[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4925]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 FLORIDA GATOR MEN'S BASKETBALL REMARKS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK FOLEY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 4, 2006

  Mr. FOLEY.  Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend the Florida Gators men's 
basketball team for winning their first ever national championship 
title. They handily beat the UCLA Bruins last night in Indianapolis by 
a score of 73-57. This marks the first NCAA men's title in basketball 
for any Division I school in Florida.
  As you may know, the team lost most of its scoring players from last 
season and many pundits questioned whether this year's Gators would 
even make it into the NCAA tournament. First, they started the season 
by winning their first 17 games. Then they went on to secure the SEC 
Conference tournament championship. And, just when it was thought they 
couldn't top that, they ended their historic season winning the 
national title.
  During the past month, these young, energetic Gators won the hearts 
and minds of fans everywhere. Their success came down to a simple 
formula: they played as an unselfish, hardworking and passionate team.
  Head coach Billy Donovan deserves enormous credit for building such a 
dominant program. His team held to his often professed mantra of 
``PHD''--``be poor, be hungry and be driven''--in their pursuit of 
excellence whether on the court or in the classroom.
  I applaud the strong performances by the entire team: Joakim Noah, Al 
Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey, Chris Richard, 
Adrian Moss, Walter Hodge, Brett Swanson, Jack Berry, Garrett Tyler and 
David Huertas.
  Again, congratulations to the University of Florida for this 
impressive and historic win. Today it is truly great to be a Florida 
Gator.

                          ____________________