Former Elbert County Blue Devil and Bowman native Mecole Hardman Jr. caught the game winning touchdown of the 2024 Super Bowl, giving the Kansas City Chiefs back-to-back Super Bowl titles and Hardman’s third Super Bowl title of his career.
With the game tied at 19-19 at the end of regulation, the championship game needed overtime to find a winner.
The San Francisco 49ers won the coin toss prior to the overtime period and elected to receive the ball and drove down the field before being forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal making the score 22-19 49ers.
After the 49ers took the lead in overtime, the pressure was on the Chiefs as they needed to either kick a field goal to tie the game or score a touchdown to win the game. A turnover or failed fourth down conversion would mean a 49ers victory.
The Chiefs drove down the field in 12 plays to get down to the 49ers’ 3-yard line, setting up Hardman’s big play.
Prior to the snap, Hardman went in motion towards the middle of the field and as the ball was snapped, he cut back the way he came and towards the front-right corner of the endzone where he was all alone.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes let the pass fly and Hardman caught the ball with ease to win the game for the Chiefs and send red and yellow confetti flying into the air.
Hardman said in multiple interviews since the event that after catching the pass he “blacked out” and did not yet realize the significance of his touchdown grab. Mahomes said in interviews that when the two embraced in the endzone he told Hardman that he had won them the Super Bowl and that was when Hardman realized what he had done.
After the score, Hardman has made multiple appearances on the national stage, highlighted by Monday morning appearances on The Today Show and Good Morning America and a Monday night appearance on The Jimmy Kimmel Show.
Hardman also received congratulatory remarks from celebrities on his own social media posts, as well as a mention from former President Barack Obama on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Congrats to the Kansas City @Chiefs, MVP Patrick Mahomes, Coach Reid, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Mecole Hardman and the rest of the champs for another Lombardi Trophy. Grace under pressure,” Obama posted.
The 2023 season was an eventful ride for Hardman, who started the year off with the New York Jets after signing with the team during free agency. The Jets were poised to have a breakout season under new quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but after Rodgers injured his achilles on his first offensive snap of the season, the Jets’ hopes were dashed as they were forced to settle for a 7-10 season.
During his tenure with the Jets, Hardman saw limited usage and was credited with just one reception for six yards in a Sept. 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys, just one week after Rodgers’ injury.
In October, he was traded back to the Kansas City Chiefs, who drafted Hardman with their second round pick in 2019.
After returning to his former team, Hardman saw more usage throughout the remainder of the season as he finished the year with 15 receptions for 124 yards and one carry for three yards.
In the playoffs, Hardman had smaller roles in the Chiefs’ first two games against the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins as he had two receptions for five yards, but after not recording any stats during the American Football Conference Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens, Hardman broke out in the Super Bowl.
Hardman first made an impact early in the second quarter of the game as he caught a massive 52-yard pass from Mahomes that gave the Chiefs first-and-goal from the 49ers 9-yard line.
Hardman then caught a 2-yard pass late in the third quarter that set up a Harrison Butker field goal and the next time he touched the ball, he carved his name into the NFL history books with the game-winning score.
Hardman finished the playoffs with five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.