[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5761]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1630
                  BAYLOR SCORES NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California). Under 
a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards) 
is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, national champions, that is what the 
American people can now call the Baylor University women's basketball 
team. Last night the Baylor Lady Bears convincingly won the national 
championship by beating a talented Michigan State team 84-62. It is the 
second largest margin in a NCAA women's basketball final. It is the 
first Big 12 team, men or women's, to win a national basketball 
championship.
  The Baylor Bears were one of only four teams in NCAA history, men or 
women's, to beat three number one teams in the Final 16. That 
accomplishment is impressive in and of itself, but what is incredible 
is just 5 years ago the Baylor Bears basketball team was at the bottom 
of the Big 12.
  Mr. Speaker, the important message of this great American success 
story is that the values of hard work, determination and teamwork truly 
make a difference.
  A key part of that team is Coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson, who became 
coach at Baylor just 5 years ago, taking over a program with a losing 
season and at the bottom of the Big 12 ladder. Coach Mulkey-Robertson 
would be the first to give credit to her tremendous and inspired 
players on the Baylor team, but she also deserves credit for bringing 
out that inspiration, and for teaching those students to be their best 
and then to even be better.
  I congratulate Coach Mulkey-Robertson for being the first woman in 
NCAA basketball history to be a player on a national basketball 
championship team and then to be the coach of a national championship 
team. I believe all Americans can be proud not only of the victory on 
the basketball court, but the values reflected in that victory. Hard 
work, determination, and teamwork truly make a difference.

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