    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [February 13, 1996]
    [Pages 245-246]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the 1996 Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys
    February 13, 1996

        Please be seated. Mr. Hill, it's good to see you. Ladies and
    gentlemen, welcome to the White House. It's a great pleasure and honor
    for me to welcome Jerry Jones and his family and Coach Switzer and the
    entire Dallas Cowboys team, the coaches, the staff. Welcome back to the
    White House. This is beginning to be boring for them, I think.
    [Laughter]
        But this is the only thing that happens at the White House as
    regularly as the State of the Union Address. In some ways, it's better.
    It's shorter--[laughter]--and there's no response. [Laughter]
        I think everyone in America knows the remarkable record of the
    Dallas Cowboys, is well aware that they have won the Super Bowl 3 out of
    the last 4 years and that makes eight

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    trips to the Super Bowl and five victories. This year I thought was
    especially important for the team, and Jerry Jones said so after the
    victory over Pittsburgh, I might add, a hard-won victory and an
    excellent game. And the Steelers put up a great fight.
        But Jerry must have been thinking about the injuries the team had
    overcome, the fact that there were two losses in December. And I have to
    say to my longtime friend and fellow Arkansan Barry Switzer--he was
    second-guessed so much, for a while I thought people had mistaken him
    for the President. [Laughter]
        I want to congratulate everyone who played on this team: Emmitt
    Smith for his remarkable record-setting 25-touchdown year--be a long
    time before that's--[applause] I congratulate those who are here and
    those who are not here, Troy Aikman, all the receivers, the defensive
    backs.
        But I would be remiss, as someone who understands what it's like to
    get the limelight all the time, when you're backed by a team that
    deserves the credit and they don't often get it--that's the way
    Presidents are. I'm always up giving the speeches, always getting the
    credit. But as somebody who has been a footfall fan ever since I was old
    enough to know what the football looked like, I don't believe I've ever
    seen a team play better, from tackle to tackle, on offense and defense,
    as the line did for the Dallas Cowboys in the closing games from the
    playoffs up to the Super Bowl. They were awesome, and they deserve a lot
    of the credit as well.
        I want to say a special word, too, to Charles Haley, who came back
    from all of his injuries and played in the Super Bowl. It was wonderful
    to see him on the field. And if he wasn't out of pain, he sure hid it.
    And if you can play in pain, you can run for public office. [Laughter]
    It's something you might consider.
        I also want to say a special word of appreciation--I think all
    Americans and people who are fans of the Cowboys and people who are fans
    of the Steelers were glad to see the performance that Larry Brown put
    into the Super Bowl that won him the MVP award, especially after he lost
    his young son. I think every parent in America identified with it and
    admired his courage as well as his performance.
        So this was a good year for the Dallas Cowboys. But because of the
    way they won and the way they played and the obstacles they overcame, it
    was a good year for professional football and for reminding us all that
    talent is never enough. You also have to want to win. You have to have
    the courage to accept adversity and overcome it when you face it. And
    you have to keep going when the going gets tough. This year the Dallas
    Cowboys did just that. And every one of us in America can cheer them for
    that great accomplishment.
        So, congratulations. We're glad to have you at the White House.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:05 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Dallas Cowboys former player
    Calvin Hill, owner Jerry Jones, and quarterback Troy Aikman.