[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 5747]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             MONTE MADNESS

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise today to express a little 
home State pride. It was described as ``Monte Madness.''
  For months, Montanans logged on to the Internet to cast their votes. 
Billboards hailed his name. Communities rallied around him. Montana's 
political leaders backed him. And our State beamed with pride on 
January 1 when the University of Montana's Monte the Grizzly was 
crowned Capital One National Mascot of the Year.
  For the first time, mascots across the country competed in an online 
election for the right to represent their school in national 
competition. Monte faced stiff competition from mascots like Penn 
State's Nittany Lion and the University of Florida's Albert the Gator. 
In the end, Monte won the distinguished title, earning the UM mascot 
program $10,000 and a lot of national exposure.
  Monte is known for his athletic prowess, his slick dance moves, and 
his knack for firing up Griz fans. It's easy to understand why Missoula 
Mayor Mike Kadas declared February 1 as Monte Day.
  The highflying mascot is an unsung hero of the University of Montana 
and a valuable member of the Missoula community. There is no doubt 
Monte is the hardest working mascot in collegiate athletics. He 
deserves the national recognition. He is the most spirited, most 
athletic, hardest hitting, best crowd surfing mascot ever to grace a 
college campus.
  I endorsed Monte during his election because he is a mascot for the 
right reasons--to win ball games and boost Montana athletics.
  But Monte is not only a Montana treasure on the field, he is 
committed to giving back to our communities. Monte often attends 
parades, community events, and gives his time to help others. He 
donated $1,000 he received from the national exposure to Big Brothers 
and Big Sisters of Missoula.
  Monte makes us all very proud to be Montanans. May he wear his crown 
for all to see and ride his Griz-colored Harley for many years to 
come.

                          ____________________