[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]

[[Page 1071]]

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.

[[Page 1072]]