[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14409]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CONGRATULATING LEWIS-CLARK STATE COLLEGE

 Mr. CRAIG. Madam President, today I honor and congratulate one 
of the most successful athletic programs in the Nation that few people 
outside of my home State know about: The Lewis-Clark State College 
baseball team of Lewiston, ID.
  This year, head coach Ed Cheff led the LCSC Warriors to yet another 
NAIA World Series championship. This year's victory makes three 
championships in a row for the Warriors and 16 overall, all coming in 
the last 25 years. Those 16 titles are far and away the most in NAIA 
history, with the second place school having just four.
  Despite having only 3,500 students, Lewis-Clark has grown into a 
national baseball powerhouse under Coach Cheff's tutelage. Since Coach 
Cheff took over in 1977, the Warriors have put together a winning 
percentage of 79.8 percent. This year's 58-6 record is the latest and 
greatest example of his leadership.
  And this success isn't just by smaller school, NAIA standards; more 
than a hundred of Coach Cheff's players have gone on to be drafted by 
Major League Baseball teams, including four this year.
  Idaho does not have a franchise in any of the major sports leagues. 
We are known for potatoes, not winning championships. But thanks to 
Lewis-Clark State College baseball--and another successful Idaho 
college program, Boise State Bronco football--that is changing. LCSC 
baseball has given Idahoans a team that we can hang our hat on and be 
proud to call our own.
  While sports are perhaps the quickest way for a school to capture 
headlines, a college or university can thrive only with sustained, 
high-quality education. Athletics alone do not make a school. The 
classroom must always be the foundation, and Idaho schools--from Lewis-
Clark to Boise State to my alma mater, the University of Idaho--are all 
institutions of exceptional academic quality.
  Madam President, I am proud to see more young Idahoans enjoying 
success, and I wanted the Senate to be aware of the achievements of the 
Warrior baseball team. Congratulations to Coach Cheff's team once 
again.

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