Tampa Bay‘s Dwight Smith had the kind of Super Bowl night that sounds almost too good to be true. He read Rich Gannon’s passes, twice, snatched the ball out of the air, and raced the other way. The first pick became a 44-yard touchdown against Oakland while the second was a 50-yard score.
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Smith remains the only player in Super Bowl history to return two interceptions for touchdowns. Sounds like an MVP resume, right? Not quite. Smith watched the Super Bowl XXXVII MVP (January 2003) award go to his own teammate, who also picked off Gannon twice. And Smith still hasn’t forgotten that snub.
“My name is Dwight Smith. I played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and I scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Matter of fact, I scored two,” said Smith in a video released by ESPN. “Well, during the week, they have the media time.
“All the media is telling me that the Raiders are going to keep three receivers on the field, so that they can keep me on the field to throw the ball at me. And I told them then, if that’s their plan, I will be winning MVP. And the rest is history.”
However, when the time came to hand out the MVP award, Smith was overlooked, with his teammate Dexter Jackson receiving the honor instead. More than two decades later, Smith says that record means the world to him.
Dwight Smith indeed created history that day. Against the Raiders, the Buccaneers were already dominating, but a pair of Dwight’s pick-sixes effectively turned the game into a rout.
Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon dropped back and threw an interception to Dwight Smith, and the safety returned it for a 44-yard touchdown. It extended the Buccaneers’ lead to 34-3 with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter. By the time Smith caught another pick-six, the Raiders had found some offense. Jerry Porter orchestrated a 39-yard touchdown, Eric Johnson blocked a 13-yard punt return, and Jerry Rice scored another 48-yard touchdown.
The Buccaneers’ defense, however, answered it with another pair of pick-sixes. Derrick Brooks intercepted Gannon and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown, putting Tampa Bay ahead 41-21 with 1:18 remaining. Later, after Gannon attempted another pass, the ball was tipped, and Smith intercepted it for a 50-yard touchdown, his second during the matchup.
“At that time of the game, they don’t have any timeouts,” Smith added. “They’re trying to get out of bounds. And Greg Spires tips the ball. I mean, it’s a layup after that. Spires grabs me, and they’re saying over there, intercom, and the Super Bowl MVP, and Spiers is pointing at me. And they’re like, Dexter Jackson.
“In the moment, you’re thinking about, ‘Should I have been the MVP?’ You don’t understand that you’ve done something nobody who’s ever walked the earth has done before. I’m the only player to have two pick-sixes in the Super Bowl, so it means the world to me.”
After Dexter Jackson was named the Super Bowl XXXVII MVP, it sparked a debate, with many believing Smith was snubbed despite his performance. Jackson recorded two of the Raiders’ record five interceptions.
However, considering Jackson’s turnovers resulted in just three points while Dwight Smith’s interceptions led to 12 points, the decision has since been viewed as one of the most undeserving MVP selections in NFL history.
Smith, meanwhile, has since moved on from it, as he still remains the only player in NFL history to record two pick-sixes in a Super Bowl matchup. In the end, Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl 48-21 against the Oakland Raiders, and Smith walked away with history. But Smith’s story doesn’t finish here.
Smith was ultimately rewarded for his skills in the negotiating room. His value was reflected in the contracts that came afterward. He reportedly landed a five-year, $15 million deal with the Saints, complete with a $3.5 million signing bonus.
In 2006, he moved to the Vikings on a reported three-year, $6.5 million contract before later signing a two-year, $5 million deal with the Lions.
Was the MVP voting a mistake?
The MVP vote doesn’t always wait for the final whistle. With deadlines looming, some media members have been known to submit their choices with a few minutes still left on the clock. While not confirmed, this could have influenced the Super Bowl XXXVII MVP outcome.
“If my interception had come when Derrick Brooks’ interception came, then I would have won MVP,” Smith had also alluded in 2013.
That said, a league spokesman noted in 2013 that there have also been instances when the MVP wasn’t decided until the game had officially ended.
After four seasons with Tampa Bay, he made stops with the New Orleans Saints, the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions. The 2008 season was his last in the NFL.