It's rare when a technical difficulty leads to an incredible moment, but that's exactly what happened before a high school volleyball game at Lakeville South High School on Thursday night.
Just minutes before the match between Lakeville South and Burnsville was supposed to begin, a request was made over the public address system for someone from the crowd to sing the National Anthem due to an issue with the audio equipment.
The person who answered that request was none other than former Minnesota Gopher and Super Bowl XLI champion, Ben Utecht.
The moment was captured on the Lakeville South livestream. The video below was provided by Game Time Media.
Utecht, a Hastings native, signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2004. He was a member of the Colts team that beat the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI, catching one pass for eight yards that evening.
According to his website, Utecht has become an advocate for athlete brain health since retiring from the NFL. In 2013, he received the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance Ambassador Award for his work raising concussion awareness.
He’s also pursued a music career releasing several albums.
Utecht was nominated for a Gospel Music Association Dove Award in 2012.