[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 22]
[House]
[Page 30826]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY FOOTBALL TEAM'S HISTORIC VICTORY OVER NOTRE DAME

  (Mr. SARBANES asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge an historic victory 
that occurred over last weekend, when the United States Naval Academy 
football team, for the first time in 43 years, upset the University of 
Notre Dame.
  As we recognize the accomplishments of this Midshipmen football team, 
we also recognize the commitment that each middie has made to our 
country. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Midshipmen for 
their historic victory over the Fighting Irish.
  It is in this spirit that I submit further remarks for inclusion in 
the Congressional Record as well as an editorial from the Baltimore Sun 
recognizing the extraordinary accomplishment of these young men.
  And also for the record, I would like to say, Go Navy. Beat Army.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the United States Naval 
Academy Football Team for Saturday's thrilling victory over the 
University of Notre Dame.
  The Midshipmen defeated the Fighting Irish 46-44 in triple-overtime, 
marking the first Navy victory in the annual match-up since 1963.
  A tradition since 1927, the Navy-Notre Dame series is the longest 
uninterrupted intersectional series in Division I college football. 
This year's installment of this great football rivalry was, for the 
first time, tied at the end of regulation and featured 90 combined 
points, the most ever in the 80-year-old series.
  The Midshipmen victory in the third overtime snapped Notre Dame's 43-
year win streak in harrowing fashion. Navy made what appeared to be its 
last stand against the Fighting Irish Offense, stopping a Notre Dame 
attempt at a two-point conversion to tie the game. A controversial pass 
interference call allowed Notre Dame one more chance to force a fourth 
overtime. It looked as though the streak was destined to continue.
  But the Midshipmen again held their ground and defeated Notre Dame. 
On this Saturday, the disadvantages that a service academy team has to 
overcome relative to its ``Big Name'' Division I competition did not 
matter. The Naval Academy does not have an exclusive television 
contract. Its recruiters cannot promise top-tier high school seniors 
access to a network of NFL scouts and alumni.
  When the United States Naval Academy beat the University of Notre 
Dame, a team of young men celebrated an athletic victory that had 
escaped two generations of Midshipmen--two generations of Academy 
graduates who led our Navy and our country through the Cold War and 
into the twenty-first century.
  As we recognize the accomplishment of this Midshipmen Football team, 
we also recognize the commitment that each Middie has made to our 
country.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Midshipmen for their 
historic victory over the Fighting Irish. It is in this spirit that I 
submit for inclusion in the Congressional Record this editorial from 
the Baltimore Sun recognizing the extraordinary accomplishment of these 
young men. For the record, ``Go Navy. Beat Army.''

                 [From the Baltimore Sun, Nov. 6, 2007]

                          One for the Middies

       Please forgive the irrepressible grins, the sunny outlook 
     and the other outward signs of deep satisfaction displayed 
     this week by fans of U.S. Naval Academy football. Navy's 46-
     44 triple-overtime victory over the Fighting Irish on 
     Saturday in South Bend, Ind., was bound to have a lasting 
     effect. Beating a rival once every 43 years will do that.
       The Notre Dame-Navy match-up is one of the more lopsided 
     annual events in college football. One fields a team of high 
     school all-Americans, the other with future Navy and Marine 
     Corps officers. Unless Roger Staubach is behind center taking 
     snaps (as he was for Navy in 1963), the results are generally 
     predictable.
       But the combination of a solid Navy team with a potent 
     offense and postseason ambitions opposed by a Notre Dame 
     squad mired in a losing season of record-setting proportions 
     helped turn the unthinkable into the wonderful--at least from 
     the Midshipmen's perspective.
       No doubt coach Paul Johnson will tell his players that this 
     was just one victory and Navy needs more wins to get to 
     another bowl game. And, of course, their fans will expect 
     them to beat a certain military academy from the Hudson River 
     Valley next month. No season would be complete without a win 
     over West Point.
       Nevertheless, this is a moment to savor. Even a Notre Dame 
     fan has to admit it's nice to see an underdog come out on top 
     once in a while. Navy still needs a 60-year winning streak to 
     even its career record against the Irish. That's not likely, 
     but at least it doesn't seem quite as improbable today.

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