Commending the University of Alabama for winning the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1007, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today commending the University of Alabama for winning the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena. It is special to me for three quick reasons, among others. One, my brother is a graduate of the University of Alabama, both the undergrad and the law school, in Tuscaloosa. And really good friends of mine had a son, number 75, Barrett Jones, the right guard--I think he played both sides--but an outstanding young man. His mother was a high school classmate of mine, and his father and his father's family are good friends of ours, and I wish them a lot of luck.

Another thing is, there have been two coaches in the SEC to win SEC championships from two different schools. One is Nick Saban, who won it at LSU and now at Alabama, and Bear Bryant who won it at Alabama and the University of Kentucky.

The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa. It was founded in 1831. The University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the State's major research universities, with student enrollment of approximately 29,000. The university has 12 academic divisions and houses the only publicly supported law school in Alabama.

The University of Alabama is widely recognized as a premier university. The university is consistently ranked among the top 50 public universities by U.S. News & World Report and has the most students of any institution named to the USA Today All-USA College Academic Team. The University of Alabama is widely known as one of the Nation's flagship public universities. And one special person to be affiliated and attend the law school is Harper Lee, who wrote ``To Kill a Mockingbird,'' a very special lady to the citizens of Alabama and the country.

The University of Alabama's athletic program has excelled throughout the history of the institution. The Alabama Crimson Tide football program was started in 1892 and is the university's most nationally known athletic program. The program has won 22 SEC titles, 13 national championships, and, this year, one Heisman Trophy. The Crimson Tide has also produced 18 Hall of Famers and 96 All-Americans.

On January 7, the University of Alabama won the 2009 BCS championship game against the University of Texas. Sophomore running back and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was named the team's offensive MVP, and sophomore defensive end Marcell Dareus was named the defensive MVP.

I congratulate the University of Alabama, the team, and Head Coach Nick Saban on winning this BCS championship. And I congratulate Mark Ingram and the team for winning the 2009 Heisman Trophy. After Alabama won the 1978 national championship in a very famous and legendary college game against Penn State in the Sugar Bowl on December 31, 1978, just the previous spring the University of Kentucky had won the national championship in basketball; so immediately the next weekend or so they played each other in basketball, and I will never forget the University of Kentucky fans unfolding a banner that said ``Congratulations from one champion to another.''

It showed a lot of class for my fellow Kentuckians to do that to another school. But it showed a lot of spirit in the SEC and the pride we have in each other. And of course after last night, and we expect this weekend, the University of Kentucky's basketball team will be ranked number one. So hopefully, after this spring, the University of Alabama fans, like my friend from Birmingham here with me today, will

be able to congratulate our team, the University of Kentucky, on winning the national championship following Alabama this year. That is our hope. And I endorse this resolution. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to Mr. Bachus from Alabama.

I have no further requests for time.

In closing, and I should have said before about Boise State, they had an outstanding team this year. And I also want to close with Texas. I didn't mention the University of Texas. What a quality program, quality athletes, quality coach. And there was a special relationship with a Colt McCoy, the quarterback, and Jordan Shipley, the wide receiver. If people had a chance to watch the game, Colt McCoy I think went out on the second possession injured.

If the story that I have heard is correct, which has been told to me, is their fathers played together at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. And so these kids have known each other their entire life, and probably were sitting on the stage that they had always dreamed of played together their entire life, and then within the second series Colt McCoy was injured. If you watched the game, there was nobody that played as well on the field that night as Jordan Shipley. And I imagine he just increased his game to make up for his friend. And that just shows the class of Texas. Those are two athletes I mentioned. All of them are wonderful and fantastic young men. And I want to congratulate them as well.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlelady from Hawaii and the gentleman from Kentucky, and the Education and Labor Committee for expediting this resolution, and for your kind words in support of the University of Alabama and its fine football team upon winning the national championship.

And Mr. Speaker, I thank you and the Congress for giving the Alabama delegation the opportunity to congratulate the University of Alabama and its football team for winning the national championship. All members of the Alabama delegation have joined with me and Congressman Artur Davis. I and he are the lead cosponsors of this resolution.

This is a celebration of the culmination of a very successful season on and off the field of play. And as I say, it culminated in the game between the University of Alabama and University of Texas, two teams that exemplify college football and college athletics at its best.

In the previous year, Alabama was undefeated, but then lost to Florida in the SEC championship game and Utah in the Sugar Bowl. Disappointing losses like that might tear some teams apart. Instead, it made the university's coaching staff and players even more committed and determined to put in the hard work and dedication needed to make it all the way to the top. The hard work started in spring practice and continued through the long fall schedule.

One important lesson is never allow your defeats to hold you back. Last week we honored Mark Ingram, who also has overcome challenges to win the Heisman Trophy. Alabama did this, they put the last two defeats of the former season behind them and dedicated them to the year ahead.

To make it to the national championship game, you must have the discipline to win in the regular season week in and week out. Alabama always came prepared to play to the very end, whether it was in the season opener against a talented Virginia Tech team, or against the demanding competition in the SEC, which many believe is presently the toughest football conference in the Nation, although I am sure some of my colleagues would debate that.

There were games won by comfortable margins, and there were close calls against the University of Tennessee and Auburn University. There was the return match-up with Florida, the defending SEC champion and the defending national champion, and its outstanding quarterback, Tim Tebow, in the SEC title game.

Each game and each victory was a building block towards the BCS championship game on January 7, where the team achieved its ultimate goal. The match-up in Pasadena was fitting because the University of Alabama and the University of Texas both have proud football histories, with legendary coaches, with coaches like Paul ``Bear'' Bryant and Darrell Royal.

The fans on both sides were avid and dedicated, who came out so to support their teams in great number and with great enthusiasm. But in doing so, they were very respectful and hospitable towards each other. That is the way college athletics should be. That is the way that things should be on the floor of this House. And we should all be committed to that. And I think that we are.

The game itself had inspiring personal stories. The quarterback for Texas, Colt McCoy, is a fine young man. When he was injured, his team took from his example and never gave up, fighting until the end. Alabama's quarterback, Greg McElroy, quietly played with two broken ribs. Alabama running back Mark Ingram, the MVP of the game and the first Heisman Trophy winner in school history, is a student-athlete of outstanding character and spirit. But it was a team effort. In the end, Alabama came out on top, and finished the season with a perfect 14-0 record, and its first national championship season since 1992, under Coach Gene Stallings.

There was another undefeated team, and that was Boise State University. And I congratulate coach Chris Peterson of Boise State. When someone said they should be invited to the White House together with the University of Alabama, he graciously said there is only one national champion, that is the University of Alabama, and they should be invited. So I congratulate Boise State University on their successful undefeated year, as do all citizens of Alabama.

The passionate fans in Alabama can be very proud of the way that their student-athletes have represented both the university and the state. I commend President Dr. Robert Witt and his administration, and Coach Nick Saban and his fine staff, for setting high standards on and off the field. And last but not least, we congratulate the alumni, the fans, and the students of the University of Alabama for their support.

But most of all, it was the players, the athletes, each and every one of them. Through their hard work, these players have earned the right to be called champions. We at Alabama salute them, are proud of them, and we appreciate the opportunity to honor them with this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1007) commending the University of Alabama for winning the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1007 into the Record.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the University of Alabama football team for their victory in the 2010 Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.

On January 7, football fans all across the country were treated to an exceptional game as the University of Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the University of Texas Longhorns to win the national title. With the defeat of the Longhorns team by a score of 37-21, the championship game marked an NCAA record of 57 bowl appearances for the Crimson Tide.

This was the Crimson Tide's first title since 1992, its eighth since the advent of the polls in the 1930s, and its seventh number one Associated Press title. This year's team earned a 14-0 season record and won the Associated Press title unanimously. The team's win brought a fourth consecutive title back to the Southeastern Conference. The Crimson Tide had won all season on the strength of their defense and running game, and they did so again in the championship game.

The outstanding players and coaches produced a great season, winning numerous awards and gaining exceptional praise from all over the athletic world, including the National Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association. Both rewarded the team with honorary awards.

Congratulations to Mark Ingram, who received the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first University of Alabama player and the third sophomore in history to win the award. Ingram won the award by only 28 points, the closest finish in the Heisman award's 75-year-long history. A Dean's List student at the University of Alabama, Ingram excels both on and off the field. He ran 116 yards in the championship game and scored 2 touchdowns on 22 carries, leading his team to victory and to his being named the offensive most valuable player of the game.

Congratulations are also due to defensive end Marcell Dareus, also a sophomore at the university, who was named defensive most valuable player of the game. Dareus made the game's key defensive play in the second quarter with an interception return for a 28-yard touchdown run.

I want to extend my congratulations to Head Coach Nick Saban. In the short span of 3 years, Saban took a program that had struggled to find success and brought it back to championship caliber. A two-time National Coach of the Year, Saban has achieved resounding success as a head coach. Over the years, he has earned a reputation as an outstanding leader, organizer, and motivator. His commitment to rebuilding the total college football program at the University of Alabama, paired with his conviction to make his players the best that they can be, has led his team to be leaders on and off the field. His team has repeatedly exhibited grit, determination, and resilience, often overcoming adversity to achieve victory.

The extraordinary achievement of this year's team is a tribute to the skill and dedication of all the players, as well as coaches, students, alumni, families, and fans that have helped to make the University of Alabama a premier football program. Winning the national championship, finishing the season with a 14-0 overall record, and leading the Southeastern Conference to another championship has brought national acclaim to the University of Alabama and great pride to those that care for the school. I know the fans of the university will revel in this great triumph as they look forward to the 2010 season.

Mr. Speaker, once again I congratulate the University of Alabama football team for their tremendous success.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I notice my friend, Mr. Bachus, the introducer of this resolution, probably awaiting a chance to make some remarks. So I reserve the balance of my time.

I would like to ask whether the gentleman from Kentucky has any further speakers.

Mr. Speaker, once again I would like to congratulate the University of Alabama for their tremendous win. And I in particular would like to thank my friend, Mr. Bachus, for his comments about how good sportsmanship should be played on all fields, including this field.

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