President Obama honors 1972 Miami Dolphins at White House
WASHINGTON D.C. -- It's never a rare day when President Barack Obama finds a way to interject his love for the Chicago sports scene into a speech. It is far less common, however, when someone is openly bold enough to interrupt Obama with a challenge.
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| Larry Csonka, leading rusher for the 1972 Dolphins, receives a hearty handshake from President Barack Obama. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press) |
Apparently, Obama has never messed with Miami Dolphins legend Don Shula.
In a lighthearted moment during a brief White House ceremony honoring the undefeated 1972 Dolphins on Tuesday, Obama attempted to playfully sidestep his 2011 comments when he dubbed the 1985 Chicago Bears the greatest team of all time.
"I've got to come clean here," Obama said, as 31 players from the '72 Dolphins crowded onto a set of risers around the president in the East Room. "A couple years ago, I hosted the '85 Bears out on the South Lawn. They'd also missed their chance to have a White House visit. And that day, I called them the greatest team ever. But, I mean, take it with a grain of salt.
"The Bears lost once in their nearly perfect season."
Enter Shula, who piped up from his seat in a motorized cart parked to Obama's left.
"Who beat 'em?!" Shula shouted over Obama, causing the room to break out in laughter.
"It happened to be to the Dolphins," Obama conceded. "So I think you made your point. Nobody can argue with this record."
While Shula made sure to stick up for his 1985 Dolphins team, this day was about the '72 squad. Current team owner Stephen Ross, a Miami native who grew up a fan of the Dolphins, made this happen by paying all expenses to cover the trip. (Three players -- Bob Kuechenberg, Manny Fernandez and Jim Langer -- opted to not accept the invitation for political reasons.)
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000232205/article/president-obama-honors-1972-miami-dolphins-at-white-house |
