[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 28620-28621]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING NEW YORK YANKEES OWNER GEORGE STEINBRENNER III

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2009

  Mr. SERRANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the New York 
Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner III. I recently sponsored a 
resolution congratulating the Yankees on their 27th World Series win. 
Since the World Series victory was dedicated to Mr. Steinbrenner, I 
wanted to honor his dedication to the city of New York and the Yankees. 
He has owned the franchise for 36 years, the longest serving owner in 
Yankee history.
  Mr. Steinbrenner always has had a longstanding interest in coaching 
and sports management. He began as an athletic director and baseball/
football coach at an Ohio high school. In 1955, he became an assistant 
football coach for Northwestern University. The following year in 1956, 
he was an assistant coach for the Purdue University football team.
  By 1961, he led a team of investors in the purchase of the Cleveland 
Pipers of the National Industrial Basketball League, which soon joined 
the American Basketball League, ABL. In May of 1962, Steinbrenner got 
the coveted young rookie, Jerry Lucas, to play for the Pipers. That 
same year the Pipers won the ABL Championship. Under his ownership, 
Steinbrenner made history by having the first African-American coach in 
professional basketball, John McClendon.
  It was not until 1973 that Mr. Steinbrenner became part of a now 
historic deal when he bought the Yankees for $10 million from Columbia 
Broadcasting Company, CBS. When Mr. Steinbrenner took ownership of the 
Yankees, they were a team in decline. After the 1962 season, the glory 
days were winding down for the Yankees. In 1966, they finished last in 
the American League, which had not happened since 1912. As owner, Mr. 
Steinbrenner took over a Yankees franchise that needed rebuilding from 
the bottom up. He accepted nothing less than victory and made sure 
everyone in the Yankees organization worked together towards that goal. 
Within 4 years, Steinbrenner had directed the team back to its winning 
ways by helping guide the Yankees to World Series championships in 1977 
and 1978.
  This winning tradition has continued over the years. Overall, under 
his management, the Yankees have brought home 7 world championships, 11 
American League pennants, and 16 division titles. Many Yankee legends 
have played for the team during Steinbrenner's tenure as owner. Derek 
Jeter was quoted in the Associated Press after the recent World Series 
win as saying that, ``He's the reason we're here. First of all, we 
wouldn't be in this stadium if it wasn't for him. We wouldn't have this 
group together if it wasn't for him. This is a special moment. We all 
tried to win it for him. He deserves it.''
  There is no question that George Steinbrenner has changed and 
modernized major league baseball and professional sports. A Yankees 
franchise that sold for $10 million in 1973 has grown to a current 
value of $1.5 billion under Steinbrenner's leadership.
  Mr. Steinbrenner is also a dedicated and generous philanthropist. He 
established the Gold Shield Foundation in Tampa Bay and the Silver 
Shield Foundation in New York City, both of which financially support 
families of fallen police officers. Among many other endeavors, he has 
donated funds to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ohio State, the University 
of Florida, and most notably, given $1 million to the Hokie Spirit 
Memorial Fund at Virginia Tech University. These are just a few of his 
many efforts to assist other organizations.
  Although Mr. Steinbrenner was not in attendance at the 27th Yankee 
World Championship, his legacy was an important part of the franchise's 
victory. The message displayed over the field on that November night 
says it all: ``Boss this is for you!''
  Madam Speaker, it is an honor to recognize Mr. Steinbrenner for his 
long dedication towards the City of New York, my borough of the Bronx, 
and the great success that he has brought to the New York Yankees 
organization.

[[Page 28621]]



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