[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2124]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO COACH TONY NAPOLET

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TIM RYAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 23, 2007

  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the recently 
completed season and still ongoing career of someone who is an 
institution in Ohio High School football and the community of Warren, 
Ohio. Coach Tony Napolet was awarded this year's Coach of the Year 
award after leading the Warren JFK Eagles to a 14-1 season capped by a 
berth to the Division 5 State championship game.
  Although I never had the opportunity to play for him, Coach Napolet 
has been a friend and mentor throughout my entire adult life. The year 
following my graduation from Warren JFK, Tony Napolet was brought on 
for what he anticipated as being a 1-year stint as JFK head coach. That 
season, after squeaking into the playoffs, Napolet and the Eagles 
rattled off an amazing run to win the State Championship. At the 
conclusion of that season Coach Napolet agreed to come back to coach 
the Eagles indefinitely. He followed his title winning season with 
another birth to the State championship game. Although Coach Nap and 
the Eagles suffered a 1-point loss, the 2nd straight appearance in the 
State championship game solidified Tony Napolet's niche in the upper 
echelon of Ohio high school football coaches. And that was hardly the 
twilight of Coach Nap's career. He has since coached the Eagles to 
numerous winning seasons and three more State semifinal appearances 
including this past season's appearance in another State championship 
game.
  Overall Coach Tony Napolet has garnered three top ten AP rankings, 
five state semi-final appearances, a winning percentage of .716 during 
his time at Warren JFK, and an overall coaching record of 191 wins, 84 
losses and 3 ties.
  All of the records, statistics, and awards, however, cannot speak to 
the influential and inspirational man that is Tony Napolet. One thing 
that everyone who has ``ever played for Coach Napolet knows is that 
whether you were the starting quarterback or the third string defensive 
lineman, you were treated exactly the same. Not only was everyone an 
equal on the field, but also off the field, mid-season, off-season, and 
after you had graduated. Tony Napolet is known in the community just as 
much for what he does for young people after they graduate, as he is 
for his coaching prowess. Of course there are the typical phone calls 
to college coaches and recommendation letters, but his involvement in 
his former players' lives doesn't end there. Coach Napolet is the one 
who helps you find a summer job when you're home from school, or serves 
as a reference on an internship application. Since Coach Napolet is 
such an integral part of the JFK High family, he in turn treats 
everyone as a member of his family.
  Tony Napolet is every part of what a high school football coach 
should be. He realizes and has always realized that the role he plays 
is not just that of football coach but as someone who is helping 
prepare young men for the next step in their lives, whether that 
involves football or not.
  So, today I am not honoring a coach and his distinct record, but 
rather a great man who also happens to be a fantastic coach.

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