[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
[[Page 626]]
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.
[[Page 627]]