Marshall Faulk, at 21 the youngest player and the only rookie in the 1995 Pro Bowl, probably will appear in more of the NFL all-star games over the course of his career.
And he'll probably never have another game like his first one.Breaking a record by O.J. Simpson that was set one year before Faulk was born, the Indianapolis Colts' star ran for 180 yards on 13 carries - an astounding average of 14.8 yards per carry - Sunday as the AFC overwhelmed the NFC 41-13 in the Pro Bowl.
Earlier in the week, Faulk could hardly believe he was on the same practice field with the all-stars.
"These are guys that I've watched on TV," he said. "Now I get the opportunity to play with them."
He not only played with them, he was the best of the NFL's best, earning the Pro Bowl MVP award for his record-breaking performance against the NFC's finest defenders.
In addition to bettering Simpson's long-standing Pro Bowl rushing record of 112 yards, which Simpson accomplished on 16 carries, Faulk caught two passes for 27 yards.
And he first matched Lawrence McCutcheon's 1976 record for longest Pro Bowl run with a 41-yarder early in the final quarter, then rewrote the mark with a 49-yard TD run in the closing minutes of the game.
"I've watched this game many times, and for it (the records) to happen to me is incredible," Faulk said. "To have a big game here means a lot. I ran behind an All-Pro line and it showed. We just blew them off the ball."
The AFC, which has taken its licks in the Super Bowl over the past 11 years, completely dominated the NFC on both sides of the ball in winning the Pro Bowl for the third time in five years and sixth time in the last 12.
Seattle's Chris Warren also went over Simpson's rushing mark with 127 yards on 14 carries for the AFC, which rolled up Pro Bowl records of 400 yards rushing and 552 yards of total offense.
The AFC defense, with linebacker Junior Seau of San Diego logging seven tackles, gave up just 209 yards of offense to the NFC, only 41 yards rushing.
Warren had the rushing record late in the game, but Faulk capped his afternoon when he reeled off his 49-yard TD run off a fake punt in the closing minutes of the game at Aloha Stadium.
"We were informed when I was in the process of breaking the record," Warren said. "They wanted to get me the ball so I could break it. Then they took me out and put Marshall in and he broke it.
"We were going back and forth (with the record). I felt like whoever got the ball last would have the record. Marshall had a great game."
Said Faulk: "You have to credit Bill Cowher and the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers for implementing a good game plan that everybody could understand. They like to run the ball."
The AFC players earned $20,000 each for the victory and the NFC players got $10,000 apiece.
Barry Switzer, whose Dallas staff coached the NFC, said heading into the week that the main goal was for the players to have fun. He was extremely casual on the sidelines during the game, at times sitting on the bench with a mist-cooler blowing on him.
"My back was bothering me again so I had to sit some," he said. "I enjoyed the game and even watching the fans, who looked like they were having fun up there. . . .
"I wasn't really surprised at the outcome. These all-star games, guys make big plays here and there. That's what these games are all about. This is just great players out there showing their stuff."
The NFC went ahead 10-0 in the first quarter as San Francisco's Steve Young drove the team to a field goal on its first possession, then threw a 51-yard TD pass to Minnesota's Cris Carter on the NFC's next series.
But the first of two touchdown receptions by Pittsburgh tight end Eric Green, a 22-yarder from Denver's John Elway, put the AFC on the board early in the second quarter. John Carney of San Diego tied it 10-10 with a 22-yard field goal, then Cleveland's Leroy Hoard ran 4 yards for a TD just before halftime to put the AFC ahead to stay.
The AFC blew it open with three touchdowns in the final quarter, on an 11-yard run by Warren, a 16-yard pass from the Los Angeles Raiders' Jeff Hostetler to Green, and Faulk's tackle-breaking 49-yard run off a fake punt.
Young, the MVP of the 49ers' 49-26 Super Bowl win over San Diego a week earlier, shared the NFC quarterback duties with Troy Aikman of Dallas and Warren Moon of the Vikings. Young provided the bulk of the offense, completing 8-of-15 for 129 yards. Aikman was 2-of-9 and Moon was 3-of-8.