[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 9 (Monday, March 3, 2003)]
[Pages 239-240]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Honoring the NCAA Fall Championship Teams

February 24, 2003

    Welcome. Ken, how are you? Good. Please be seated. Thank you all for 
coming. Thanks for the warm welcome. Welcome to the people's house on 
champions day. It's my honor to welcome some of our Nation's finest 
athletes and finest people. I really enjoy the chance to rub elbows with 
the champs.
    I first want to thank Members of the Congress who are here: Gordon 
Smith from Oregon. Senator, thanks for coming. I know you are proud of 
the Portland team for their first national championship.
    For some reason it seems like we've got a large contingent from the 
State of Ohio with us today. Governor Taft, thanks for coming. And Ken, 
good to see you, sir. I'm glad you all are here. And Attorney General, 
thanks for coming. And I'm so honored that Oxley and Deborah and Pat 
Tiberi are here as well. They've been bragging about the Buckeyes every 
time they come to the White House. [Laughter] My little brother had to 
wear a Ohio State shirt today.
    I want to thank Karen Holbrook, who is the president of Ohio State. 
Thank you, Karen, for coming. Andy Geiger is the athletic director. 
Archie Griffin, I'm so honored to see you, Archie. It's a--I remember 
when you carried the ball--back-to-back Heisman Trophies.
    And of course, Coach Jim Tressel. When I had the honor of speaking 
at the Ohio State graduation last spring, the coach said, ``You know, 
watch us this year. We're going to be pretty good.'' [Laughter] ``Matter 
of fact, I think we'll be visiting you in the White House.'' [Laughter] 
You were right. Congratulations on doing a fine job.
    Also my honor to welcome Mick Haley, who is the women's volleyball 
coach at the University of Southern California, here. Mick, it's great 
to see you. I knew Mick when I was the Governor of Texas and he was 
coaching at another university at that time. I used to work out a lot at 
the gym, and he was always quick to give me pointers about how to stay 
in shape. [Laughter] I listened. I knew he was a high-quality man when 
he was there at the University of Texas. He's a high-quality man still. 
And he's brought some national champs to the White House. 
Congratulations.
    And I appreciate Lisa Love coming and Carol Dougherty, both from the 
University of Southern California as well. It's one of our Nation's 
great schools, as is UCLA, who is represented here as the men's national 
soccer champs. I'm so honored you all are here. And I want to welcome 
Tom Fitzgerald, the head coach, and Daniel Guerrero, the athletic 
director, as well as the team. Welcome to the White House, and thanks 
for coming.
    And then, of course, there's the University of Portland. They hadn't 
been to the White House too many times as national champs. Matter of 
fact, this is the first national championship of their great university. 
I'm so proud to welcome Reverend David Tyson,

[[Page 240]]

who is the president; Joe Etzel, who is the athletic director; Clive 
Charles, who is the head women's soccer coach, who brought the team to 
great things. By the way, the men's team and the ladies' team won their 
championships in the State of Texas. Now you must be as fond of the 
State as I am. [Laughter] But I do want to welcome the University of 
Portland here. You all did a great job in being the first national 
champs in your school's history. I know you're proud.
    I also want to welcome Kirk Herbstreit here. Since I don't spend too 
much time watching national news, I get stuck with ESPN, and--
[laughter]--there you are. You look just like yourself. [Laughter] But 
I'm glad you're here, and welcome.
    The teams who are represented here represent hard work and 
dedication and vision and goals, the things that really make a healthy 
society more healthy. Not only are the folks up here with me great 
athletes and disciplined individuals; they're people in a position of 
responsibility now that they've become champs. You have a chance now to 
influence people's lives like you never had before.
    I guarantee you there's a bunch of junior high kids in the State of 
Ohio wondering what it's like to be a champion. They know their football 
team won the championship, and now they're wondering what it's like. How 
does a champion behave? What does a champion do? Not only can a champion 
run fast and tackle hard, but hopefully the champs up here send the 
signal that making right choices in life for youngsters is an important 
part of living a responsible existence.
    I know there's a lot of young ladies who are growing up wondering 
whether or not they can be champs. And they see the championship teams 
from USC and University of Portland here, girls who worked hard to get 
to where they are, and they're wondering about the example they're 
setting. What is life choices about?
    I guess my point to you is that you're a champ on the field, and now 
you have a great opportunity to be a champion off the field by setting 
good examples, by showing people that there is such thing as a 
compassionate society, that--encourage people in the university you go 
to to love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself, that 
recognizing in the midst of plenty here in America, there are some are 
some who suffer and some who hurt. And you have an example now as champs 
to help solve America's issues one person at a time. And so I'm here to 
recognize you as great athletes but, better yet, as great people who are 
a part of the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.
    Congratulations on your championship. More importantly, 
congratulations on using the capacity you now have to help this Nation 
fulfill its great potential. May God bless your universities. May God 
bless you all and the families. And may God continue to bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 2:10 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth 
Blackwell and State Attorney General Jim Petro; Representatives Michael 
G. Oxley, Deborah Pryce, and Patrick J. Tiberi of Ohio; Archie Griffin, 
associate athletic director, Ohio State University; Lisa Love and Carol 
Dougherty, senior associate athletic directors, University of Southern 
California; and Kirk Herbstreit, reporter, ESPN television network. The 
President honored the Ohio State University men's football team, the 
University of Southern California women's volleyball team, the 
University of California-Los Angeles men's soccer team, and the 
University of Portland women's soccer team. The Office of the Press 
Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.