fernando Mendoza, there is really no ``I'' in ``team.'' When he 
received his Heisman trophy, Fernando made it clear that it wasn't his 
trophy alone. Instead he said that it was ``our trophy.'' That is why 
he has made the gracious decision to keep the Heisman Trophy in 
Bloomington, IN. It is because the Trophy belongs to the university and 
to the fans, he said.

[[Page S24]]

  I am incredibly proud of that decision, and I want to thank Fernando 
Mendoza for making that decision. I can't wait to go to Bloomington to 
see it.
  In his Heisman Trophy speech, Fernando mentioned how his family has 
always stood by his side throughout his career and that they have never 
stopped believing in him. Fernando particularly thanked his mother 
Elsa.
  He said:

       This is your trophy as much as it is mine.

  Elsa suffers from multiple sclerosis, a tough and often painful 
disease. In honor of his mother, Fernando has raised over $100,000 to 
fight MS. What an incredible act of kindness, and what a special way to 
honor his mother.
  In that Heisman Trophy acceptance speech, after thanking his 
teammates, his family, and Coach Cignetti, Fernando addressed the young 
people who might be tuning in.
  He said:

       I want every kid out there who feels overlooked and 
     underestimated to know I was you. I was that kid too. I was 
     in your shoes. The truth is, you don't need the most stars, 
     hype, or rankings. You just need discipline, heart, and 
     people who believe in you, and you need to believe in your 
     own abilities.

  Our young people need role models today more than ever, and they need 
role models like Fernando Mendoza. He shows them that faith matters, 
that family comes first, and that hard work pays off. He is proof that 
you can be a champion on the field and still be humble, that you can be 
competitive and still put God first, that success means nothing if you 
are not using it to help others. Fernando Mendoza is the kind of young 
man that I want my three daughters to look up to and other kids of 
their generation to look up to too. Indiana is lucky to have him. We 
are proud to have him, and America is better because of him.
  I don't know how this story ends at the semifinal game in Atlanta on 
Friday that I am looking forward to attending and at the championship 
game in Miami the following week. I can't wait to cheer on the 
Hoosiers. I don't know how this great story ends. The Hoosiers have a 
possibility to be the first team ever to win 16 games and go 
undefeated, but I can't tell you how much pride the great State of 
Indiana has in this football team wearing the ``Indiana'' on their 
uniform. They represent us so well. The Hoosier State is proud, and I 
wanted to take a moment to come to the floor and just simply say, ``Go 
Hoosiers.''
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Well played, Senator. Congratulations.

                          ____________________