[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 33 (Monday, August 23, 1999)]
[Pages 1647-1648]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Honoring the NCAA Football Champion University of Tennessee 
Volunteers

August 17, 1999

    The President. Well, Chancellor and Coach Fulmer, Tee, Mercedes--
this is the most disgusting pander I've ever seen. [Laughter] You know, 
Coach Fulmer came up 48 hours ago, and he and Al practiced all this 15 
times. [Laughter] We're going to be cited by the Federal Election 
Commission for this event. [Laughter]
    Let me tell you--you know, I'm not running for anything. I can tell 
you the
whole story about this--[laughter]--this Tennessee-Arkansas deal. 
Everything he said is true. And for all of you who are covering this who 
aren't from one of the two States, let me--the game was an unbelievable 
game, and Arkansas was ahead at the end.

[[Page 1648]]

    And there was only a minute and a half to go, and we seemed to have 
an insurmountable lead. And our quarterback was trying to kill the 
clock, a little of the clock. And the Tennessee line broke through the 
Arkansas offensive line and tackled him behind the line. And he fell, 
not with his free hand but with the hand on the ball, which squirted out 
into the arms of Tennessee. And the rest is history.
    Who's responsible for that over there? [Laughter] Raise your hand, 
there. Give him a hand over there. [Applause] Bring that guy up here. 
Get him up here. Come on.
    And what you really don't--what Al couldn't tell you, because he's 
not like me; I'm not running for anything--[laughter]--is that I was 
actually watching this game as this foreign policy crisis was unfolding. 
[Laughter] And I was talking on the phone, injecting things, and they 
thought, you know, I was being tougher on what was happening on the 
phone, and I was really just reacting to the ballgame. [Laughter]
    But to be fair, to be perfectly fair to
Tennessee, I think that you had over 40 yards still to go----
    Coach Fulmer. Forty-six.
    The President. ----for a touchdown, right? Forty-six. [Laughter] So 
it wasn't like he fumbled on the goal line. And they rolled down there 
like there was nobody there. And they won the game, and they went on to 
the national championship.
    And I paid off my bet, and----
    The Vice President. I'll get you some ribs. [Laughter]
    The President. ----and we've had a lot of laughs about it.
    But I do want to say, you know, I was the first President from my 
home State ever elected. I owe a lot to Tennessee; if it hadn't been for 
the Vice President joining the ticket, I might not have won the first 
time, almost certainly wouldn't have won the second time, because we 
made all the record we made together. And so I feel deeply indebted.
    And all I can say is, we're even now. [Laughter]
    Actually, I was very impressed. I like teams, and people, who don't 
quit, who never say die, and who stick together.
    I like the fact that this team had a lot of stars, at different 
times during the year, but won as a team. You had--Peerless Price caught 
a, what, a 76- and a 79-yard touchdown pass in the Fiesta Bowl, but he 
wouldn't have been there to catch those passes if this guy--[laughter]--
hadn't broken through the line, somebody else hadn't kicked a field 
goal, and if all the guys in the line who never get their names called 
on television didn't show up for every play and play like crazy.
    And I think it's important. And I think it's a real tribute to these 
young men, and to their fine coach. And I think it should be obvious to 
anybody who knows anything about college football, and anything about 
this coach, anything about this program, that this is a program, and a 
team, founded not just on strength and speed and talent but also on 
thinking and effort and courage and good values.
    And in that sense, in winning the national championship and in 
winning it the way they did, in a highly competitive season, they 
reflected credit on the entire United States of America.
    And every--every--person in America should be proud of them. I 
certainly am, and I wish you well in getting back next year.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 6:40 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to University of Tennessee President 
J. Wade Gilley, Coach Phillip Fulmer, and Volunteers team members Tee 
Martin, Mercedes Hamilton, Travis Henry, and Peerless Price; and 
University of Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner.