Twice, Larry Brown waited in the Dallas secondary with the Cowboys needing a break.
And twice he provided it with game-turning interceptions that made him the Super Bowl MVP in the 27-17 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday night.Larry Brown?
On a team bulging with big name stars like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders, Brown was an unlikely hero, a mostly anonymous guy working in the secondary.
Brown was an NFL longshot right from the start, a 12th-round draft choice out of Texas Christian in 1991, the 57th defensive back chosen that year. He was only a two-year starter at TCU but earned some attention with 75 tackles and 10 passes defended in his senior year. When he was MVP of the Blue-Gray game, it made him a prospect.
Twelth-rounders don't usually stick around very long. Brown not only stuck but by the fourth game of his rookie year, he was a starter on a rebuilding Dallas team. And he's been in place ever since, there when the Cowboys won two Super Bowls under Jimmy Johnson and still there Sunday night when they captured their third in four years.
During the season, Brown tied for the team lead with six interceptions, pushing his career total to 13. None, though, will be remembered as well as the two he made Sunday night.