    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [June 2, 2006]
    [Pages 1070-1072]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Honoring the 2006 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers
    June 2, 2006

        Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. It sounds like some
    people have been drinking some Iron City beer here. [Laughter] It's such
    an honor to welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers here to the White House.
    Congratulations on being the champs. You had a ring for every finger;
    now you've got one for the thumb.
        I want to thank all the fans who've gathered here. I want to thank
    Senators Specter and Santorum for joining us, and Congressman Tim Murphy. I appreciate you all being here. It's good to see
    former U.S. Attorney Dick Thornburgh,
    former Governor of Pennsylvania.
        The team probably doesn't recognize him, but they got quite a huge
    following here in Washington, DC, including in my administration. As a
    matter of fact, you have no greater fan than the new Director of the
    Central Intelligence Agency. So he came in
    for one of these briefings, see--he was going to keep the President
    abreast of what's going on in the world. And he was wearing a ``terrible
    towel.'' [Laughter] Back in his school days in Pittsburgh, Mike spent a
    lot of time on the football field. Most of the Steeler fans know that
    Dan Rooney is a team owner, but Mike Hayden
    is able to call him coach. Mr. Rooney was Mike's coach. And you coached
    him well.
        I want to--look, I was a Texas Cowboy fan, you know--[laughter]--
    Dallas Cowboy fan--and--yes, I know, I know. It's kind of hard for me to
    admit, but the Steeler franchise is one of the really great franchises
    in football history. And one of the reasons why is because of the Rooney
    family.
        You know, I used to be in baseball, and I know the ability of an
    owner to affect the culture of the team, to be able to instill the
    habits necessary to win. And a class franchise starts with class
    ownership. And the Rooneys--Mr. Dan Rooney
    and Mr. Art Rooney--are classy people.
    And I welcome you here to the White House.
        I tested Mr. Rooney's sense of humor.
    See, I'm an early-morning riser, and of course, I saw the Super Bowl and
    got up early and was there in the Oval Office, and I just couldn't--I
    couldn't hold back. And so I said to the operator, ``Get Mr. Rooney on
    the phone. I've got something I want to say to him.'' Unfortunately, I
    had gone to bed relatively early, and he had gone to bed relatively
    late. [Laughter] So he took my phone call after about 3 hours of sleep.
    And he was a gentleman then, when I apologized for waking him up; he's a
    gentleman today. Again, I want to publicly apologize--[laughter]--for
    routing you out of your sack. [Laughter] Except I'm pretty sure you were
    happy to get the phone call. [Laughter]
        I want to congratulate all the coaches and the folks who make the
    franchise run. I particularly want to say something about those in the
    training room and those who pick up the laundry. Those are the folks
    that generally don't get a lot of credit, but I know the players will
    give you credit, and I know the ownership gives you credit, and I know
    Bill Cowher gives you credit. He is a--he's an
    amazing coach. He's got the most unusual expressions on the sideline.
    [Laughter] So I told the Vice President I was
    going to be able to congratulate Coach Cowher in person, and he said,
    ``Well, get him to give me some tips on his scowl.'' [Laughter] You
    can't win a Super Bowl unless you've got a great coach. And the
    Pittsburgh Steelers have a great coach. And congratulations. Proud
    you're here.
        I want to congratulate the players and their families. The country
    is proud of the way you played football. You've got some amazing
    characters on your team. You got a ``Bus.''
    You got a ``Longhorn.'' [Laughter]

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    We used to pump iron together. [Laughter] His took; mine didn't.
    [Laughter] You got a ``Big Ben.'' And you
    got a man known for his swagger; I've been looking forward to Joey
    Porter's new dance. [Laughter] He's a great
    player, and I'm proud to have him here at the White House. You're
    welcome to be here. Thanks for coming. I appreciate you.
        Coach Cowher said this before the Super
    Bowl: ``You play as a team, and you're going to walk away as
    champions.'' And this team played as a team. You may have some
    interesting characters on the team, but one thing the Pittsburgh
    Steelers learned to do was play as a unit. And that's why you're
    standing right here. It was a tough brand of football. It wasn't always
    flashy, but you learned how to win. And you're the kind of team
    Pittsburgh Steeler fans like to watch--hard-nosed football.
        About halfway through the season, a lot of people were counting the
    Steelers out. They said you didn't have a chance. I kind of know the
    feeling. [Laughter] But you won eight games in a row, including three on
    the road in the playoffs, and of course Super Bowl XL in Detroit. You
    had some amazing unexpected players step up to help you play. You had
    the quarterback make an important tackle,
    and you had yourself a receiver make an
    important pass.
        Super Bowl XL included other entries in the record book--``Fast''
    Willie Parker, 75-yard touchdown, the longest
    run in Super Bowl history. Looking sharp too. [Laughter] Your
    quarterback was the youngest quarterback
    in history to win an NFL title. But the most amazing thing about the
    victory, it seemed like to me, and for a lot of other fans, was you had
    a fine man, a man you call ``The Bus,'' retire
    in his home city of Detroit with the Lombardi Trophy in his arms. It was
    a touching moment for football fans.
        There's a great responsibility with being in the spotlight and being
    champions, and I appreciate the acts of kindness the Pittsburgh Steelers
    do to help improve the community in which you live. I appreciate Jerome
    Bettis's The Bus Stops Here Foundation that
    helps underprivileged children in inner-cities. I appreciate Hines
    Ward, Super Bowl MVP, who traveled to his
    mother's home country of South Korea to inspire children of multiracial
    backgrounds speak out against discrimination. I thought that was an act
    of a champion. I appreciate the players who participated in Play Ball
    for Kids to raise money to help somebody who needs help.
        You know, one of the great admonitions of all time is to love a
    neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. And true champs do that.
    So it's an honor to have champions on the field and off the field here
    at the White House. It is a joy for me to welcome you. Congratulations.
    Play hard. I'll be around here next year to see you come back.
    [Laughter]

    Note: The President spoke at 1:40 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Daniel M. Rooney, chairman, Arthur
    J. Rooney II, president, Bill Cowher, head coach, Jerome Bettis, former
    running back, Casey Hampton, nose tackle, Ben Roethlisberger,
    quarterback, Joey Porter, linebacker, Willie Parker, running back, and
    Hines Ward, wide receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers.

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