[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 17 (Monday, May 5, 2008)]
[Pages 625-627]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Honoring the 2008 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants

April 30, 2008

    The President. Welcome. It's my honor. Thank you for coming. Please 
be seated. Welcome to the White House. It's an honor to recognize the 
Super Bowl champs, the New York Football Giants.
    I appreciate you all coming. Mr. Vice President, thank you for 
joining me up here as we welcome the Giants to the South Lawn. I want to 
thank John Mara and his mom, Ann, who's joined us; Steve Tisch and his 
mother, Joan; of course, their head football coach, Tom Coughlin, and 
his wife, Judy. He got the extension; that's a good thing. [Laughter] 
Makes it a little easier to be standing up here. [Laughter]
    I appreciate all the players who have joined us today, and the 
coaches and the personnel that make the club function.
    I thank members of my administration who have joined us. I welcome 
Members of the Congress, Senate, particularly from New Jersey and New 
York, State elected officials from New Jersey and New York. It's a good 
thing to be here.
    I welcome those from Walter Reed who have joined us today. And of 
course, welcome to all the Giants fans. [Applause] Behave yourself. 
[Laughter]
    First, it's good to be up here with the Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning. 
We have a few things in common. [Applause] We got some things in common. 
Eli has a father and a brother in the same business he's in. [Laughter] 
Sometimes the press are skeptical. [Laughter] And he just survived a big 
wedding. So I asked him coming in, ``Any advice?'' He said, ``I wasn't 
father of the bride.'' [Laughter]
    New York Giants have one of the great storied histories of--in pro 
football. And this club carried on that great tradition. And perhaps--
many would say this is probably the most exciting chapter ever written 
in the New York Giants' football history. After all, you started off the 
season and allowed 80 points in the first two games. That would be 
called a lousy start. [Laughter] And then you're playing the Redskins--
--
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. It's okay, you know. [Laughter] And the game wasn't 
going very well, as I recall. And then you rallied, and you won.
    And a lot of the people that know something about football said that 
was the turning point. And the winning streak--what's interesting is--
six straight games, as I understand, on two different continents. You 
also had a great road record. I don't know if the fans understand this, 
but you piled up more away-game victories than--in NFL history. And the 
good news is, your fans still loved you at home. [Laughter] They really 
loved you.
    You got into the--you secured a wild card. And it was interesting, 
in the last game of the season, a lot of folks thought the coach would 
just kind of lay down and let New England cruise to a perfect season--I 
remember a lot of people speculating about that last game of the 
season--and yet you didn't, coach. Your team didn't win on the 
scoreboard, but you won the hearts of a lot of Americans for contesting 
the game. And you also--your team--[applause]--and it clearly gave your 
team some self-confidence, because you stormed through Tampa Bay and 
then went into Dallas----
    Audience members. [Applause]
    The President. Look, I'm a good sport. [Laughter] We're going to 
send Jessica Simpson to the Democrat National Convention. [Laughter]
    Packers was one of the coldest games in NFL history. You lit up the 
field like you were on fire. And Lawrence Tynes, who's with us here, 
came through with a 47-yard fieldgoal in overtime, putting you in Super 
Bowl XLII. Yes, I knew you were going to

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make it. [Laughter] I don't know if everybody else did, but I knew you 
were going to make it. And you knew you were going to make it.
    Lawrence Tynes. I did.
    The President. And all of a sudden, a 0-and-2 team was about to 
square off against the 18-and-0 New England Patriots. Now they've got a 
lot of experts in our society--coach, you might know what I'm talking 
about--and in looking back, it's hard to find many of the experts who 
predicted a Giants victory. Most people were calling it a cakewalk; you 
know, be prepared to turn off your television sets early because this 
isn't much of a game you're about to watch; when, in fact, it turned out 
to be really one of the great, legendary football games in our country's 
history.
    First of all, your defense was awesome, coach, and they deserve a 
lot of credit. And so does your offense. It was the 83-yard comeback 
drive in the fourth quarter that a lot of folks will remember for a long 
time coming. Eli Manning started one of the great plays called ``the 
Great Escape''; it ended on David Tyree's helmet. [Laughter] So, like, 
I'm going to take you in the White House, and you can show me how you 
did it. [Laughter] And then Plaxico Burress, of course, caught the 
winning touchdown with 35 seconds left.
    This is a great team that worked together. You won the Vince 
Lombardi Trophy, and you won the deep gratitude of the 1972 Miami 
Dolphins. [Laughter]
    First of all, you've won the gratitude of your fans. New York Giants 
fans love these Giants. So we congratulate you all, but we're also 
congratulating your families, your loved ones, those who make the locker 
room work, the trainers, the people who clean up after you. We want to--
we know you played for some--ones who lost loved ones, like the Tyrees 
and the Maras and the Tisches. I know you loved going down the Canyon of 
Heroes for the first ticker-tip--ticker-tape parade since before the 
attacks of September the 11th, 2001. And I guarantee you, there was a 
lot of New York firefighters and police who were really thrilled to see 
you.
    I like the fact that this team, the coaches and players, offer free 
camps for kids. Some of them run life-changing ministries. They raise 
money for children who have cancer. This is a team that supports the 
Ronald McDonald House and the United Way, promotes family literacy 
through Read Across America. It's even helped run a charter school 
program in inner-city Newark.

    I appreciate the fact, coach, that you and your players support our 
troops, but more importantly, our troops appreciate the fact that you 
support them. You've come to know the story like I have, of Lieutenant 
Colonel Greg Gadson. He lost both of his legs while in Iraq. He first 
met up with the Giants in September, when you invited him to address a 
pregame meeting that helped inspire the comeback over the Redskins.

    Then you saw him in Tampa, when he was trying out his legs that he 
walked on today to be on the stage with you. He was an honorary captain 
in Green Bay. He never left the sidelines, despite the 23-below 
windchill. In your last team meeting before the Super Bowl, Lieutenant 
Colonel Greg Gadson urged you to have pride in your team and believe in 
yourselves, which is exactly what you did.

    I'm proud to be on the stage with this man. To me, it's a symbol of 
your respect for our country and your patriotism that you would let Greg 
Gadson be a part of this team. He has got the Purple Heart and three 
Bronze Stars, and now he's got a Super Bowl ring minted for a true 
giant.

    So while you're still on your feet: The Super Bowl New York Giants.

Note: The President spoke at 3:14 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to John K. Mara, president and chief 
executive officer, Steven Tisch, co-owner, Lawrence Tynes, kicker, and 
Plaxico Burress, wide receiver, New York Giants; Elisha Archibald 
``Archie'' Manning III, father, and Peyton Manning, brother, of Eli 
Manning, quarterback, New York Giants; and entertainer Jessica Simpson. 
The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also 
included the remarks of New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin.

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