Hines Ward Life Article

He\'s still not 6-foot-5 and he still can\'t run 40 yards in 4.3 seconds or less, but Hines Ward did something Sunday night that most of the bigger, faster receivers have never done: He won a Super Bowl.

Ward, who is listed at 6-0 in the Pittsburgh Steelers media guide, caught five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers\' 21-10 victory over Seattle in Super Bowl XL.

And -- oh, yes -- he was also named the game\'s most valuable player.

\"That\'s what my whole career\'s been about,\" Ward said. \"That\'s why winning the Super Bowl MVP means so much to me as far as all the naysayers saying, \'he\'s not the prototypical wideout, he\'s not 6-5, he doesn\'t run 4.2 or 4.3 (in the 40-yard dash)\'.

\"I just like to think I\'m a great football player. I don\'t sit there and try to emulate my game after anyone. I just try to do the best I can to help this team win.\"

There wasn\'t a lot more he could have done to help the Steelers on their way to their fifth overall Super Bowl championship trophy, although he did have what he considered a costly drop in the end zone late in the second quarter.

\"Are you kidding me?\" said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. \"Hines was going to kill himself because he dropped a touchdown pass. But you know what? He came out and made plays when he had to and that\'s what he does.\"

Moments later, Ward caught a 37-yard third-down pass from Roethlisberger to set up the Steelers\' first touchdown, the one that gave them a 7-3 lead with 1:55 to play in the first half.

And when Steelers coach Bill Cowher called one of his specialties -- a pass by wide receiver Antwaan Randle El off a reverse -- there was Ward streaking toward the end zone to make the catch for a 43-yard touchdown that effectively put the game away, 21-10, with 8:56 to play in the game.

\"Words can\'t describe -- from a third-rounder that came in and had to overcome so much -- to get to this position, I\'m very elated right now,\" Ward said.