    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [April 14, 2008]
    [Pages 500-501]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting the Commander in Chief's Trophy to the United
    States Naval Academy Midshipmen
    April 14, 2008

        Sit down, please. Welcome to the Rose Garden. Of course, this is an
    old habit for a lot of the players standing behind me. After all, this
    is the fifth year in a row that the mighty Navy football team won the
    Commander in Chief's Trophy. And we're here to congratulate them on that
    amazing achievement. As a matter of fact, coming to the Rose Garden is
    as familiar a place as Bancroft Hall. [Laughter]
        We welcome you here, and we congratulate you. Coach, thanks for coming, proud you're here. This team has had
    an historic season. For the third year in a row, had the most rushing
    yards in the Nation, as well as the Nation's highest graduation rate.
    You went to your fifth straight bowl game, and of course, you
    accomplished your most important goal: You beat Army.
        I want to thank the House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, strong supporter of the Naval Academy, for joining us.
    Congressman Hoyer, thanks for being here. Secretary Don Winter, Secretary of the Navy, and Linda; John Dalton, former
    Secretary of the Navy and a fine Texan, as well as Margaret--thanks for coming. Vice Admiral Jeff
    Fowler, thanks for being here, sir. Proud
    you're here. Coach--just Coach--[laughter]--
    like, you call me George; I'll call you Ken. [Laughter] Glad you all are
    here. [Laughter]
        This team set a school record by scoring 511 points. And with your
    sixth straight win over Army, you established the longest winning streak
    against Army in history. You beat Notre Dame for the first time since
    1963. I'm probably not going to spend much time talking to the Pope about it. [Laughter] You had an interesting game
    in the great State of Texas against North Texas, when you won 74 to 62--
    136 combined points were the most scored in a regulation game in the
    history of NCAA's top division. You earned an invitation to play in the
    Poinsettia Bowl. Forget the score, but you made an exciting finish. In
    other words, you brought great credit to a fabulous place of higher
    institute--of learning.
        And I want to thank your head coach and
    welcome him. He's been a big part of the success over the past 6 years,
    and no doubt in my mind--more importantly, no doubt in the
    superintendent's mind--that he's going to be a fabulous head coach for
    years to come. Congratulations.
        I've been reading about some of the standout performers on the team,
    starting with slot back Reggie Campbell, team captain on offense. He holds--he owns eight school
    records. He was the MVP of the Army-Navy game. Linebacker Irv
    Spencer, team captain on defense--he led
    the team with 95 tackles. Adam Ballard,
    Texan--[laughter]--Lewisville, Texas--he came back from a broken leg in
    2006 to score Navy's first touchdown of the season. He's

    [[Page 501]]

    a bruiser. Cornerback Ketric Buffin,
    Rowlett, Texas--you think I'm only going to talk about Texans, don't
    you--[laughter]--had an interception in each of the first four games.
    He's the first player in school history to accomplish that feat.
        Zerbin Singleton, now there's an
    inspirational story for all. He faced great challenges growing up. He
    overcame injuries from a car accident to make it to the Naval Academy.
    And during the season, he received the Disney Wide World of Sports
    Spirit Award as college football's most inspirational figure. He's the
    brigade commander of all 4,200 midshipmen at the Naval Academy. He'll
    soon begin flight training as a Marine aviator.
        Proud to welcome all the individual stars here. But no question,
    this team played well because you played as a unit. I want to thank
    every football player for agreeing to put on the uniform of the finest
    military ever. You've signed up after 9/11. You knew the stakes involved
    in the war against extremists and radicals. You knew that your country
    depended on you, and you didn't hesitate to wear the uniform.
        I welcome you as stars on the football field, and I welcome you as
    soon to be sailors and marines who have a major responsibility to
    protect the United States from harm and spread the great blessings of
    liberty so we can have peace. I cannot wait to be able to say to you
    someday, I'm proud to be your Commander in Chief.
        And so I welcome you to the Rose Garden. I congratulate you on being
    fine football players. More importantly, I congratulate you on being
    patriotic Americans. May God bless you.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:16 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Ken Niumatalolo, head coach, U.S.
    Naval Academy football team; Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, USN,
    superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy; and Pope Benedict XVI.