It was on this date 18 years ago when Devin Hester made NFL history.
Hester’s Super Bowl XLI-opening kick-return touchdown is the stuff of legends at this point. And after making it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, we can say โย with confidence โย that it is the signature moment of the iconic long-time Chicago Bears standout’s Hall of Fame career. But did you know that it has a funny backstory?
Tony Dungy, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and football legend in his own right, recalls what happened in that fateful moment in an interview with James Brown:
Dungy’s words from the video above:
“I made a decision that night that if we lost the toss we were going to kick off and kick it to Devin Hester so we could show the Bears that we meant business and that we weren’t afraid โ 12 seconds later he was in the other end zone. And I could feel my players saying: ‘You said it was going to be a storm, but you didn’t say you were going to create it.'”
Ah, man. That’s hilarious. Unfortunately, for Bears fans, Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts were able to get the last laugh by winning the game.
Devin Hester’s Super Bowl kick return TD is a bittersweet memory
On the one hand, that kick return touchdown is an iconic moment in sports history โ and it is owned by a member of the Chicago Bears. It hasn’t been done before and it hasn’t been done since. And if it is done again, it will be under a new set of rules. Mind you, these are rules that were put in place this season after years of the league creating and enforcing rules that made returns like the ones you saw Devin Hester make over the years become almost obsolete. When you stop and think about it, you realize how much Hester impacted the game from a big-picture perspective. No wonder the guy is a Hall of Famer.
MORE: Watch Every Devin Hester TD Return Ever
But on the other hand, thinking about Super Bowl XLI makes me sad. It has been 18 years since the Chicago Bears have made it to a Super Bowl. That sticks in my craw.
Since then, the team has made it to the NFC Championship Game just once. What’s worse is that the team has made the postseason just three times since appearing in Super Bowl XLI. Even worse than that is the fact that the Bears have mustered up only four winning seasons since that magical campaign. And to put things further into perspective, the Bears have hired three general managers and six head coaches to go along with 20 different starting quarterbacks. Seeing these numbers goes a long way toward driving home how down bad this organization has been over the years.
WATCH: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at When the Bears Drafted Devin Hester
The truth is that not much has gone right for the Bears since Devin Hester’s TD return in Super Bowl XLI. And yet, we are still fans โย which says a lot about our perseverance and resolve. No wonder Bears fans are excited about Ben Johnson’s arrival as the team’s new head coach. Johnson coming to town provides this fan base something to believe in when winter turns to spring and the NFL Draft rolls around, then again when spring transitions into summer and training camps begin. There will never be another Devin Hester moment. But for Chicago football fans, hope springs eternal that Super Bowl contention โ and the franchise’s next great iconic moment โย is around the corner.