Nixon, Lombardi & Larkin on Sports and Character and Fundraising

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Mr. President, Mr. President, young man, I'm sorry to ask, how are you?

We're very happy to see you.

This friend of mine, my best friend, won't cry when I run into Dick Rizzo's scribe.

He's one of the poor renders, and I keep my daughter right off of him.

Now, this gentleman won't cry.

I want to tell you about one thing.

If he's the most improved golfer in the club, so the next time you're playing, I'll have you in the parking lot.

Well, thank you, Mr. President, really.

He's in great condition for it.

He has to try hard to keep it up now with all the scholastic.

And it's really trying to keep by the most regular level we can.

You know, we get nice tears, man.

Well, when we passed him, he was great.

He was awesome.

Oh, yeah.

It was a great day.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

... ... ... ...

All right.

.

Are you sure?

Yeah.

Thank you.

I never gave my students a great escape.

Every one of you was the greatest of the Giants.

That's right.

Thank you.

Well, we're so glad to have you here in this impressive place.

Now, let's see.

Maybe I can get in a little here so we can see it.

Ready?

I hope we have a lot of us here at the time.

Okay.

Locker, that's a little longer.

Locker's here.

Oh, yeah.

This is the very first time I've ever been on TV.

I'll be there in a few seconds.

Well, if you'd like to throw the ball back, we can throw the ball back.

We can throw the ball back.

Thank you.

So I spoke to the law school, you know, many years ago.

I visited them.

You know, you hear people talk.

Thank you.

Oh, well.

Let me see what else we've got here.

Well, this is the story.

I saw that.

Remember what I did?

I wasn't.

I don't get to see television very often.

You know, I'm not able to do this when it's on, but the White House people here made a tape of what they did in the Super Bowl.

I did not see that.

I missed that.

And I saw it at Camp David about a month ago.

And I thought, oh, what a great, great story that was.

And the marvellous shots of the men all talking about him.

They told so much about him.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, he's, uh, he's, uh, let's see, I always find out that football can have a lot to be

I never knew our own place.

Now, Mr. President, we very much appreciate your kindness in seeing us today.

We share your feeling about the value of sports and discipline, and of course, your admiration for Vince, as we've had.

And, you know, there's qualities of character, and we don't pick up the loose moments on bodies, and... You said you could give us a big list today.

That's very kind of you.

Let me say something for a senator at all.

We will have to go out and talk to people and raise money for this.

But someone said, why sports?

And it is some of the fashion these days.

Not everybody's, and not a majority, but...

because it's still a sports-minded country.

But they say, well, you ought to put it into other buildings.

And believe me, you need other buildings.

You need libraries.

You need classrooms.

You need higher teachers.

That's going to be far more money that's going to be paid.

But you show me an institution that has a good sports program, and I will show you an institution that puts out men graduates who have

a better chance to come out with strong character.

Now, that doesn't mean that people have to be active participants in sports that have character.

But over and over again, you will find that people who have been in sports, that they come out with

But that was basically what he had.

And he wanted to win.

He was willing to pay the price.

He had a sense of discipline, basically, a lot of character.

And that's the reason I support sports.

It's not something...

the participation in the sports program and every individual should be in there competing, fighting, and not just learning to win,

but also learning to lose and to fighting back, trying harder.

If he doesn't appeal to sports, he'll learn to do it in other areas.

I believe this very much.

It's been true of my life.

And I should tell you, I got it.

I went out there every day.

More years than Mike said, more years than Tom.

Basketball, football, track, baseball, not baseball.

I just couldn't see a ball.

But nevertheless, I never regret that moment.

And the association with the men.

My coach, who's not with us, was a very fine man, too.

He's still living.

He's an American.

He's an All-American.

He works in Southern California.

He or she can stay for the rest of their life.

He had a great job.

He had a lot of characteristics against Lombardi.

You know, they had to fight his way up and all that sort of thing.

But boy, he was a little nonsense kind of guy.

I remember a fellow would come off the field, you know, and make a good play.

He didn't see the chief running up to him and slapping him on the back.

That's the way he's supposed to have played.

You know?

But anyway, I want to give you all a memento of your visit here for the men, and that's virtually everybody.

These are the presidential convicts.

It's the presidential seal, which you see here in the floor in the ceiling, which is the arm of this room, reproducing.

And because I know this is a bipartisan group, it isn't my name.

So we'll get those out to all of us quickly.

And also, because it's important to us, we're going to have golf balls.

Give me one of those balls so I can shoot it.

I know a lot of you do play golf, and a lot of you don't.

But this is the first golf ball made by Wilson, and a good friend, Don Pendle.

I always say, I give these to almost anybody except the Vice President.

But for you, Mr. Lombardi, there's something we just had made.

We can't give this to anyone, because they're a little more expensive than that.

But this is a nice, expensive complex, maybe, where it's going to be sealed off.

So we cannot get evidence in respect to you, but you don't have to report it.

In fact, that is the first, the second one of these we've given out.

Now that's been reported.

Who's the character of the outfit now?

I want to start it with a modest little congregation in my home.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Quite a few of these.

I want to be part of it.

That's your first one, right?

That's the first one today.

Is that my office?

We wish you the best.

Someday, maybe I will come up and speak to you.

Oh, that'd be great.

Thank you.

Good luck.

Thank you.

I know you are, I know you are.

I was noticing that you were saying, you were saying, you were saying, you were saying,

That's what I need.

Thank you so much, guys.

Oh, yes, yes.

They'll be here for the... Well, if I...

I watch the TV.

Well, then, can I... Incidentally, I think that now... Oh, Alex, you never got to... Oh, great.

Now, because you're here, you might not be able to... You're going to have to...

Yes

Chris, I remember the days of George Marshall.

He'd just sit in his box up there, or on the way home, and he'd have them like a game or two.

And I remember the funny things that I'll never, never, never forget.

I remember sitting up there, and I just started saying something, and I remember it was funny.

I never said another word after that.

Thank you.

Oh, he is.

He's coming back.

Great.

Oh, I get it.

Great.

You're, you're a citizen.

You're number one.

You are.

I mean, is he?

Yes, he is.

Sure.

He's going to be a mighty brother.

I said, give him a set of gummies for the boys to eat.

All that for the sir to eat, you know.

Good.

We had two of the lessons.

I know, I know.

You're a tough guy.

I know.

You tell him there's no good in this.

I know.

You're all over the desk.

I know.

I bless you.

You're 20 years.

20 years.

He shows him the house every day.

Well, we have the Andrew Jackson movie, but I gave it to President Johnson.

I gave it to him.

are cold.

There'd be no doubt about you.

I will let Eddie fall out.

You know what's happened to me?

He's a big bum.

You know, just a little of it.

Well, I really thought that was great.

I thought it was great.

John, tell them not to burn down any more of our buildings.

I know.

Nixon, Lombardi & Larkin on Sports and Character and Fundraising

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Nixon Library Finding Aid

Also recorded on June 9, 1971

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