[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 18 (Monday, May 7, 2001)]
[Pages 702-703]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Presenting the Commander in Chief's Trophy to the United 
States Air Force Academy Falcons

May 4, 2001

    Good morning. Thank you all for coming. It's my honor to welcome you 
all to the White House. I want to thank the generals who are here, and 
the members of the congressional delegation that have come. Most of all, 
I want to welcome Coach DeBerry and the Fighting Falcons of the United 
States Air Force Academy.
    It is my honor to present the Commander in Chief's Trophy, which 
recognizes gridiron supremacy amongst our Nation's service academies. 
The Falcons' record of success in service academy football is truly 
stellar. They won this trophy 10 of the last 12 years--14 times overall. 
The seniors on this team completed their careers with a 37-12 record. 
It's the next-to-best record of any group of seniors in academy history, 
and I want to congratulate you all.
    I know you all take special pride in your coach. He's got an 
outstanding record, as well. This is the 12th time in 17 seasons under 
Coach DeBerry that the Falcons have won the Commander in Chief's Trophy.
    I thought it was interesting that the first time he brought his 
seniors to the White House was in 1986. Ronald Reagan was still the 
President; the Berlin Wall still stood; windows were something that you 
washed. [Laughter]
    As Coach DeBerry reminded everyone at last year's White House 
ceremony, Presidents come and go, but coaches do not have

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term limits. [Laughter] Coach, a word of caution--[laughter]--winning 
this trophy is supposed to be a struggle, not a hobby. [Laughter] And 
the truth is, if you spend any more time in Washington, the folks back 
in Colorado Springs are going to start saying you're out of touch. 
[Laughter]
    I love Coach DeBerry's motto: Faith, family, and Falcons. This is a 
man who has his priorities straight. And they must be, because he's not 
just recruiting football talent; he's recruiting character. He's not 
just recruiting to win football games; he's recruiting to win our 
Nation's wars, if we have one.
    These seniors know that conference titles, bowl victories, and 
trophies are not nearly as important as the solemn oath they will take 
in just a few weeks as newest officers in the world's finest Air Force. 
Today we honor the history that you've made on the playing field. But we 
look forward to even more of the history you will make serving our 
Nation.
    Coach DeBerry, if the past is prologue, I suspect you, too, will 
have a bright future. And you've got an opener next season with another 
team that recently visited the White House, the mighty Oklahoma Sooners. 
And my hope is that you try to soften them up a bit before they play the 
Texas teams. [Laughter]
    But it's my honor to congratulate you, and congratulations in 
advance for the service you will render to our fabulous Nation.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 9:35 a.m. at the South Portico at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Fisher DeBerry, football coach, 
U.S. Air Force Academy. The transcript released by the Office of the 
Press Secretary also included the remarks of Coach DeBerry.