    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [July 12, 2005]
    [Pages 1212-1213]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Honoring NCAA Championship Teams
    July 12, 2005

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Not you.* Welcome to the South Lawn
    of the White House for championship day. Today we have the largest group
    of NCAA champs ever gathered at the White House, and we want to thank
    you all for coming. I am honored to be joined on stage by the captains
    of the 15 teams that we're honoring today. Thank you all for being here.
    Congratulations for being such strong leaders.
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        *The President's remarks were directed to team captains.
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        I appreciate the Members of Congress who have come today. Welcome.
    We're proud you're here. I want to thank the coaches and athletic
    directors who are here today. But most of all, I want to congratulate
    the men and women who have conducted themselves in the field of play in
    such a manner that they're called champions. Welcome.
        UCLA has won more NCAA championships than any school in the Nation,
    so it's fitting that three of the champs here today wear the uniform of
    the Bruins. Back in December, the UCLA men's water polo team won the
    national championship with an overtime victory against Stanford.
    Congratulations, and welcome. This spring the UCLA women's water polo
    team beat Stanford to win the national championship. Welcome to the UCLA
    women's polo team. And finally, the UCLA men's team won the national
    championship. I had an honor to meet all three teams. I'm glad you're
    here. Thanks for coming. Congratulations on a job well done.
        And then we have the Georgia Bulldogs, who are well represented
    today. [Applause] It's the South Lawn. Behave yourselves. [Laughter] The
    Georgia men's golf team posted a wire-to-wire victory at the NCAA
    champions. In the final round, interestingly enough, all five of
    Georgia's golfers shot the same score, even par. That's called
    consistency. The Georgia women's swimming and diving team brought home
    their fourth NCAA championship. Interestingly enough, the Lady Bulldogs
    won all five of the relay races. And finally, the Georgia women's
    gymnastics team is with us today. They started the championship meet
    seeded number 12 and came out number 1. Congratulations to the teams
    from Georgia.
        Two of the teams here made history by winning their schools' first
    national championships in their respective sports. The Northwestern's
    women's lacrosse team posted an undefeated season. Twenty-one straight
    victories got them here to the White House. Congratulations to you all.
        And then the Michigan women's softball team is here today. One of
    the women asked me if I wanted to hit against her. I said, ``I don't
    think so.'' [Laughter] This will interest you. The first 33 games that
    the Michigan women's softball team played were on the road. It turns out
    it's a little chilly in Michigan about softball time. They won 32 of the
    33. It was an auspicious beginning to a championship season. Welcome to
    the Michigan women's team.
        Two of the teams here are celebrating a championship for the second
    year in a row. The Stanford women's tennis team finished with an
    undefeated season and a repeat national championship. They beat the
    Texas Longhorns in the finals.
        The Minnesota women's hockey team--the Gophers beat Harvard last
    year to come to the White House; they beat Harvard this year to come to
    the White House. Congratulations to the mighty Gophers of Minnesota.
        The Auburn men's swimming and diving team is celebrating a three-
    peat. Congratulations. Glad you all are here. Thanks for the Speedo.
    [Laughter] I'm not going to

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    wear it--[laughter]--in public that is. [Laughter]
        The Duke women's golf team is here to celebrate the national
    championship in--they were in 2002. They're back. Coach Brooks of the Duke women's golf team has now won three national
    championships with the Blue Devils. That ties him with Coach
    K. Therefore, he shall be known as Coach B--
    not bad. [Laughter]
        The Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team is with us today. And
    Congressman Elijah Cummings is here to
    honor them. Johns Hopkins compiled a perfect record and pulled out a 9-8
    victory to win the first championship they've had in almost two decades.
    Congratulations to Johns Hopkins.
        The Pepperdine men's volleyball team is with us today. They brought
    the championship trophy back to Malibu in the first time in more than a
    decade. I want to thank them for the gift, Surfboard One. [Laughter]
        And finally, we honor the Oklahoma men's gymnastics team. It's the
    third national championship they've won in the past 4 years.
        It's such an honor to have you all here. I want to thank you for
    being champs on the field. I want to thank you for being champs off the
    field. I know you know this, but there's a lot of boys and girls who
    watch you all to determine what it means to be a champ. You probably
    don't realize it, but when you're in the field of play, there's a lot of
    kids wondering what it takes.
        And therefore, when you serve your community, you're teaching a kid
    to read, or when you take the extra time to set a good example, you
    really are affecting people's lives. See, you have a responsibility as a
    champ, not only to win contests for your respective schools and set
    personal goals and achieve them, but I think you have a responsibility
    as a champ to set a good example. And I've read about the mentoring
    programs and the hospital work and all the good works that you have
    done, and I want to thank you for setting such a good example.
        Again, welcome to the White House. If you're a junior or a
    sophomore, work hard and come back. I'll be here to greet you. In the
    meantime, may God bless you all and your families. Thanks for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:48 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Dan Brooks, head women's golf
    coach, and Mike Krzyzewski, head men's basketball coach, Duke
    University.