View or Listen to the President's Message to the NCAA Champs!
March 12, 2002
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) –
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Click here to view Remarks by the President to the NCAA Sports Champions
Player Comments on the White House visit:
Kevin Brown – Baseball
“He’s a great guy and I enjoyed listening to him talk. He’s real laid back and nice. And you can tell he loves sports and athletics. He made a couple of jokes. One of them was something like, `If our enemies think our country doesn’t fight back for what we believe in, they’re watching the wrong `Jerry Springer Show.’ It was neat coming under this atmosphere. They really treated us well.”
Daryl Jones – Football
“It was an amazing experience to be there and to meet the President of the United States. He really seemed to know about us and was interested in what we had to say. It was kind of funny when we were talking, with both of us being from Texas, he asked me how many Texas boys we had on the team. So, he made me feel like we had a bond there. Coming here to represent the team was a great honor for me and it really didn’t hit me how amazing this was until the very end, when we got to meet the President. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Coming back for a fifth season has really been worth it, but this really tops it off. (Visiting the White House) is not something I really ever thought about but I’m so glad I got to be here.”
Matt Walters – Football
“He was cool. I mean, he’s the President but he’s got a great sense of humor and he really enjoyed himself up there. You can tell he is in to athletics and enjoys being around it. He was saying funny things while we were getting our pictures taken like when he told me he didn’t feel safe with a big guy like me behind him . . . he was just cracking jokes the whole time. But he also had some important things to say, too. It’s really a privilege to have been able to come here. It’s something I’ll always remember.”
March 11, 2002
Players and coaches from the 2001 University of Miami National Champion football and baseball teams will spend Wednesday, March 13, in Washington, D.C., as part of NCAA Champions Day at the White House.
Both teams will depart Miami early Tuesday morning for Washington D.C. via a charter flight. The teams will first visit the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials. The next stop is the Capitol Building, where the teams will have a photo opportunity on the steps.
A luncheon will then be held in the Cannon Office Building’s Caucus Room, used by the House of Representatives, hosted by Congresswoman Carrie Meek and Congressman E. Clay Shaw. Congresswoman Meek will open the luncheon and introduce the Florida Congressional Delegation. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen will then be introduced, followed by University of Miami President Dr. Donna E. Shalala.
President Shalala will introduce Athletics Director Paul Dee, Head Football Coach Larry Coker and Head Baseball Coach Jim Morris. The teams will make presentations to members of the South Florida Congressional Delegation.
After lunch, the teams will depart for the White House with the NCAA Champions Day ceremonies taking place in the Rose Garden, hosted by President George W. Bush.
The Hurricanes will depart for the airport for the return flight to Miami as soon as the ceremony concludes.
