Sept. 24, 2004
NEW YORK - Senator John McCain addressed the Columbia football team for 20 minutes in Mathematics Hall prior to the Lions' departure for Bucknell Friday morning.
McCain, a 2000 Republican presidential candidate, spoke of the importance of communication and relying on teammates, noting, "The whole is a whole lot larger than the sum of its parts."
The Arizona senator explained the wisdom he acquired in 5-1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He said, "I really learned the meaning of friendship and camaraderie."
McCain spent three years in solitary confinement, and said that he and his fellow prisoners had to develop a system of tapping to communicate with each other.
At one point in his talk, McCain sang the Columbia fight song, "Roar Lion Roar," word-for-word. He added that he was required to learn each opponent's fight song when he attended the U.S. Naval Academy.
Head Coach Bob Shoop arranged the address with a call to the Senator, whose daughter is a sophomore at Columbia.
Columbia faces Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa. tomorrow evening, Sept. 25th, at 7 p.m.
