University of Georgia Athletics
Hines Ward, Former UGA Football Star, Earns MVP In Super Bowl
February 06, 2006 | Football
Feb. 6, 2006
DETROIT -- Ben Roethlisberger's pass floated right toward his hands. Hines Ward made sure he got both feet down in the end zone, then started closing his fingers around the ball.
Remarkably, he dropped it.
No excuses. The Pittsburgh Steelers' top receiver flat-out dropped it.
"The great ones don't miss balls in the Super Bowl," Ward said. "And I want to be considered one of the great ones."
Before this Super Bowl ended, the former Georgia standout would get more chances to prove he deserves to be counted among the greats. And, he wouldn't bumble those chances away.
Ward completed an MVP performance Sunday by catching a 43-yard touchdown pass from receiver Antwaan Randle El, a trick play that became the decisive play in the Steelers' 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Ward is the third ex-Bulldog to earn Super Bowl MVP honors, joining Miami's Jake Scott and Denver's Terrell Davis.
Pittsburgh's Lynn Swann won the Super Bowl MVP in 1976 for making one big catch after another against Dallas, including a diving grab of a tipped ball that makes all of the Super Bowl highlight reels.
Ward's game wasn't nearly as memorable -- that end zone drop was just his most glaring mistake -- but it was good enough to win the MVP award in a ragged game that came down to two big plays.
"To be named MVP is a great honor, but I still left some plays out on the field," Ward said. "I could have had an even better day."
Randle El was the X-factor in Super Bowl XL, the college quarterback turned receiver who can catch the ball, run with it or throw it. He had already thrown a 51-yard touchdown pass this season in a victory over Cleveland.
Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt decided to include the same play in his Super Bowl playbook, and Pittsburgh waited for the perfect time to call it.
| |
