Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers Remarks at a White House Reception for the Championship Baseball and Football Teams.

As you may all know, this is a special year for politicians. [Laughter] And when I began to think who, in the entire Nation, can give me best advice on how to meet a tough challenge successfully and win great victories, I naturally remembered the Pirates and the Steelers. And I'm very grateful that you've come.

I would like to welcome Mayor Dick Caliguiri, Mayor Lou Tullio from Erie, Congressmen Gaydos, Walgren, Frank Horton, Austin Murphy, and to say how delighted I am to join in with all of you in this salute to a place that really deserves to be called the "City of Champions." I want to include in this salute not only Pittsburgh itself but to the entire western region of Pennsylvania, because I don't know of any team or set of teams that have had such overwhelming and constant and enthusiastic support than these two teams have had from the entire region of Pennsylvania—and I might say, looking at my own members of my family, not only from western Pennsylvania but from the White House as well and from Plains, Georgia. [Laughter]

Let me start with the Pirates. It was my honor and my pleasure to be present in the Pittsburgh locker room last fall on the final night of the World Series. I escaped without getting tramped, by the skin of my teeth. But it was one of those exciting, historic moments in sport, when the entire Nation was thrilled at a tremendous achievement. I've not forgotten those exciting moments.

And I particularly remember the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation and common purpose and friendship and a team spirit, the kind of a sense of being a family. And that's what made this team great; that's what made them champions. And I think the whole country was inspired, because they were known, as you know, as a team that said, "We are family."

Also, of course, we've got the Pittsburgh Steelers, who've shown the same kind of spirit and unity and courage and commitment and ability. Four times in the last 10 years the Steelers have gone to the Super Bowl; I've forgotten how many times they won— [Laughter] —4 times. This is a tremendous achievement for them and for all those who support them and all those who helped to make this great victory possible. Excellence on a transient basis is much easier than excellence sustained over a long period of time, and it requires not only a great spirit but a deep and permanent commitment to sustain that kind of championship form.

I've had a good opportunity to work with the two mayors here and with the Members of Congress who are assembled here on this stage. It's kind of a political family or political teamwork, typical of our country.

In these trying times it's almost imperative that our Nation be united, that our Nation be strong and courageous, that our Nation be consistent in its purposes, that our Nation be inspired, that our Nation be willing to meet hardship without flinching, and that our Nation be united as a great family. And that's what has been exhibited in the United States of America during the last few weeks. As President, I'm very proud of this achievement, and I'm very proud to lead a nation like this.

We've got, as you know, a tremendous achievement represented by these men on the stage with me. Not only have they brought honor and credit to their team but they've brought honor and credit to their community, because of a spirit of service to others. I think the reciprocal nature of that unselfish attitude has paid rich dividends for them as teams.

They've not ignored Pittsburgh; they've not ignored western Pennsylvania; they've not ignored the United States of America; as a matter of fact, they've not ignored people who are in need, all over the world. Roberto Clemente, one of the greatest Pittsburgh Pirates who ever lived, was killed in a plane crash, I believe in 1972, while working in relief efforts for the people of Nicaragua. And there have been other demonstrations of courage and a willingness to overcome handicaps and to meet challenges with success.

Rocky Bleier, here, of the Steelers, fought for our country, as you know, in Vietnam. This was not a popular war. It always requires courage to fight and to risk one's life, but it requires even more courage when there is not an overwhelming sense of patriotism and support, as there was missing during the Vietnam war years.

When I was in the Navy during the Second World War, during Korea, I felt that there was a united country behind me, giving me every possible support and every expression of gratitude. My oldest son served in Vietnam, too, as a volunteer. And when he came home, he had a different kind of response, because many people did not appreciate the willingness of our country to fight for freedom there. But as you know, Rocky Bleier did go. He was wounded severely. Some doctors, I understand, even said that he would not recover. But now he's been able to overcome a combat injury of very serious nature, and he's played 10 rugged years of championship professional football.

I could brag a lot about the team members. I don't want to confine myself exclusively to those who play on the field. Art Rooney, the owner of the Steelers, has also made his unique contribution to his community. For almost 50 years he has kept his faith in the city of Pittsburgh, and for many of those years—I won't mention how many—when the Pirates were not champions, he believed, sometimes alone, that the city would one day be the home of champions. And now he's been proven to be right. In fact, he's been proven to be doubly right, as is exhibited on the stage here with me this afternoon.

Art Rooney's Steelers and Dan Galbreath's Pirates have now established some great traditions, not only of winning games, not only of winning championships in athletic events but of teamwork off the field as well. What they have done has united a community, has united a region of our Nation, and has aroused the admiration of every American who's interested in sports, interested in courage, interested in achievement, interested in cooperation and teamwork, interested in the spirit of patriotism and the value of a close family relationship.

It's my honor, as President of the United States, to add my voice to the salute that is being paid to the Pirates, to the Steelers, to western Pennsylvania, and today especially, to Pittsburgh.

Thank you all very much.