Pittsburgh Steelers legend -- and Forest Park, Ga. native -- Hines Ward played in three Super Bowls and he's got two rings to prove it. The first championships stands out the most. It was Super Bowl XL and it was an event that was unlike anything he could have ever imagined.
"Stepping off that plane and seeing the media, everybody, the cameras are everywhere, it's almost surreal, because for so long as a child I dreamed about that moment of playing in the Super Bowl" Ward said.
But after a few days of handling all the requirements, it was game day and Ward was prepared for the occasion.
"Getting on the bus ride to the stadium, you want to look good. You want to put on that nice stylish suit you picked out for your Super Bowl outfit and then when you're going through pregame warm-ups you see all the celebrities on the sideline and I had the opportunity to meet Outkast," Ward recalls. "I got back into the locker room and I was nervous and I threw up in the bathroom, and I'd never thrown up in my whole life."
But as the game progressed, Ward says he was able to control the emotions. Then in the 4th quarter, the biggest play of his incredible career occurred: with the Steelers up 14-10 on the Seahawks, Ward sealed a Pittsburgh victory with a touchdown catch
"I remember vividly when that ball was in the air from Antwaan Randle El in Super Bowl XL was to try and not to drop it," Ward said.
When Ward crossed the goal line, he did so with a leap. He finished the game with 5 catches for 123 yards to go with that touchdown, and took home MVP honors.
"I was going to Disney the next morning and on the plane ride I had family and friends, Jerome {Bettis} was there heading down to Disney and I was like, "Wow, here's a kid from Forest Park, Georgia being named Super Bowl MVP" Ward said.
