Political Quotes

“I rise to commend and pay tribute to the University of Arizona Wildcats on their outstanding basketball season. This is truly a special team which should be lauded for their courage and for their effort in the face of very, very difficult circumstances, both on and off the court. As a U of A alum, I closely followed their amazing story. The Wildcats' victory in entering the Final Four perfectly captured their great season. In a rough and tumble fight, in a contest that the Wall Street Journal described as ``equal parts rugby and hoops, with a little WWF thrown in,'' the Wildcats triumphed over a physically gifted University of Illinois squad. After the game, Illinois point guard Frank Williams said, ``We gave them our best punch and they survived it.'' Indeed, the University of Arizona Wildcat basketball team this year suffered a lot of punches, many thrown in their direction. Toughest of all, head coach Lute Olson suffered a blow on New Year's Day, losing his beloved wife Bobbi to ovarian cancer. Known affectionately by players and coaches and students at the U of A alike as Mrs. O, Bobbi Olson was a special person. In fact, many considered her to be the Wildcats' sixth player. Famous for her efforts on behalf of the team and the university, her efforts in recruiting and her famous apple pancakes, Bobbi Olson provided encouragement to the players and perspective to her husband. She will be dearly missed by the Olson family and by all fans of U of A basketball.”