Congratulating the National Football League champion Pittsburgh Steelers for winning Super Bowl XL and completing one of the greatest postseason runs in professional sports history.

The super Steelers, Mr. Speaker, are super again. And as Myron Cope would say, yoi and double yoi. For Sunday night, the Steelers won Super Bowl XL, otherwise in town we call it Super Bowl extra large, over the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 21-10.

This monumental win was the fifth National Football League championship for the Steelers franchise, tied now for the most in pro football history. And as we say in the `Burgh, this win signified one for the thumb as it provided Pittsburgh with a fifth championship ring for their last finger on the city's collective hand.

The amazing Steelers finished their season by winning their final eight games, including the Super Bowl. And when the Steelers had a 7-5 record during the regular season, it looked like they might miss the playoffs completely unless they won each of their final four regular season games. But this team, like this city, does not give up. And the fans of the Steeler nation never give up on them. So the Steelers won their final four games. Then after clinching the sixth and final AFC playoff seed, the Steelers became the first team to win three road playoff games and then the Super Bowl.

And they were confronted with the toughest possible road to get there. The Steelers had to beat the top three teams in the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, each on their respective home fields.

No other team ever did this. No sixth-seeded playoff team ever made it to the Super Bowl. But then again, no other team is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the Super Bowl the Steelers faced the mighty Seattle Seahawks who possessed the highest scoring offense in the league, the NFL Most Valuable Player, running back Shaun Alexander. The Steelers' dominant defense, however, led by Troy Polamalu and Joey Porter limited the prolific Seahawks to just 10 points.

The Steelers offense was led by Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward who is here on the cover of the Tribune Review.

Mr. Speaker, you might be interested to know, as you probably already do, that Hines Ward is a graduate from the University of Georgia. He caught five passes for 123 yards and one touchdown which was thrown by wide receiver Antwaan Randle-El on a classic reverse pass.

Running back Willie Parker scored a Super Bowl record 75-yard run. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger started the scoring with the second- quarter touchdown, was also known as having that play called the ``tackle against the Colts,'' which kept the Steelers' dream alive.

This was a remarkable fifth Super Bowl victory for a team that personifies grit, tenacity, and excellence with the city of Pittsburgh and members of the Steeler nation from around the world. It was a particularly great accomplishment for a team that was originally purchased by founder Art Rooney in 1933 for $2,500. At that time the Steelers were one of 10 charter members of the National Football League.

Today, the Steelers are operated by team owner Dan Rooney, his son and team president Art Rooney II, all from the offspring of Art Rooney.

Congratulations also go to head coach Bill Cowher who finally made it to the top of the mountain, as Dan Rooney says, for this win of the Vince Lombardi Trophy to bring it back to his hometown of Pittsburgh.

I know every coach from defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, to the training staff and every front office staff member is reveling in this win, as they should.

Congratulations to running back and fan favorite Jerome Bettis. The Bus, the fifth leading rusher in NFL history, went out on top in story- book fashion, winning his first Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit in the final game of his 13-year career. The Steelers kept their promise to him and brought him back to his hometown.

And finally, congratulations to the millions of Steelers fans from throughout the world that make up the Steeler nation. They were there, we were there at every home game and every away game, every household waving our terrible towels here. When I was over in Iraq and I was over in Afghanistan, there they were with their Myron Cope official terrible towels as well. They were there 250,000 strong at a parade Monday in Pittsburgh to welcome the team back. The fans were there over the years, thick and thin, like the Steelers, believing in the best, always strong, never satisfied with just being there. And now, as Dan Rooney has said, now that we have one for the thumb and the ring let us start on the next hand. Congratulations to the super Steelers, and let us make it another one for the next hand next year.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me, allowing me to wrap up here.

As we congratulate this new generation of Steelers who we are excited about, it is a good time to also remember those who got us so many memories in the past: Terry Bradshaw; Lynn Swann; Joe Greene; Franco Harris; Blount; Lambert; Wagner; and, of course, the great coach Chuck Noll. They built a team, along with the Rooneys, in which the dynasty was set. And it is an exciting time for Pittsburgh to celebrate, Pittsburghers and everywhere around the world in the Steelers Nation to celebrate the new generation of Steelers. As a Congress we take our hats off to all of the NFL players who work so hard and maintain that tenacity and dignity on and off the field and show what America is about.

As I talked to soldiers overseas and saw Steelers banners hanging there as well as many other NFL banners, it was always fascinating for me to see how people from overseas still clung to the hopes that their hometown teams gave them. Indeed, it is a message that goes to people all throughout the world for the Steelers Nation of what it means to be a team that was counted down and out but ended up on top. It is something of a lesson we can all remember as Americans of what this great team, the Super Steelers, have taught us.

Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of House Resolution 670 as a native Pittsburgher and still a Pittsburgher. I am fortunate to represent six of the counties around Pittsburgh and many Steeler fans.

It is with great honor that I stand here today to salute my hometown Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, they won their first four Super Bowls when I was much younger, and the chant I have heard most of my life is, ``Let's win one for the thumb.'' Arguably, that is what we did on Sunday. They won their first four Super Bowls, though, with a very different team than the team that they

won with this year, but in a lot of ways the teams are related.

First, the same owners have continued to be the owners of the Steelers from the very beginning. I salute the Rooney family, Art Rooney, Art Rooney II, for their dedication to this team; the entire Steelers organization, which has been committed to this team like the owners of no other professional football organization. In fact, I think they have been more committed to this team than any other pro sports ownership family.

I also rise to congratulate the team, especially Jerome Bettis, also known as the ``Bus,'' for achieving a much deserved championship. Few could write a storybook ending as good as the one provided for Jerome Bettis. Jerome is a consummate professional and a refreshing example of what an athlete should be, even taking pay cuts over the last 2 years just to be a part of his beloved Steelers team to help them win their Super Bowl championship.

I also want to thank the city of Detroit, Jerome Bettis' hometown, where he got to win his Super Bowl ring. It was almost like a home game for everyone that watched the game, watching the Terrible Towels in the stands. The Steelers clearly felt very much at home.

Like Detroit, Pittsburgh is a football town. Our Steelers have been a source of identity and cohesion for a community that has gone through ups and downs in recent years. In the good times and in bad, though, the Steelers have always been a uniting force for the people of the Pittsburgh region.

I congratulate our young quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who played even through a broken thumb toward the end of the season in some very tough games to come out on top.

I also congratulate the Most Valuable Player, Hines Ward, who received that award very deservedly. My mom identified him as the Most Valuable Player by the end of the first half.

There is a whole list of wonderful coaches, but I especially want to congratulate my constituent Coach Bill Cowher for finally being able to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy after 14 seasons as head coach of the Steelers, where he maintains the distinction of being the longest- tenured head coach in the league and ranks fourth amongst active coaches in wins and winning percentage. He is a committed coach and family man. And all Bill Cowher wanted to do when they handed him the Lombardi trophy was to share it with Dan Rooney, the Steelers' owner.

Finally and most importantly of all, I salute the city of Pittsburgh and the fans of ``Steelers Nation.'' For those who are not aware of it, you are probably aware of it now. Steelers Nation extends from coast to coast and around the world. Unfortunately, because we had tough economic times, a lot of Pittsburghers do not live in Pittsburgh anymore, but they are all still Steeler fans. And after this weekend, there is really no question why. The grittiness, the strength, the cohesion, the humility, all the things that make Pittsburghers so wonderful translate very well into what these folks are around the country: committed, dedicated hometown people.

It is an honor to salute this team. They have overcome the longest odds in history to win the Super Bowl. They had their backs up against the wall, but they showed that Pittsburgh grit and that Pittsburgh tenacity, and I am really honored to be a Pittsburgher, especially today.

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

On February 5, 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the odds as they defeated the Seattle Seahawks to win ``one for the thumb'' by becoming only the third team in National Football League history to take a fifth Super Bowl championship home to its fans.

The greatest tribute to possibly the most loyal fans in professional football is a franchise and owners who have great respect for the hometown. The Rooney family has owned the Steelers from the beginning and is respected throughout professional football as being among the most honorable, ethical, and successful owners in the history of the game. It is no surprise that the Steelers are one of the most beloved sporting franchises in the country, and you would be hard pressed to find a community in this vast land that does not claim at least a few avid Steelers fans.

Despite the support of the fans and the Rooney family, the Steelers' eventual Super Bowl championship was far from a foregone conclusion. Going into their December 11 game against Chicago, the Steelers were faced with the reality that they would have to win their four remaining games to have any chance of making the playoffs. Coach Bill Cowher inspired his players to win those four games and to win three more games on the road to the Super Bowl. Of course, all Chicagoans were disheartened when the Chicago Bears gave them the impetus that they needed to be successful.

These victories were not only impressive; they were achieved as the team traveled the most difficult road any team has traveled to a Super Bowl championship in the 40-year history of the championship game. When the team arrived in Detroit, the Steelers still had to contend with the best team in the National Football Conference, the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks came into the game with the most prolific offense in the NFL. They scored the most points during the regular season and featured the NFL's Most Valuable Player as their starting running back.

Despite these challenges and many predictions to the contrary, the Steelers walked away champions and the first sixth-seeded team to win the Super Bowl. They add this Super Bowl victory to the many great moments that have made up the storied 73-year history of the Steelers franchise.

I certainly take this opportunity to congratulate the Pittsburgh Steelers on their against-all-odds accomplishment and Super Bowl victory. I encourage the House to adopt H. Res. 670.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to an avid patron of the game, the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

I will simply reiterate my congratulations to both Seattle and to Pittsburgh and suggest that next year I hope to see the Chicago Bears here. But if not, then we congratulate these two outstanding teams.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for yielding.

First I want to start off by saying thank you to the city of Detroit for hosting the Super Bowl. I attended the Super Bowl with my 14-year- old son, and I can tell you it felt like we were in Pittsburgh. Not only were there Terrible Towels everywhere, but the weather felt like Pittsburgh weather, cold blustery weather. So I thank Detroit for making us feel so welcome and so at home, and thanks for ordering up that western Pennsylvania weather for us.

But I rise today to congratulate the Pittsburgh Steelers on an incredible season, an exciting road through the playoffs and a fantastic Super Bowl victory. I want to applaud the hard work of everybody on the team. They deserve that applause and respect.

I also want to congratulate the entire Rooney family. They are a great football family, and today they carry that tradition not just as one of the founding families of the National Football League, but as one of the leading families in western Pennsylvania who continue to give back to their community.

I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight the hard work and dedication and achievement of one of the unsung heroes of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that is Coach Dick Hoak. Dick Hoak's name is not a household name, but he is one of the keys to the success of the Steelers over the years. Dick Hoak is the longest-tenured coach in NFL history, I might add. For the last 35 years, he has been a fixture on the Steelers sidelines and on the practice fields. In 1992, Bill Cowher named him the running backs coach, and he was the only coach retained from the previous staff. Over his 13 seasons under Cowher, Hoak's backfield has been able to compile over 28,000 rushing yards, which is the most in the NFL, and puts the Steelers alone at the top again as the only team to surpass the 28,000 rushing yard threshold.

Hoak's history with the Steelers started even earlier, though, growing up in the shadows of Pittsburgh in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. In 1961, he was the Steelers seventh-round draft pick as a Nittany Lion from Penn State. He went on to spend 10 seasons in Pittsburgh's backfield, earning a spot on the Pro-Bowl. Dick has been producing for the Steelers for over 45 years.

This Super Bowl victory is a great accomplishment for all those involved, and we are proud of our Steelers. Western Pennsylvanians can be proud of their native son Dick Hoak. And I know of three little guys who are especially proud of Dick Hoak, and they are my nephews and Dick Hoak's grandsons, Michael, Jonathan, and Daniel Shuster. Now they can all look to their grandfather, and he can literally put five rings on that one hand and get ready for the sixth one next year, because Dick Hoak literally does have five Super Bowl rings and one for the thumb.

So to the Steelers organization, congratulations. We are all very proud of everybody on that team and in the organization.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 670) congratulating the National Football League champion Pittsburgh Steelers for winning Super Bowl XL and completing one of the

greatest postseason runs in professional sports history.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 670, offered by the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy), would congratulate the Pittsburgh Steelers on winning the 2006 National Football League title.

For the city of Pittsburgh, winning Super Bowl XL filled its residents with pride, the kind of pride that is only shared with two other teams in history. The Pittsburgh Steelers have joined the ranks of the elite. Only the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, and now the Steelers have succeeded in winning five Super Bowl titles.

The Steelers had one of the most impressive runs through the postseason in NFL history by claiming victory as a sixth seed, having to play three consecutive games away from home. In doing so, the Steelers beat the top three teams in the AFC: the Cincinnati Bengals, the Indianapolis Colts, and finally the Denver Broncos. However, these contests seemed far in the past on February 5 as they geared up to tackle the Seattle Seahawks for the NFL title. In a fight to the end, the Steelers claimed the victory of 21-10 and clinched, surprisingly, the first Super Bowl win for each and every member of the team.

I urge all Members to come together to honor the Pittsburgh Steelers in overcoming the odds to become the champions of the National Football League.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, before I yield to my colleague from Pennsylvania, I want to note that Willie Parker, who is an alum of my alma matter, UNC Chapel Hill, had the longest run in Super Bowl history, and I want to congratulate him on that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to my distinguished colleague from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Ms. Hart).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from the State of Ohio (Mr. Oxley).

(Mr. OXLEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the distinguished gentleman from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H. Res. 670, and I yield back the balance of my time.