[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15771]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE DE LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 14, 2014

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 
outstanding record of a remarkable high school football program and Mr. 
Bob Ladouceur, the coach who, for 34 years, brought out the very best 
in his players both on and off the field. Under Coach Ladouceur's 
guidance, the Spartans of De La Salle have recorded a historic 151-game 
winning streak over a 12 year period and are the inspiration behind the 
recently released film, ``When the Game Stands Tall''.
  In 1979 at just 24 years of age, Bob Ladouceur was hired as both a 
religious studies instructor and Head Coach of the De La Salle Varsity 
Football Team to mold an athletic program in the early stages of 
development. Coach Ladouceur masterfully shaped an outstanding program 
and by 1995 he was named the National Football League's first National 
High School Coach of the Year. In 2001, he was inducted into the 
National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame and 
has been named ``Coach of the Year'' by both ESPN and USA Today.
  In addition to the winning streak, the statistics for the De La Salle 
Spartans are quite simply amazing:
  --399-25-3 overall record
  --20 undefeated seasons, including 12 in a row, resulting in the 151 
game winning streak
  --49-7 average margin of victory during the streak
  --28 CIF North Coast Section titles
  --No. 1 in national rankings seven times
  --A dozen future NFL players began their careers as Spartans.
  But the story of De La Salle football is more than touchdowns and 
field goals. To quote Coach Ladouceur, ``I always placed the huge value 
in our program in how our kids treat each other; what kind of students 
they are. Are they learning things under our care?'' He masterfully 
developed this outstanding program to guide his students to excellence 
not just on the field but through life.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite this chamber to join with me in recognizing 
Coach Bob Ladouceur for his tireless service to the students of De La 
Salle and to congratulate each of the members of the Spartans Football 
Team for their dedication to the game and to values they have carried 
with them off the field.

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