James Harrison

James Harrison, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ All-Pro linebacker, had just intercepted a Kurt Warner pass and rumbled 100 yards for a touchdown that was heart-stopping not just for a worldwide audience, but, it appeared for a few minutes, perhaps Harrison himself. Exhausted from the longest play in Super Bowl history, Harrison lay supine on the side of the end zone all but motionless, trying to catch his breath.

Steelers defenders turned into blockers while Arizona’s offensive players desperately ran after Harrison. This season’s Associated Press defensive player of the year after making 16 sacks and forcing seven fumbles, the 242-pound Harrison began looking less like a linebacker and more like Earl Campbell.

Running the length of the field at full speed himself, the 316-pound Cardinals tackle Mike Gandy tried to shoestring-tackle Harrison at the 10 but missed. Just before the goal line, Arizona’s Steve Breaston smacked into Harrison from behind while Larry Fitzgerald tried to wrestle him down, but Harrison’s momentum was too great. He slumped to the ground helmet-first just beyond the goal line.

Santonio Holmes

Santonio Holmes looked like a dancer in a ballet, a tightrope walker in a circus, a gymnast on a balance beam He was cornered. He caught a pass from Ben Roethlisberger on the back side of the end zone, with three Arizona Cardinals bearing down on him while he balanced on the tips of his toes.

Holmes was voted the game’s most valuable player. He caught nine passes for 131 yards. He had four catches for 73 yards on the winning drive, after the Cardinals had gone ahead with quarterback Kurt Warner and receiver Larry Fitzgerald leading the way. If Arizona had won, either could have won what Holmes did.

The Cardinals’ offense may have gotten hot late in the game, but many of the key plays Sunday night were made by the Steelers’ defense, as was the case in the 1970s, when the Steel Curtain began an era of titles. A defensive player, linebacker James Harrison, scored on a 100-yard interception runback at the end of the first half.