Congratulating the University of Delaware men's football team for winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association I-AA national championship.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of H. Con. Res 355, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. It is honoring the University of Delaware football team.

Madam President, having been here over 30 years, I understand the Senate rules and that you are not allowed to refer to anybody sitting in the gallery. So I will not refer to the fact that anybody is sitting in the gallery.

I stand here with great pride that my alma mater, the University of Delaware, has won the national football championship for Division I-AA. In my 32 years serving in the Senate for Delaware, I have had the opportunity to give hundreds of speeches on the Senate floor. We have much more, though, than a national championship to celebrate. With our nickname, the Fighting Blue Hens, when we were recruited by the University of Delaware, we probably wished they had some other name like the Fighting Tigers or something; but we are Blue Hens. But we are the Blue Hens, and we are proud of the fact that year in and year out we have this long tradition of having a first-rate football team. But none like this team.

This team played one of the most outstanding seasons in college football history with a record of 15 to 1 and setting a school record for victories in any single season.

After clinching their seventh Atlantic 10 Football Conference Championship, the 2003 squad sailed through the division I-AA playoffs outscoring our opponents with a combined score of 149 points to 23.

In fact, they won the championship game by shutting down--and since our Parliamentarian is a graduate, I almost feel badly mentioning that great college--Colgate University 40 to 0.

My only concern was if we had another game, I would have felt very badly for whomever we played because they just kept getting better and better. You can imagine Senator Carper and I and Congressman Castle attended the majority of these games as devoted fans.

As I earlier said, this marks the university's first division I-AA title crown, but we earned six other football titles as a division II school, including when I was there playing.

The last division II title was in 1979. The reason I mention that is it is significant because our current coach, K. C. Keeler, was a linebacker on that national championship team. In his second year at the helm at the university, K. C. Keeler took this team to a national championship. K. C. is the first to give his predecessor, my old coach, Tubby Raymond, credit for having recruited pretty good guys to play on that team.

Let me conclude by saying I am often asked why I ever thought I should run for President of the United States, as I did, and attempt to get the nomination back in the eighties. There was a simple reason. I learned early on, after being a county councilman and then getting elected as a Senator, I was given the honor of presenting the Washington Touchdown Club's Timmie Award. We used to honor the best ``small college team in America.'' I had the opportunity of giving that to Tubby Raymond.

There were people at an old hotel, including Supreme Court Justices and others. I never saw my old coach flustered, but as I stood up, introduced by Howard Cosell, to present him with this award, I gave him the award, handed him the trophy, and he turned and said: You know, I just want to tell you, Joe Biden was one of the best ball players I ever had play for me. And that was just being a Senator.

So I figured if I had gotten elected President, I would have been able by another means to be named what I always wanted to be, an All- American. And that is the only reason I ever ran for President. I wanted to set that record straight.

I am one of the best ball players Delaware ever had, which is simply not true. But I can tell you it is the only time my former coach was ever flustered. But this guy, Keeler, knows about my lack of talent and about how to recognize talent, and he produced the best football team probably in the history of the State of Delaware. We are here to congratulate them.

I thank my colleagues for allowing us this time.

I yield now to my colleague who is an equally avid football fan and a graduate of the University of Delaware.

Madam President, I ask for 1 additional minute.

Madam President, when the Senator was standing with Congressman Castle in the end zone looking at what was going on, I was in the other end zone begging Andy Hall to throw me the ball.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution and the preamble be agreed to en bloc; that the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc; and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.

Madam President, the first time I visited the University of Delaware campus was in 1973. My first reaction was: what a beautiful place, and it truly is a gorgeous campus. Later, as I learned more about the university, I learned they were one of the top 25 public universities in the country academically and have remained that for some time. We are proud of that fact.

What I also learned my first year at the University of Delaware in the MBA program, fresh out of the Navy, was

they played football at Delaware. I was a Buckeye of Ohio State in 1968 when we went all the way. I learned they were as rabid about football in Delaware as we were in Columbus, OH.

During the years that transpired since I moved to Delaware, there was a time when the Dallas Cowboys rose in standing nationally, and I recall in some circles it was America's team. I was looking through the roster of Delaware's team last night to see some of the States our players came from. While I did not find anybody from Alaska, the State from which the Presiding Officer comes, I certainly saw a number of players from Delaware, from New Jersey, a number of players from Maryland, a lot of players from Virginia, California, Georgia--quite a few from Georgia--and Pennsylvania. We have players from South Carolina, North Carolina, Indiana, Connecticut, Michigan, New York, Florida, Arizona. We even have one, I say to Senator Biden, I don't know if he realizes it, but we even have one player on the roster from Germany. That is going the extra mile to get the kind of talent K. C. Keeler and his predecessor, Tubby Raymond, wanted to bring to our campus.

I have been privileged to enjoy a lot of terrific sports moments in my life. This last year, the University of Delaware football team on its way to the national championship provided us with two I will never forget.

One was a 51 to 45 win over Massachusetts in triple overtime on a blustery fall afternoon at the University of Delaware. It was a heartstopper. It was an amazing win, topped only by a 40 to 0 victory over Colgate on a very cold night in December of last year.

I have been to a lot of games in my life. I have never been to a game where everybody on our side of the field stood up the entire first quarter. They never sat down. I have never been to a game in my life where everybody stood up for the second quarter, and third quarter, and the fourth quarter. We had places to sit, but nobody ever sat down. It was just the most incredible spirit or euphoria I ever witnessed.

When the game was over, the players and a lot of fans rushed the field in the presentation of the trophy to Coach Keeler. The fans gathered around. People did not want to leave. I remember standing half an hour later at one end of the end zone with Congressman Castle looking out over the field and looking at everybody in sheer joy, savoring the moment.

Another special moment was when Coach Keeler went into the end zone with Tubby Raymond, his predecessor and coach when Keeler was a linebacker with the national championship team in the late seventies. Tubby handed it off and Coach Keeler went on to the national championship.

For some of the players who left the field that night, it was the last football game they will ever play. Others will go on to be greats in professional football. Some may be lucky to turn up as Rich Gannon did, who ended up being the MVP of the NFL last year, whether they end up in pro football or other athletic-related endeavors. Sometimes they go on to do great things with their life, such as Tyrone Jones, who was a freshman in 1982, one of the years Delaware made it to the finals for the national championship and did not make it by three points. Tyrone Jones is now New Castle County coordinator. He is in charge of all of New Castle County. Back in 1982, he was a freshman playing for a great team, and in 1983, 1984, 1985, he played free safety for some of Tubby's teams.

Tubby Raymond, who is now in the Football Hall of Fame, had 300 career wins. Ty Jones was on the field for about 20 of those wins. We are very proud of him.

I want to say to those who might be watching from Delaware or here representing Delaware, whatever you do on the field or beyond, there is greatness to be accomplished, and we are proud of Ty and others who follow endeavors off of the gridiron.

Madam President, will the Senator yield? I have to show one of the most beautiful newspaper headlines I have ever seen in Delaware or any other State. To all who made this possible, we are enormously proud.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of February 3, 2004, and as the designee of the majority leader, I call up the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 355) congratulating the University of Delaware men's football team for winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association I-AA national championship, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Con. Res. 355.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to some very impressive Delaware athletes, the University of Delaware Fighting Blue Hens football team, which on December 19, 2003, beat Colgate University to win the NCAA Division I-AA national championship at Max Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. As I was there, I can tell you it was about 28 degrees and blowing and snowing during the entire game.

This was the first national championship for the University of Delaware since 1979 and its very first in Division I-AA.

Throughout the season, the Blue Hen team impressed, inspired, and awed Delawareans by their dedication, hard work, and immense talent. In my opinion, this was a perfect ending to an absolutely stellar season, led by head coach K.C. Keller and his fine group of athletes. Each and every person who contributed to this win deserves to be recognized, obviously the coaching staff led by Coach Keller and all the others for their leadership and encouragement of these athletes. And, of course, the players who worked so very hard as a team, inspiring each other to reach the goal they set for themselves.

There are so many really great players on the team, so many great coaches, and the same is true of this whole division of I-AA football, and particularly the University of Delaware football team. I know all Delawareans join me, because I know all Delawareans follow this football team and join me in congratulating them on what they have done.

The families and friends, who come from as far as California and other places in the country to follow the team, also deserve a tremendous amount of credit. As one who attended practically every home game, the Navy game, when they beat Navy, and a few other games even away, I will tell you that it was a wonderful season of great significance to the people of my small State and to the wonderful University of Delaware.

And they won by big scores, Mr. Speaker. It almost looks like a dynasty in the making, by much bigger scores than anything else we have seen in the course of this year. For that reason, we have great hopes for next year and into the future for this great heartwarming experience of the University of Delaware Fighting Blue Hens football team.

Mr. Speaker, I urge swift passage of H. Con. Res. 355.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order at any time on Wednesday February 4, 2004, for the majority leader or his designee to call up the following resolutions: H. Res. 493, H. Res. 496, H. Res. 497, H. Res. 498, H. Res. 511, H. Res. 512, and H. Con. Res. 355; and each resolution be considered as read and the previous question be considered as ordered on each resolution to final adoption without intervening motion except (1) 1 hour of debate and (2) one motion to recommit.