[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 24590-24591]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   CONGRATULATIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA AS IT WINS THE 
                     NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

  Mr. DORGAN. Madam President, this past Saturday, the University of 
North Dakota's Fighting Sioux won the division II national championship 
football game. Anyone who watched that game on ESPN marveled at the 
game itself. It was one of the most exciting football games I have ever 
watched. It was decided in the last couple of seconds. The two teams 
played wonderful football. They played Grand Valley State of Michigan 
in division II. Grand Valley State had a 14-to-10 lead with just over 2 
minutes left. The University of North Dakota actually had a fourth down 
with 50 seconds or so left at about the 41-yard line. It didn't look 
good. With 60 yards to the goal line, they passed and went down to the 
1-yard line. And they drove it in.
  It was one of the most exciting finishes I have ever seen.
  As an alumnus of the University of North Dakota, I wanted to 
congratulate the coach and the team and say how proud we are of the 
division II football champions.
  We have been national champions in division I in hockey many times. 
We won our national championship in women's basketball, and now in 
division II football.
  The University of North Dakota Sioux had a wonderful day on Saturday. 
I congratulate these young men who made all of North Dakota proud. And 
I congratulate their coach.
  As a graduate of the University of North Dakota, I am enormously 
proud of what they have done.
  To recap, rare are the athletic programs that can claim the 
extraordinary success that the University of North Dakota has had over 
the last

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year: It has played national championship games in hockey, women's 
basketball and, on just this Saturday, football.
  As a graduate, I'm pleased to be able to announce here on the Senate 
floor today that the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux won that 
national Division II championship football game. And they did so in 
truly epic fashion, coming from behind in the final seconds.
  Their opponent, Grand Valley State of Michigan, had taken a 14-10 
lead with less than three minutes to play. After taking the ensuing 
kickoff, UND appeared to have stalled on their own 41 yard line where 
it was fourth down and four yards to go. But receiver Luke Schleusner 
caught a short pass from quarterback Kelby Klosterman, slipped what 
appeared to initially be a sure tackle, and ran 58 yards to within 
inches of the goal line. On the next play, with just 29 seconds left, 
Jed Perkerewicz darted across. It was an electrifying conclusion that 
marks the Sioux's first national football championship.
  As an alum, I have a special affection for the University and am 
enormously proud of its distinguished and remarkable achievements in 
athletics, research, and academics.
  Saturday's dramatic football victory fills the alumni, staff, 
students and friends of the university with understandable pride. And, 
importantly, our entire state of North Dakota shares the pride in this 
memorable triumph.
  And so I salute the school's administration, athletic program, 
football staff--led by coach Dale Lennon, and, most importantly, the 
young men of the University of North Dakota football team. The hard 
work, the long hours, and the pain have paid off. We can all learn 
important lessons about life from these champions--lessons about 
perseverance, about working together and helping each other, about 
being a good sport.
  In fact, one of the images from the game that's brightest in my mind 
is how the members of the Sioux team were repeatedly helping their 
opponents up off the turf and patting them on the back in an 
encouraging way it was an admirable display of sportsmanship.
  These scholar-athletes play football because they love the game and, 
in the process, serve as role models for youngsters. In fact, they can 
serve as role models for the adults of this world.
  And we can savor the feeling of having national champions in our 
midst. My congratulations to a truly superb team.

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