[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8542]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          GEORGE ``GODFATHER'' THOMPSON: A LIFETIME OF SERVICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to honor George 
``Godfather'' Thompson, one of the most remarkable men in my life and 
many of the lives of individuals who have played Rattler football at 
Florida A&M. Tomorrow night, friends and families and other players at 
Florida A&M are going to come together to pay tribute to this wonderful 
man who has done so much on behalf of so many, a man of great humility 
and compassion. When he speaks of Florida A&M and Rattler football, he 
gets chill bumps all over his body.
  His heart is so big that those who go to Florida A&M with very little 
money, very little guidance or those that have great guidance, he takes 
the time to speak with them.
  This Nation loves sports and for good reasons, but the right coach 
and guidance and sports, particularly in team sports, are fun and 
effective ways to teach young people the great lessons of life, that 
discipline and hard work are necessary for success but not necessarily 
guaranteed; that those who are trying to beat their opponents, they are 
not necessarily their enemies; that winning with grace and dignity 
often requires as much character as losing with grace and dignity; and 
that teams succeed over the long haul when there are people working 
together, helping each other and supporting each other.
  These are the great lessons of George ``Godfather'' Thompson.
  I played defensive end for Florida A&M University, and this is where 
I met Godfather. He gave me a great, great insight on life, even though 
he was just an equipment manager. He was one of great dignity and pride 
and told many Rattler football players about the programs and stories. 
Even though it was not his responsibility to be the counselor, he took 
that responsibility as being someone to head young men in the right 
direction, or point young men in the right direction.
  For everyone who calls George Thompson ``Godfather,'' and we still 
do, it is not a godfather that we may see on a movie or what have you, 
but it is out of respect and love for someone who took the time with 
everyone and opened his heart to accommodate not only their feelings 
but to guide them in the right direction.

                              {time}  2320

  He came to Florida A&M from Melbourne, Florida in 1951 as a student 
and pursued his degree and worked on campus as an equipment manager. It 
changed his life and the lives of thousands of student athletes who 
passed under his mentorship. He is a walking, talking history book who 
still inspires the coaches, students and players at Florida A&M. His 
compliment to the university and the students is unprecedented at 
Florida A&M, and maybe unprecedented in the entire Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I think it is very important for us to be able to 
highlight the fact that he served under five coaches there at Florida 
A&M, and for many of those years great individuals passed through that 
program. Rattler football is something we take very seriously down in 
Florida, especially in Tallahassee, Florida where the blood runs orange 
and green.
  I want to thank him for his commitment and his level of 
responsibility for so many individuals in our lifetime. So many young 
men have moved on to do great things in this country because of his 
guidance, and we honor his presence and we thank God that so many of us 
had the opportunity to have him walk our way. So I not only commend 
him, Mr. Speaker, but I also want this Congress to be aware that a 
great American and patriot took time to not only guide individuals like 
myself and others and that we are forever indebted to his presence and 
to his feelings and to the work that he put forth over the years doing 
common things uncommonly well.

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