    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [May 20, 1997]
    [Pages 632-633]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers
    May 20, 1997

        Thank you very much. Please be seated. I want to welcome the Green
    Bay Packers and their fans here and send a special welcome to the
    congressional delegation from Wisconsin, Senator Kohl, Senator Feingold,
    the Members of the House. And I see we also have some interlopers from
    Michigan and Minnesota who claim to be the--[laughter]--fans of the
    Packers. It's still snowing in all those places, according to the coach,
    so--[laughter]--you guys have got to stick together.
        I want to thank Robert Harlan and Ron Wolf and Coach Holmgren for
    being here and, of course, Brett and Reggie and the whole team. I got a
    lot of good advice when we were up in the White House having our
    pictures taken from the players about my knee therapy, and I appreciate
    that. What I need is some advice about how to make sure it never happens
    again. [Laughter]
        Congratulations on bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay,
    for the first time in almost 30 years. I had two indications that this
    was going to happen. The first was my very early visit with the Packers
    at the stadium; I could see that this was a team on a mission. The
    second was that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, who used to
    be president of a little school in Wisconsin, told me that they were
    bound to win. And I'm glad to see you here, Secretary Shalala. Thank
    you.
        Let me say that, for all of us who are football fans, this was a
    great year because of all the things that the Packers did, including
    having the best Packer defense in 35 years and the best in the NFL. I'd
    like to congratulate Fritz Shurmur and his whole team and say that we're
    glad that you recovered from the injury that you sustained during last
    year's playoffs. And if you want to come here and teach us how to play
    defense in the White House, we need it as bad as the Packers do.
        I congratulate Reggie White on his sacks in the Super Bowl and on
    being the all-time NFL leader in sacks. And I also think the Packers
    offense deserves a lot of credit. Brett Favre won his second consecutive
    NFL MVP award. And I congratulated Antonio Freeman on that 81-yard
    record touchdown catch when I saw him in the line. It was a very
    exciting time, that long pass, the long pass to Andre Rison. And also,
    even though he's not here today, I don't think any of us will ever
    forget that Desmond Howard was the first special teams player ever to be
    a Super Bowl MVP. It was a great Super Bowl by a great team and a team
    effort, and I congratulate you.
        I would also like to say something not just as President but as a
    citizen. In a world where professional athletics becomes, it seems in
    sport after sport, more and more transient, where players, quite
    properly, have to look out for themselves in what may be a relatively
    short lifespan as professional athletes and people move from team to
    team and then teams move from town to town, the Green Bay Packers are
    something special, unique, old-fashioned, and heartwarming. The team is
    owned by ordinary citizens from all walks of life. The profits get
    poured back into the team. The players and the coaches have a unique
    relationship with the fans, which all of us who watch the games even

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    on television can tell. Whether the fans are lining up in the winter to
    shovel snow so the games can be played or the players are volunteering
    in the community, it really means something to the rest of the country
    to see the relationship between Green Bay and the Packers and to know,
    that come what may, it will be there next year and the year after that
    and the year after that. And I thank you for that. It's a good example
    that the rest of us should remember in all forms of human contests and
    endeavor.
        Let me say, finally, I want to express my admiration for Coach Mike
    Holmgren. He has one of the toughest coaching jobs in the world. Green
    Bay is a wonderful place to be, but the expectations are reasonably
    high. [Laughter] I can't think of anybody who could have done a better
    job in fulfilling the legacy of Vince Lombardi, meeting the expectations
    of the people of Green Bay, and creating the kind of atmosphere on this
    team that is palpable even to an outsider: mutual support, teamwork, and
    always looking out for the ultimate goal and the welfare of the team and
    its success. This championship has earned him and his team their
    rightful place in history.
        And coach, I hope that you will always, always be proud not only of
    the team but of what you were able to do to infuse the kind of spirit
    that it takes to get people to work together and play together through
    the tough times as well as the good times.
        Congratulations to all of you, and welcome again to the White House.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:35 p.m. on the South Portico at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to team president Robert Harlan;
    executive vice president and general manager Ron Wolf; head coach Mike
    Holmgren; quarterback Brett Favre; defensive end Reggie White; defensive
    coordinator Fritz Shurmur; wide receivers Antonio Freeman and Andre
    Rison; and punt return specialist Desmond Howard.