[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[March 23, 2004]
[Pages 427-430]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Honoring NCAA Fall Championship Teams
March 23, 2004
Thank you for coming. Behave yourself up on the balcony. [Laughter]
That would be you. This is Champions Day here at the White House, and it
is my honor to welcome some great champs. We are proud you're here.
I want to thank those who represent the universities, here present.
James Moeser, the chancellor, and Dick
Baddour, the athletic director of the
University of North Carolina, we appreciate you being here. Mike
Garrett, who is the athletic director of the
University of Southern California, is with us today. Bill
Jenkins, who is the president of LSU,
along with Roger Ogden, who is the chairman
of the LSU Board of Supervisors, and Skip Bertman, who is the athletic director, we're proud you're
here.
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As you can probably see, we've got some Members of the United States
Congress with us here today, and there seems to be quite a large and
vibrant delegation from the great State of Louisiana. Senator John
Breaux and Mary Landrieu are with us today, mighty Tiger fans. Richard Baker and Jim McCrery and
Chris John and Rodney Alexander, thank you all for coming. We're proud you're here.
From California, Congressman Chris Cox and
Diane Watsonare with us today. Thank you all
for coming. Congressmen David Price and Mike
McIntyre from North Carolina are with us as
well. Thank you all for being here.
First, it's my honor to recognize the football cochamps this year,
LSU and USC, fantastic group of athletes and teams that battled to the
end. Any good team obviously requires good players; these teams have got
good players, but it also requires really good coaches. Pete
Carroll and Nick Saban
are two of the finest coaches in the United States. We're glad you're
here. There was quite a lot of discussion about who really was number
one. My attitude is, the South Lawn is a pretty good size. [Laughter]
Never mind. [Laughter] I appreciate the class of these two programs and
the grace they demonstrated under pressure. Both schools, LSU and USC,
are, in fact, national champs. And we're proud to call you national
champs.
Obviously, in order to be a national champ, you've got to field fine
players at every position. I particularly want to say something about
USC tailback Reggie Bush. Where is he? His
teammates call him ``the President''--[laughter]--``President Bush.''
You must feel pretty comfortable here at the White House, ``President
Bush.'' [Laughter]
I also want to say one other word about an individual who is not
with us today, and that is Jeff Boss, who was the
equipment manager for 24 years for LSU. Last October he died from
cancer. The Tigers named their locker room in Jeff's honor, and they
kept his family in their prayers throughout the season. You all know and
I know that Jeff would be incredibly proud of the fact that LSU won its
first national championship in 45 years. May God bless Jeff and his
family, and may God bless both the USC team and the LSU football team.
Thank you all for coming.
Now it's my honor to welcome back the Lady Trojans volleyball team
from USC. They did pretty well this year. They were 35-0. [Laughter]
Last year, I had the honor of welcoming my friend Mick Haley here to the White House. See, Mick used to coach the
University of Texas volleyball team, and I used to work out at the gym
there, and he used to come over and give me pointers all the time about
how to strengthen up and look a little better. My advice is, when you
see the Governor of California, he
doesn't need many pointers, Mick. [Laughter]
Mick's a good man. He coaches a group of
great ladies who are, in fact, national champs. I asked how many of them
are coming back next year. Of course, one of them asked if I was.
[Laughter] But he has a lot of returners for next year, and this group
of champs is welcome here at the White House any time. Thank you for
coming.
Then we honor Coach Anson Dorrance's UNC
Tarheel women's soccer team. Anson's got a pretty good record. He's
coached for 25 years, and he's won 18 national championships. That's the
sign of a good coach who knows good talent and knows how to mold
everybody into a good team. This year they were 32-0. When I had my
honor of having my picture taken with the team, I asked what was the
closest match, closest game. One of the ladies said it was 3-0. That's a
heck of a team, 32-0 and the closest game is 3-0. UNC gets a lot of
attention for its basketball team, but let me remind you of what the
legendary coach Dean Smith said. He said, ``UNC
is a women's soccer school.'' And
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once again, these ladies have proven Coach Dean Smith correct. Welcome
back.
Jerry Yeagley is here with the Indiana
Hoosier men's soccer team. He's been with the Hoosiers for three
decades, and in those 30 years they have won six national titles. He
retired last fall with 544 wins, more than any coach in NCAA Division I
history. Coach Yeagley, we're proud of you. We're proud of the team
you've brought here. We're proud of your dedication to athletics. I want
to thank you for working so hard to teach the young men of your teams
the difference between right and wrong and how to play as a team. Today
we honor your coaching career at the same time we honor the great
Indiana Hoosier soccer team. Welcome.
These are impressive athletes behind me, but I think if you really
look beyond the athletics, you'll find some decent and compassionate
people as well. These athletes, in the most part, understand they have a
responsibility to uphold to the communities in which they live. They
understand it's one thing to be a champ on the field; it's another to be
a champ off the field by setting the right example for some youngster
who is wondering what it means to be a champ.
By sending good messages about right and wrong behavior and by
volunteering in their community--the USC football team makes a trip to
the USC Children's Hospital every year to visit patients and to give
gifts and to sign autographs. You know what they're doing? They're
bringing some sunshine into somebody's life, is what they're doing. The
LSU football players visit hospitals, and they teach elementary school
children how to read. They're taking their talents off the football
field and putting them in the classroom, so some child in Louisiana has
a chance to realize a better life. The USC women's volleyball team
raised money and participated together in the Race for the Cure for
breast cancer research. They took their athleticism and put it into
practice to help save somebody's life. The UNC women's soccer team is
helping to build a Habitat for Humanity house near the campus. They're
using their God-given talents to make sure somebody has a place to live.
And finally, the Indiana soccer players volunteer as coaches and mentors
for youth soccer teams in Bloomington, Indiana.
All these players have understood it's important to serve something
greater than yourself in life. They learned to do so by working together
for a team, and they're learning to do so by making the community in
which they live a better place for every citizen.
It is my honor to welcome true champs here to the White House. I
congratulate you for your hard work. I wish you all the best for the--
whatever the future may hold. God bless you all.
Note: The President spoke at 3:21 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to Pete Carroll, head football coach,
University of Southern California; Nick Saban, head football coach,
Louisiana State University; Mick Haley, head coach, University of
Southern California women's volleyball; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of
California; Anson Dorrance, head coach, University of North Carolina
women's soccer; Dean Smith, former head coach, University of North
Carolina men's basketball; and Jerry Yeagley, former head coach,
University of Indiana men's soccer.
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