Congratulating the National Football League champion Indianapolis Colts for winning Super Bowl XLI and for bringing the City of Indianapolis and the State of Indiana their first Lombardi Trophy.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in this bipartisan gathering with thanks to the leadership of Congresswoman Julia Carson to congratulate the world champion Indianapolis Colts. I congratulate the gentlewoman from Indianapolis for her leadership on this resolution and its eloquent drafting.

As others of my colleagues have suggested, the Colts' victory was not just a demonstration of athletic prowess, but it was a moment where I think the world got to see a little bit of Indiana on the world stage. They got to see the kind of serious work ethic, humility, commitment to getting the job done without a lot of flash and a lot of fanfare that really characterizes the people of Indiana.

As Congressman Burton said, I also had the privilege, along with my wife Karen, of witnessing some history, not only the first world championship to come to Indianapolis, but also I saw the first African American coach lead a team to the Super Bowl, and to see two great teams led by two African American coaches shatter that glass ceiling, that for reasons of culture and habit had somehow been long established, in that stadium for that great championship game.

You know, Mr. Speaker, it is said that attitude reflects leadership, and I believe that Coach Tony Dungy really personifies just the type of leadership that deserves rewarding in the NFL and is heralded in the State of Indiana.

Let me say that Coach Dungy should be admired not only for that calm, steady leadership on the sidelines, but also his career off the field is equally impressive. Since his time in Tampa Bay, he brought his commitment to Christian values to young people through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He launched Mentors for Life, a program that provided tickets to young people for home games and their mentors. And I was there about a year ago when Coach Dungy, one of many such occasions around the country, spoke in Anderson, Indiana, to a stadium full of young people about his profound faith in Christ and about his belief in the relationship of character to success.

But we also celebrate Peyton Manning, the man awarded with Most Valuable Player in the Super Bowl, and of course now a man who others have said has minted his reputation as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He personifies a humility and a work ethic that I believe are rightly celebrated.

Let me close by saying, as Peyton Manning remarked on being selected MVP, he said, ``I am excited, but I am proud to be on this team.''

I would like to close my remarks today by asking unanimous consent to add to the Congressional Record the names of all of the members of the Colts' offense, defense, substitutions and the coaching staff, because this truly was a team effort. It was men and women in the head offices, and on the fields, on the training staff, and the catching staff that brought this world championship home to our capital city.

They have our praise, our congratulations.

Offense: Reggie Wayne--Wide Receiver, Tarik Glenn--

Offensive Tackle, Ryan Lilja--Offensive Guard, Jeff

Saturday--Center, Jake Scott--Offensive Guard, Ryan Diem--

Offensive Tackle, Dallas Clark--Tight End, Marvin Harrison--

Wide Receiver, Peyton Manning--Quarterback, Joseph Addai--

Running Back, and Ben Utecht--Tight End.

Defense: Robert Mathis--Defensive End, Anthony McFarland--

Defensive Tackle, Raheem Brock--Defensive Tackle, Dwight

Freeney--Defensive End, Cato June--Linebacker, Gary

Brackett--Linebacker, Rob Morris--Linebacker, Nick Harper--

Defensive Back, Jason David--Defensive Back, Antoine Bethea--

Defensive Back, and Bob Sanders--Defensive Back.

Substitutions: Adam Vinatieri--Kicker, Terrance Wilkins--

Wide Receiver, Hunter Smith--Punter, Kelvin Hayden--Defensive

Back, Marlin Jackson--Defensive Back, DeDe Dorsey--Running

Back, Dominic Rhodes--Running Back, Dexter Reid--Defensive

Back, Matt Giordano--Defensive Back, Justin Snow--Tight End,

Rocky Boiman--Linebacker, Keith O'Neil--Linebacker, Freddy

Keiaho--Linebacker, Tyjuan Hagler--Linebacker, Dylan Gandy--

Offensive Guard, Dan Klecko--Defensive Tackle, Bo Schobel--

Defensive End, Charlie Johnson--Offensive Tackle, Bryan

Fletcher--Tight End, Aaron Moorehead--Wide Receiver, Josh

Thomas--Defensive End, and Darrell Reid--Defensive Tackle.

Coaching Staff: Tony Dungy--Head Coach, Jim Caldwell--

Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks, Clyde Christensen--

Receivers Coach, Leslie Frazier--Special Assistant to Head

Coach/Defensive Backs, Richard Howell--Assistant Strength

Coach, Gene Huey--Running Backs Coach, Ron Meeks--Defensive

Coordinator, Pete Metzelaars--Offensive Quality Control, Tom

Moore--Offensive Coordinator, Howard Mudd--Offensive Line

Coach, Mike Murphy--Linebacker Coach, Russ Purnell--Special

Teams Coach, Diron Reynolds--Defensive Quality Coach, John

Teerlinck--Defensive Line Coach, Ricky Thomas--Tight End

Coach, Jon Torine-- Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Alan

Williams--Defensive Backs Coach.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 130) congratulating the National Football League champion Indianapolis Colts for winning Super Bowl XLI and for bringing the City of Indianapolis and the State of Indiana their first Lombardi Trophy.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I will defer my opening remarks, and first shall be first. And I am going to yield such time as she might consume to the first lady of Indiana, Representative Julia Carson, who is the sponsor of this resolution.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, this is obviously a bitter pill to swallow, especially given the fact that I represent the Chicago Bears, who happen to be in my district, the stadium that they use. We were anticipating great thrills and great delights, and for a brief moment we did, in fact, have that. But then someone said to me that we came in like lions and went out like lambs.

I guess that is exactly what happened. This past Sunday, Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts beat Lovie Smith and his Chicago Bears 29-17 in a wet Super Bowl XLI.

The slippery conditions made for several muffs and miscues throughout the game, including a Romo-like botched hold during the extra point after the Colts' first touchdown.

The Bears got off to a quick start with Devin Hester returning the opening kickoff for a TD, and Rex Grossman hitting Muhsin Muhammad with a 4-yard pass in the first quarter for another seven points.

After this the Bears' offense sort of fizzled, and the Colts took advantage with Peyton Manning leading several drives that ended in Adam Vinatieri's field goals and a TD pass to Reggie Wayne. Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes also both contributed some hard runs with a combined rushing total of 190 yards and a touchdown. On the other side of the ball, the Colts were the better defense, causing five turnovers.

As noted last week, this game made history with two African American coaches facing each other for the title, and Tony Dungy being the first black coach to win a Super Bowl.

Of course, I want to congratulate Coach Dungy on a job well done, and adding to the celebration of Black History Month. I also want to commend Peyton Manning for his leadership of the team. I want to thank Representative Carson's staff for their hard work, especially Kathleen Taylor, who did such a quick job of putting all of this together so that we did not have to delay.

And so with serious regret on the part of the Chicago Bears, I commend and congratulate the Indianapolis Colts and urge support for this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, of course maybe the NFL could learn from the House and realize that there should be no trading of seats for votes, and that would make the disposition a bit different.

I yield 3 minutes to Representative Brad Ellsworth from Indiana.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Donnelly).

Mr. Speaker, now it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana ( Mr. Hill).

No, I don't believe we do.

Mr. Speaker, to close, I will just simply say that, of course, Eli's has the best cheesecake in the world, and Representative Burton, you shall be able to partake of that.

But also, let me say that we will congratulate all of the players, all of the owners, all of those who made these two great teams. I have never seen two men who have given more to a sport than Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. Not only are they masters of the game, not only are they great coaches and leaders, but they exemplify the best of human beings, the best that you could possibly be, and that is what they have done for the game of football. That is what they have done for America. And I am sure that Americans all over the Nation will be cheering them on for years and years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to Representative Julia Carson for the last word.

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

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

You know, there are a lot of reasons to thank Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning and the whole team for the great victory they had last Sunday. I sat in the rain for about 5 hours and watched them, and I didn't feel a drop of rain because they did such a great job.

I might have felt a drop of rain in the first part when Devin Hester ran 92 yards for the opening kickoff touchdown. It kind of scared everybody to death who were Colts fans, but we all had faith in Peyton Manning and the Colts, and we knew that they wouldn't give up, especially after watching them coming back from the biggest deficit in championship history to defeat New England 2 weeks before.

But the reason I want to thank them today is for my Illinois colleagues. I want Coach Dungy and Peyton Manning and the whole team to know, from my colleagues in Illinois, I want a deep-dish pizza, a pound of cheese cake and a bunch of DVDs for our troops over in Iraq. So I want to thank them very much for making sure I didn't have to pay for all that other stuff, but my colleague on the other side of the aisle does.

Let me be serious for just a moment. We are very, very thrilled to have a Super Bowl champion in Indianapolis, we waited for a long, long time. And it came at a time when we had some of the finest people that have ever been on a football team playing in Indianapolis. It came at a time when we had one of the finest coaches who ever coached football in Indianapolis. And not only is Tony Dungy a great coach, but he is a great American and a very patriotic man and a good Christian fellow. And everybody in Indianapolis really respects him.

Peyton Manning has been a gentleman on and off the field. The whole team has. I can name everybody on the team. And I just want to say, on behalf of the Congress, me and Julia Carson, my colleague who represents Indianapolis, and Steve Buyer and others, that we are very, very proud of the Colts. We hope they bring us another Super Bowl next year, but even if they don't, we are very, very thrilled. They have done Indianapolis proud, and we are very proud to talk about them here today.

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

Mr. Speaker, it sure is nice to hear the gentleman from Illinois extol the virtues of the Indianapolis Colts. I really appreciate that, Danny.

I am very happy to yield to my colleague from Indiana, another great Colts fan, Congressman Steve Buyer, 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to another great Colts fan, Congressman Mike Pence.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to yield 3 minutes to another Colts fan who is a friend of Peyton Manning from Tennessee, the great Congressman from that State (Zach Wamp).

Mr. Speaker, might I inquire of my colleague, do you have any more speakers?

Well, if he has no more speakers, I am prepared to

yield back the balance of my time. But I just want to say to my colleagues from Illinois, and I say this in a good-natured way, if you need a Colts hat, I just happen to have a few in my office. I will be very happy to buy you one.

But I still want my deep-dish pizza, my cheesecake, and I want to make sure those DVDs get to the troops in Iraq.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations to the Super Bowl champions, the Indianapolis Colts. The NFL season came to a triumphant close Sunday night in Miami. But I am most proud that the Colts began their history run to this Super Bowl in Indiana's Eighth District last August on the training fields of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana.

On Sunday, Coach Dungy, along with Lovie Smith of the Bears, became the first African American head coaches to walk the sidelines on the Super Bowl. As the clock expired and the scoreboard read 29 for the Colts and 17 for the Bears, a rain- and Gatorade-soaked Dungy made NFL history again by becoming the first African American to win the Lombardi Trophy.

After a sloppy start in a rainy Miami that included a kickoff returned for a touchdown and an interception by the Bears, the Colts found themselves in an early hole. But the Dungy-led team refused to give up and charged back to take a 16-14 halftime lead, with Reggie Wayne and Dominic Rhodes providing touchdowns.

The Colts dominated the second half of the game on both sides of the ball, surrendering only three points while bolstering their lead. Cornerback Kelvin Hayden, who was playing in place of injured starter Nick Harper, put the game nearly out of reach in the fourth quarter when he intercepted Rex Grossman's pass and returned it for 56 yards for a touchdown.

Safety Bob Sanders, who forced a fumble earlier in the game, clinched it on the ensuing drive with an interception of his own, and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, the NFL's all-time leader in career Super Bowl field goals, contributed the remainder of the team's scoring.

I am proud to congratulate the Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning. With his performance, Manning silenced all of the critics who throughout his career claimed that he could not win the big game. They do not get any bigger than this.

Manning threw for 247 yards and a touchdown, while leading his team to victory. Manning was aided in the backfield by the two-pronged running attack of Rhodes and rookie Joe Addai, who combined to rush for 190 yards.

The Colts excelled on the field at the Super Bowl, but what makes it truly a pleasure to cheer for is the dignity and class the team displayed throughout the season. I believe that this starts at the top with Coach Dungy. Karen Crouse of the New York Times summed up the Colts' coach best when she wrote, and I quote, ``Dungy has the most victories of any NFL coach since 1999 with a record of 90-38. But the bottom line is not what defines him. His life has been about opening people's eyes so they may see talent and not skin color; spirituality and not celebrity; integrity and not self-interest. He has helped a lot of people see more clearly,'' and I could not agree more. Go Colts.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and everyone from Illinois and Indiana for bringing us to this moment.

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to represent the State of Tennessee in coming to congratulate the Indianapolis Colts. Few people would know this, but last Thursday here in Washington was our annual prayer breakfast, where we bring people from all around the world for our prayer breakfast. And Dr. Francis Collins of the Human Genome Project was the speaker, and he just did an extraordinary job.

But what people wouldn't know was that before we invited Dr. Francis Collins, we actually extended an invitation to Tony Dungy. But Tony Dungy knew when we extended that invitation where he was going to be the following Sunday, and he told us. Sorry, I can't come speak at the National Prayer Breakfast because I will be preparing to play in the Super Bowl. And boy, was he preparing.

Many people know the connections to Tennessee here with this Super Bowl because of Peyton Manning, because he played his college football at the University of Tennessee. And I dare say, other than the State of Indiana, and maybe Mississippi, the State of Tennessee was cheering for the Indianapolis Colts in greater numbers than any State in the Union because of Peyton Manning, because he is our favorite son because of where he played his college football.

To this very day, he owns real estate in Chattanooga. He plays his golf in Chattanooga. We see him a lot. He is married to a Chattanooga girl. We are very proud of that.

You wouldn't know also that R.V. Brown, who was the chaplain for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is one of Coach Dungy's closest friends and the person to whom we extended the invitation. We are so very proud of these relationships.

What about Lovie Smith? He coached at the University of Tennessee as well. So all of these great players and coaches that really represented the goodness of America on Sunday and in the days leading into Sunday have some kind of Tennessee connections.

But I just want to close with this thought. Proverbs 16:15 says this: Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives. They are like spring rain and sunshine.

And I have got to tell you that Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are good- tempered leaders straight from that scripture. They have invigorated lives, and they refresh and give life to this great Nation. We honor them today because of their leadership. We honor this team because of what they stood for. And we are grateful, frankly, that this brings the country together and lifts us to a new level.

Congratulations, Indianapolis Colts.