The Guy Named Harrison: Book One

103

Harrison ran as fast as he could as the ball neared Brown's hands. It got closer. And even closer. But the veteran linebacker was even faster.

In the backfield Ben Roethlisberger had both hands up in the air, thinking he and the offense had just pulled off the second immaculate reception in almost 5 decades. They thought they had just increased their changes of sending the game into overtime.

They thought.

Nearing the white line, Harrison stopped in his tracks and extended his hands outward in front of Brown's. The ball hit his hands as he pointed his toes into the turf and kept his feet in bounds to secure the catch. His momentum took him forward and out of bounds with the football secured in his arms.

They all thought.

What the Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the world witnessed was Harrison Ford's and the Carolina Panthers' version of the immaculate reception.

The Steelers had just lost the Super Bowl 52 exactly how they won Super Bowl 43. Harrison was on his feet and spiked the ball as Panthers players came running in all directions.

He held his arms out and welcomed his teammates jumping on him. Luke was the first. He tackled his teammate and the pile began. "We just won the f**king Super Bowl!" He yelled.

After half the team piled on Harrison, they helped him to his feet. Tons of people were now storming the field as the Panthers celebrated the franchise's first Super Bowl victory.

Cam came running at him, followed by Greg. Harrison met Cam in mid air for their chest bump. Then he did his little handshake with Greg as Christian ran at him. He, like Cam, did the chest bump with Harrison. Except that Harrison always knocked him over, just as he did now.

Luke picked him up over his shoulder and carried him around for a little bit with his arm extended and one finger extended in the number 1 pose. "WE'RE CHAMPS!"

Harrison was finally able to jump down from Luke's shoulder to find Thomas. "We did it man! We got you that Super Bowl."

They embraced in a hug. "That was a hell of a catch you made to seal it up."

Then Luke came running back and jumped on Harrison's back. "WE'RE THE CHAMPS! YEAH!"

Harrison started yelling as well. "SUPER BOWL CHAMPS!"

Luke jumped off his back and patted his shoulder. "You better get the MVP for this one. There's no way we would've pulled this off without you out there."

He gave Luke one last high five and ran off, hoping to find a certain someone. She had just finished packing her bag when he found her.

"CARRIE!"

She looked up and broke out in an even wider smile. "HARRISON!"

Harrison ran as fast as he could to her and crushed her in a hug. She had her backpack already slung over her shoulders when he picked her up and continued running with her in his arms. He came to a stop a few yards from where she had been standing and set her down.

Carrie once again wrapped her arms around his neck. "You did it!"

He smiled even wider. "We did it!"

She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. "That catch you made, I can't believe you made it."

"That practice with you has been paying off."

Carrie leaned in and kissed him. It was a quick and passionate kiss. "You got yourself a ring!"

"I couldn't of done it without you there to support me."

Then he gently set her back down. "Come on, let's go get us a Lombardi Trophy."

Carrie took his hand and followed him to the stage they had set up near the Panthers end zone. On the way over, Harrison said good game to all the Steelers players he saw, and even their coach.

NFL assistants even gave Harrison his championship gear. He got a grey t-shirt and hat that said, 'Carolina Panthers Super Bowl 52 Champions.' It also had the Panthers logo on it.

Harrison pulled his jersey over his head and handed it to Carrie to tuck in her bag. He didn't want to end up like Tom Brady with the stolen Super Bowl jerseys. Luke had given him the ball he intercepted from Ben Roethlisberger. He gave that to Carrie to safely tuck away as well.

She held his shoulder pads as they neared the stage. Harrison gave her a quick kiss before heading up. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He stepped onstage next to Cam, Luke, Coach Rivera, owner Jerry Richardson, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Mr. Richardson placed a hand on Harrison's shoulder. "Great job today. I want to sign you to a lifetime contract extension."

He laughed and shook his hand. "Thank you sir."

Then he was at the front of the stage with Roger Goodell. "Congratulations to the Carolina Panthers on their first Super Bowl championship!"

Everyone cheered. "And our Super Bowl 52 MVP is-"

Mr. Goodell was interrupted by the 'HARRISON' chant.

"HARRISON FORD!"

The cheering became even louder as Harrison was handed the Pete Rozelle Trophy shaped like a football for the Super Bowl MVP.

"Congratulations Harrison."

"Thank you."

"Anything you'd like to say?"

He nodded and was handed the microphone. Once the cheering died down, he began. "This is an incredible honor to be named Super Bowl MVP. I'm very thankful for the opportunities given to me by the Panthers and all the support I've gotten over the last 7 seasons. I'd first like to thank my fiancée Carrie. Carrie has been my biggest fan since the day we met. And everyday moving forward, she has continued to support me. I don't know what I would do without her. She's at every game, she continuously tells me that I can do it, and she watches film with me almost everyday. That's a lot to do on top of carrying our first child and working a full time job. Carrie, thank you for everything."

"I would also like to thank my family, my teammates, my coaches, the Panthers organization, and my fans. I truly love looking up into the stands and seeing all the Captain America signs. You all have done so much for me, and I can't thank you enough."

Carrie was now behind him and he happily handed over his MVP trophy to accept the Lombardi.

Mr. Goodell handed it to him and he raised it up in his outstretched arm. "WE'RE SUPER BOWL CHAMPS!" He shouted to a cheering crowd.

Harrison only held it for a few moments before handing it off to Luke. He walked over to Carrie and captured her lips in another passionate kiss. "I love you Carrie. So much more than words could ever say."

She quickly kissed him again. "I love you too."