[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 26]
[House]
[Page 35622]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY ON THEIR THIRD CONSECUTIVE 
                         NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the third 
consecutive national football championship won by Appalachian State 
University this weekend in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The ASU Mountaineers 
soundly defeated the University of Delaware 49-21 in the football 
championship subdivision's championship game on Friday before a record-
breaking crowd at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.
  In taking the 2007 FCS championship crown, ASU becomes the first 
football team in history to win three consecutive national 
championships. Friday's win was the crown jewel of an eight-game 
winning streak that propelled the Mountaineers to their historic 
``three-peat.''
  2007 was a historic year for football at Appalachian State. The 
Mountaineers began the year by defeating Michigan in an epic battle 
that proved to football fans around the country that this team is for 
real. So it is fitting that a season that began on such a historic note 
should end with an even greater achievement and place Appalachian State 
squarely in the record books.
  This year, ASU went 13-2, defeated one of the most highly ranked 
teams in football and secured a record three straight national 
championships. ASU has proven that this is a team not only of skilled 
athletes led by a dedicated coaching staff, but that this is a team 
with heart and incredible drive. Friday's game showed how much the 
Mountaineers are committed to playing the game with excellence every 
time they take the field.
  The Mountaineers, led by Coach Jerry Moore, notched their third 
consecutive championship with stellar play on both the offensive and 
defensive sides of the ball. They started the game by scoring on three 
possessions in a row. This put them out to an early 21-0 lead that set 
the tone for the rest of the game.
  Quarterback Armanti Edwards, who suffered shoulder injuries earlier 
in the season, led the team by throwing three touchdowns, running for 
89 yards on 18 carries and completing 9 of 15 passes for 198 yards.
  Running the ball was Kevin Richardson, the Mountaineer running back, 
who rushed for 118 yards against Delaware in the championship game and 
padded the Appalachian State lead with two touchdowns. All told, the 
Mountaineers racked up 358 rushing yards in their 28-point margin of 
victory.
  On the defensive side, senior defensive back Corey Lynch wrapped up 
an illustrious tenure at Appalachian by finishing the game with four 
pass breakups, making his college career total 52. This gives Lynch the 
NCAA Division I record for pass defense.
  What makes this team all the more remarkable for their three straight 
national championships is how they coalesced around a combination of 
talent and grit that the sports establishment either ignored or 
overlooked while the football program at Appalachian just continued to 
get better and better.
  There is a taste of America in the Mountaineers' football triumphs. 
They are a team of hardworking players who know what it means to walk 
the walk, but who know best what it means to earn the title of 
champion. This team of scholar-athletes, under the leadership of Coach 
Moore, has shown America that we don't need famous names or star power 
to win championships. What counts most are hard work and perseverance.
  I salute all the players, coaching staff, and the extended ASU family 
for a third straight national championship. This has been a great year 
for Mountaineer football, and I expect that next year we will see more 
of the same.

                          ____________________