[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 21634-21635]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  CONGRATULATING UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA RUNNING BACK DERRICK HENRY FOR 
                    WINNING THE 2015 HEISMAN TROPHY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ANDER CRENSHAW

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 18, 2015

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate University of 
Alabama Running Back Derrick Henry for winning the 2015 Heisman Trophy 
and to honor his hard work on and off the football field.
  Derrick Henry was born and raised in Yulee, Florida, located in the 
Fourth Congressional District of Florida. This small Nassau County town 
of about 11,500 people is named after Senator David Levy Yulee, the 
first Jewish Member in the United States Senate. Accepting the award in 
our country's most populous city--New York--Derrick Henry suddenly 
became Yulee's most notable person.
  Back home in Yulee, however, it was just another day in the life of 
Derrick Henry. He has always been extraordinary. Born to teenage 
parents, Derrick Henry, Sr., and Stacy Veal, Derrick was raised in a 
large family headed by his grandmother Gladys Henry, who gave him his 
nickname Shocka. Derrick's family instilled in him a strong work ethic 
and inspired him to run for his dream of playing football and one day 
winning the Heisman Trophy.
  Today, at 6 foot 3, 242 pounds, Derrick is a force to be reckoned 
with on the gridiron. He has handled his new-found fame with humbleness 
and humility and with the same strong faith in God that was taught to 
him by his grandmother and his family. At Yulee High School, they have 
a program that pairs special needs students with classmates. It is 
called Hornet Buddies, and Jake Martin, who was born with Down 
syndrome, was Derrick's buddy. Derrick taught Jake how to play football 
and in the final game of the Hornets' season, Jake lined up at running 
back. He made two carries--both for negative yardage--but he was in the 
game. Derrick's football career will be much longer than Jake's, but on 
that day the game highlight showed what a winner Derrick Henry already 
was.
  Before America met Derrick at Alabama, he set a Florida high school 
record for rushing yards in a single game on September 21, 2012, 
rushing for 502 yards and six touchdowns on 48 carries. In his final 
high-school game, on November 16, 2012, Derrick Henry rushed for an 
incredible 52 yard touchdown run. With this touchdown run, Derrick 
Henry broke the legendary Ken Hall's career rushing high school record 
for most career rushing yards, a title Hall had held for 59 years.
  Coached by Bobby Ramsay at Yulee High School, Derrick finished his 
high school career with 12,124 rushing yards. He was awarded the 
Florida Times Union Offensive and Super 24 Player of the Year, 
Florida's Mr. Football, and Parade Magazine's All-American Player of 
the Year.
  None of these awards and accolades were shocking to Coach Ramsay, 
Derrick's middle school coach and longtime mentor J.T. Medley, or the 
entire Yulee community. They have always known Derrick as a quiet, 
polite, hard-working young man both in the classroom and on the field. 
It does not come as a surprise to his teachers that Derrick will 
complete his degree at Alabama and graduate this spring. Finishing what 
he starts is what Derrick Henry does.
  Leading up to winning the Heisman Trophy, Derrick Henry gained ground 
on the competition in each game Alabama played this past year. Along 
the way Derrick won the 2015 SEC Offensive Player of the Year Award, 
and his 1,986 yards rushing broke Herschel Walker's 1982 single-season 
SEC rushing record by four yards. He also won the Maxwell Award as 
college's most valuable player and the Doak Walker Award as the top 
running back.
  At Alabama, Derrick holds the school's record for most consecutive 
games with a touchdown and tied former Heisman Trophy recipient 
University of Florida's Quarterback Tim Tebow's SEC mark of 14 straight 
games with a touchdown score in the November 2015 game against 
Mississippi State. Tim Tebow is also from Florida's Fourth 
Congressional District.
  A role model not only to football fans everywhere but especially to 
his supportive community in Yulee, Florida, Derrick Henry is a 
respected leader on the football field and in life. He has always put 
team before self and his generous spirit and infectious smile make 
Derrick Henry a local hero. I send my heartfelt congratulations and 
best wishes to Derrick and his family and friends.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and Members of Congress to join me in 
congratulating Derrick Henry on winning college football's most coveted 
and prestigious award, the Heisman Trophy. In addition, I must note to 
all college and high school football players, if you want the best 
chance of winning the Heisman Trophy . . . move to the Fourth 
Congressional District of Florida . . . home of two Heisman Trophy 
winners in the last ten years.

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