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Floor Speech
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Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the 2022 Football Championship Subdivision national champions, the North Dakota State University Bison.
This past weekend, North Dakotans once again filled Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX, where the NDSU Bison seized their 17th NCAA championship, earning victory over the Montana State University Bobcats by a score of 38 to 10.
I had the opportunity to join Bison Nation in Frisco to cheer on the team, and, as always, the fans created an overwhelming atmosphere of support and team spirit.
At the same time, the Bobcats should come away from the game with pride, having capped off a successful season. The Bison have now won 9 of the past 11 FCS championships--an achievement that goes unmatched in modern collegiate football history.
Further, this victory followed a strong season for the Bison, where they had a 14-win and 1-loss record--a continuation of a decades' worth of excellence and skill. Since 2011, the NDSU Bison have had 149 wins to only 12 losses, which includes a streak of 39 consecutive wins. Such a record stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of the players and staff, including Head Coach Matt Entz.
Accordingly, I am joining with my colleague Senator Cramer to introduce a resolution honoring the NDSU Bison's achievements. We congratulate all of the players, coaches, and university leadership, including Athletic Director Matt Larsen, NDSU President Dean Bresciani, and others, on building this tremendously successful program. We recognize the important support of Bison Nation, which helps drive this team to victory year after year.
The NDSU Bison are the pride of North Dakota. Their accomplishments, character, and work ethic represent the very best of our State. We say congratulations again to the national champions, and, as always, we say: Go Bison.
Whereas, the North Dakota State University (referred to in this preamble as ``NDSU'') Bison football team won the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (referred to in this preamble as the ``NCAA'') Division I Football Championship Subdivision (referred to in this preamble as the ``FCS'') title game 1n Frisco, TX, on January 8, 2022, in a well- fought victory over the Montana State University Bobcats by a score of 38 to 10;
Whereas, including the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS title, the NDSU Bison football team has won 17 national football championships;
Whereas, the NDSU Bison football team has won 9 of the last 11 NCAA Division I FCS titles, an achievement that continues to be unmatched in modern collegiate football history;
Whereas, the NDSU Bison have displayed tremendous resilience and skill since 2011, with 149 wins to only 12 losses, including a streak of 39 consecutive wins;
Whereas, head coach Matt Entz and his staff led the NDSU Bison football team to a dominant season and a second championship in his 3 years as head coach at NDSU, continuing the NDSU Bison football program's culture of excellence;
Whereas, thousands of Bison fans once again attended the championship game in Frisco, TX, reflecting the tremendous pride and dedication of Bison Nation, which has supported and helped drive the achievement of the NDSU Bison football team; and
Whereas, the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS title was a victory for both the NDSU Bison football team and the entire State of North Dakota: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) congratulates the North Dakota State University Bison football team for winning the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I FCS title;
(2) commends the players, coaches, and staff of the North Dakota State University Bison football team for--
(A) their tireless work and dedication; and
(B) fostering a continued tradition of excellence;
(3) congratulates North Dakota State University President Dean Bresciani, North Dakota State University Athletic Director Matt Larsen, and all the faculty and staff of North Dakota State University for creating an environment that emphasizes excellence in both academics and athletics; and
(4) recognizes the students, alumni, fans, and all of Bison Nation for supporting the North Dakota State University Bison football team so well during its successful quest to bring home yet another NCAA Division I FCS trophy for North Dakota State University.
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Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, before I turn to my colleague Senator Cramer, I want to mention that I was at the national championship game. It was just fantastic.
As I say, Bison Nation, which is all our Bison fans from North Dakota and across the country, and the coaches, the staff, President Bresciani, and, of course, these great student athletes who had such a wonderful game--it was a great show. They turned out in force in Frisco, TX. We are starting to call Frisco Fargo South, which is actually the name of one of the high schools up in Fargo, which is kind of fun. But our fans travelled down there so well, filled the stadium, and they did once again. It was just a wonderful atmosphere. It was on national television, so they performed on a national stage, and people from across the country got to watch a wonderful game.
But leading up to that game, in the semifinals, they played James Madison University, which has a tremendous football program as well. That was on a Friday night, and it was the Friday night where we were last here several weeks ago voting until about 2 o'clock in the morning.
The reason I bring up the story is because we must have had--you were there, Mr. President--we must have had like north of 20 votes at least. So we started early in the evening and went until 2 in the morning or thereabouts.
But the semifinal game between the North Dakota State University Bison and the James Madison Dukes was on television that Friday evening, so between votes, we were going into the cloakroom, and we had it on television there. So between votes, all the Senators--at least in the Republican cloakroom--we had it on, and we were watching the game.
It was a lot of fun and helped, you know, with the long evening, but it really demonstrated how this program has done so much in terms of for the State and NDSU and really providing an awareness nationwide of these great student athletes we have, because all of our colleagues got to see them, and they commented on not just the caliber of the football that our team played--it was a hard-fought game. James Madison has a wonderful program as well; again, really just a class operation. So the Bison won in a hard-fought game.
But the other thing that was fun--we have a dome. We call it the Bison Dome. Go figure. And remember that Bison is B-I-S-O-N, but it is a Z, not an S, when you say it properly. But they showed all the fans having fun and the noise in the dome, which makes it so hard to come up and play North Dakota State on our home field in our dome. Everybody, of course, is dressed in green and gold. But what an incredible sports atmosphere.
For anyone who likes collegiate athletics, this is one of the most iconic, greatest venues in the country. Again, it is Bison Nation. It is the fans. It is everybody--the coaching staff, President Bresciani, his whole team, the staff and faculty, and, of course, most of all, the student athletes.
I know the Presiding Officer, coming from Michigan, knows what great sports teams are all about.
Their commitment, their hard work, their passion, their support of Bison Nation--all these things just make it a joyous and wonderful thing.
I can't say enough about these young people, the commitment they made and the hard work that they do. Many of them may actually end up in the professional ranks. So they are playing at an extremely high level. They are just wonderful young people, and I can't say enough great things about them.
Once again, now 9 out of the last 11 years, national champs--again, congratulations and go, Bison.
With that, I would like to turn to my colleague Senator Cramer.
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Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I thank Senator Cramer for his comments and wonderful commentary on these great student athletes, but there is one other point I want to make that goes to the excellence of this program.
In the last national championship they won, the quarterback was a wonderful player by the name of Trey Lance. He played for 1 year as a redshirt freshman. So he easily could have been playing this year, which would have been probably his sophomore or, maybe, junior year. It is a little hard to say with the COVID spring season, but I think it would have been his sophomore year.
The reason he wasn't able to quarterback the team is that he was quarterbacking the San Francisco 49ers to a win in the NFL. So they bring in another redshirt freshman quarterback who platoons with some other players, who is another wonderful quarterback, Cam Miller. So they win it with another player.
Again, it just shows, even as they lose some of these players-- sometimes in the transfer portal and sometimes to the NFL, as Senator Cramer said--they keep bringing in just excellent athletes, and he mentioned a number of them. It is not just that they are excellent athletes; they are student athletes. Again, that goes to the quality and the character of the program.
So we commend all of them--Senator Cramer, thanks for joining me--and also with Kelly Armstrong in the House in recognizing a wonderful group that truly deserves it--all the Bison nation.
Anything else from Senator Cramer? All right.
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