[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 22 (Monday, June 5, 2006)]
[Pages 1068-1070]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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--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

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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] 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' 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 Cower, 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.

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