Paycheck Fairness Act -- Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

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Mr. MURPHY. Madam President, I applaud my colleague Senator Mikulski for her great work, in spite of the result today.

CONGRATULATING THE UCONN HUSKIES

I am here on the floor, however, to congratulate my UConn Huskies for a double national championship. It has only been done once before in the history of college basketball--the men winning a national championship and the women winning a national championship in the same year--and the last time it was us too, in 2004 and now in 2014. So, very briefly, I wish to add my congratulations to those offered by Senator Blumenthal.

Our new coach, Kevin Ollie, when he took the job, went on TV and said that despite some of the tough times surrounding the UConn program, his intent was for UConn basketball to take the stairs and not the elevator.

He said elevators were for cowards, and they were going to walk one step at a time towards a national championship.

Given the fact our long-time Hall of Fame coach had just left, we had sanctions which didn't allow our team to play for a year in the postseason. People thought it just wasn't possible that UConn was ever going to be able to return to the greatness we have seen over the last 20 years. But in Coach Ollie's first tournament, he brought his team to a victory led, of course, by our great point guard Shabazz Napier--another Connecticut first and second. There are only two players who were national champions in the men's tournament who scored 125 points, had 25 assists and 25 rebounds. Shabazz Napier is the second because Kemba Walker was the first in UConn's last national championship.

The women, of course, are even more impressive in what they have done because they managed to win their national championship this year by going undefeated and beating another undefeated team in the national championship game. Of course, that has become kind of old hat for the UConn women. This is the third time they have gone undefeated in the past 6 years, and it is their fourth title in 6 years--Geno Auriemma's ninth title overall, now eclipsing the great Pat Summitt.

Watching the game last night, we saw Coach Auriemma in an uncommon display of emotion at the end of the game. He is a very emotional guy, but he very rarely breaks down in tears--which he did, talking about a couple of his seniors, Stefanie Dolson and also Bria Hartley. He has a love for those players.

We saw Kevin Ollie's love for his players, especially the guys who stuck it out who could have transferred to other programs but decided to stay with him and stay with the program.

What Geno said after the game is he is flattered: ``I'm flattered and grateful, and all the things that have come with this kind of accomplishment .....'' But he also said: ``I'm more proud of the legacy that exists and what Connecticut basketball is as opposed to the number of championships.

When we watch these championship games that now add up for both the men and the women, we see throughout the stands former players by the dozens--maybe even by the hundreds--who come back because of the legacy that has been created in 20 years of nine national championships for the women and four national championships for the men.

Even though, as Kevin Ollie said, UConn got there the hard way. We don't have the 100-year legacy of basketball such as Kansas or Kentucky has. We have built this over the past couple of decades. Just as Kevin Ollie has done over the last 2 years, UConn over the course of the last the 2 decades, in registering 13 national championships, has always taken the stairs rather than the elevator.

Congratulations, as a diehard Husky fan, to our twin national championship teams.

I yield the floor.

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