Assuming you were one of the 100 million Americans watching the Super Bowl, you know the story: the Chiefs ended a five-decade championship drought with a come-from-behind 31-20 victory over the 49ers in Miami. It ended the way many predicted – with Patrick Mahomes taking home MVP honors – but the road there was bumpy.
For the first three quarters, Mahomes looked downright average, throwing two interceptions and completing one pass with more than 10 air yards downfield. Then the 3rd-and-15 bomb to Tyreek Hill happened, and the wunderkind looked like his normal self. The MVP honor makes him the youngest player in NFL history to win the award (24 years, 138 days). As you’d imagine, the others on that list are largely legends of the game. Just look at the rest of the list of "youngest Super Bowl MVPs," and see if there’s a trend:
Tom Brady (24 years, 183 days):
Despite only throwing for 145 yards and a touchdown, the relative unknown was given the award in the Patriots’ stunning 17-14 upset of the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. It, uh, wouldn’t be his last Super Bowl MVP award.
Malcolm Smith (24 years, 213 days):
The only non-legend on this list, Smith recorded 10 tackles, recovered a fumble and had a pick-six in Seattle’s demolition of Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII. He’d have a few more decent years in the league, with back-to-back 100+ tackle seasons in 2015 and 2016 in Oakland, but he’s bounced around the league since then.
Emmitt Smith (24 years, 261 days):
Three times the Hall of Famer led the league in rushing and won a Super Bowl in the same year. That includes the 1993 season, when he was also the league MVP and Super Bowl MVP after the Cowboys beat the Bills (again) in Super Bowl XXVIII, as Smith carried the ball for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Of course, Smith is the NFL’s all-time rushing leader and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Franco Harris (24 years, 312 days):
His third NFL season was capped with all sorts of milestones when he was named MVP of Super Bowl IX, a Steelers victory over the Vikings. In powering Pittsburgh to 158 yards and a touchdown rushing, he became the first African American and the first Italian-American to win MVP honors. He’d go on to make nine straight Pro Bowls, top 12,000 yards for his career and go into the Hall of Fame.
Santonio Holmes (24 years, 336 days):
In the Steelers’ Super Bowl XLIII thriller against the Cardinals, Holmes led all receivers in receptions (9) and receiving yards (131). He also, of course, made one of the great catches in Super Bowl history with his game-winning, toe-touching grab in the back corner of the end zone with 35 seconds left. The former first-round pick was good – 6,030 yards and 36 touchdowns over a nine-year career – but this was the ultimate highlight in an otherwise fine career.
Randy White (25 years, 0 days):
Happy Birthday, indeed. White had a breakout 1977 season, earning his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. It was capped by a co-MVP performance in a 27-10 smothering of the Broncos in Super Bowl XII, an award he shared with Harvey Martin. White would go on to nine straight Pro Bowls, be a nine-time All-Pro and rack up 111 sacks before being inducted into Canton in 1994.
