For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 4, 2001
Remarks by the President and Coach Deberry of the Air Force Academy Falcons During Commander-In-Chief Trophy Event
The South Portico
Listen to the President's Remarks
9:35 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: 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. (Applause.)
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 and 12 record. It's the next-to-best
record of any group of seniors in academy history, and I want to
congratulate you all. (Applause.)
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 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 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. (Applause.)
COACH DeBERRY: Mr. President and
distinguished guests, I'm very proud this morning to accept the
Commander-In-Chief Trophy for the 2000 Fighting Falcons of the United
States Air Force Academy.
You know, sir, the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy
is the number one goal in our football program every year at the
Academy, and we humbly appreciate you having us here at your house and
having us here for this ceremony this morning. And,
incidentally, we plan to be back next year, also. (Laughter.)
Mr. President, General Dallager and Colonel
Spetman, the coaches and I are very proud of this senior
class. They have distinguished themselves as one of the best
to have ever won the blue and silver of the United States Air Force
Academy. Sir, they're the second-winningest team
in Air Force Academy history, having won 38 games in their four years
at the Academy.
They know how to win, sir, and -- but they
possess great leadership skills. The motto of this year's
team was, "champions every day." And, Mr. President, these
men are true champions, both on the field as well as off the field in
every area of their lives, I can assure you.
In a few days, Vice President Cheney will be
addressing the graduating class and confirming these seniors as
graduates of the Academy. Of course, we haven't had exams
yet, and some of these still might be a little precarious -- (laughter)
-- but I think they're going to all be all right. But we're certainly
going to really miss these young men on the fields of friendly strife
and their play, but we're excited about the qualities that they bring
to our great Air Force. And, sir, that's what Falcon
football is all about.
They've learned some great lessons, I
guarantee you, on the national competition level, and it's exciting to
see the superb leadership that they will bring, I think, for our Air
Force and as the leaders of this nation.
And now, sir, I'd like to ask our quarterback,
Mike Thiessen, who hails from the great state of California, as well as
our running back, Scotty McKay from California, to step up and make
some presentations. But let me, again, thank you, sir, for
hosting us and for a great day for these Falcons, and I can assure you
that they will never, ever, ever forget.
And, sir, we'd love to see you at our Navy
game next year. We play right here in Washington at Redskins
Stadium, and you know that you've always got a ticket at Falcon
Stadium, though, sir, and we'd be honored to have
you. (Laughter.) Men? Thank you,
sir. We appreciate it. (Applause.)
(Team members present the President with a
jersey and a cap.) (Applause.)
END
9:39 A.M. EDT
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