An Australian man has taken home the ultimate piece of memorabilia from Monday’s Super Bowl, after he caught the match-winning field goal in Arizona.
Eamonn Dixon, 40, wasn’t planning on going to this year’s NFL showpiece game, but ended up in the right place at the right time when the ball ended up in his lap in a packed State Farm Stadium.
That field goal was the difference for the Kansas City Chiefs, who pulled off a thrilling 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs’ second win in four years.
“It’s always been a bucket list item to go to the Super Bowl, so it’s pretty awesome the way it turned out,” Dixon told radio station 3AW.
“You don’t expect it, that’s why I was a bit taken aback … luckily I held on to both the phone and the ball.
“I didn’t drop the phone and luckily I wasn’t holding a beer as well, that would have been a bit awkward.”
Eamonn Dixon holds the ball he caught in Arizona.
Dixon, who grew up in North Fitzroy in Melbourne, said he had to carefully navigate out of the stadium without the ball being pinched.
“I caught it and then there was a bit of mayhem,” he said.
“It was a pretty exciting game and everyone was asking for photos with me and giving me high-fives, and then the security guard tapped me on the shoulder, and he said, ‘I think you should get out of here pretty quickly with that thing before some other people try to grab it.’
Dixon outside the ground with his souvenir.
“I did that and now I’m sitting in my hotel room holding it.
“Everyone was trying to get it off me but one of my friends who I was with, I shoved it in her bag and we sort of got ushered towards the exit. And all of a sudden I was out in the car park. It was all just a bit of a blur.”
Dixon told this masthead that he grew up playing Australian rules football, but reckons his catch was the result of “dumb luck” and not his home-grown sporting skills.
He wasn’t even meant to be at the game, but his client, Doritos – with whom he had worked for their Super Bowl campaign – offered him the rare chance to go.
“I was sitting at home in San Francisco, and [my client] called me up at 10am and basically said that one of the people had pulled out and said there was a spare ticket if I can make it in time.
“I thought ‘well, I’ve always wanted to go’ … so I raced out here, got a flight, got an Uber, and got here just in time to start, and then the rest is history.
“I got to the game just as the national anthem was being sung. I was just sitting there and then four quarters later the ball just sort of fell in my lap, which was pretty surreal.”
Dixon was supposed to fly back to San Francisco early on Monday, US time, but due to his newfound celebrity status, he had to delay the flight.
“I’ve had maybe like four TV interviews and 15 radio interviews back in Australia,” he said. “I just keep getting calls from random numbers back home.
“I have a flight later today, and then I’ll be on The Project.”
