A Melbourne man who got a last-minute ticket to the NFL Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles – has miraculously caught the winning field goal.
The celebrations were short-lived, though, as security quickly ordered him to leave before thousands of rabid NFL fans descended on him to claim the prize.
The score was tied at 35-all when Kansas City’s Harrison Butker kicked the winning field goal with only eight seconds left.
The ball soared through the goalposts and into the crowd where Eamonn Dixon was on his feet stunned but waiting with his hands open to catch the ball.
Melbourne man reveals he had to escape from wild American fans after catching the winning ball from the Chiefs Super Bowl win
The Melbourne native has been living and working in San Francisco and only decided at the last minute to go to the NFL showpiece event.
Incredible footage taken by a crowd member standing next to Dixon shows the moment the ball lands squarely in his hands.
Cheers erupt from the crowd celebrating the game’s end as he high fives envious crowd members.
A stoic security guard even reached over the balustrade to pat him on the back. The guard then said: ‘I think you should get out of here pretty quickly with that thing before some other people try to grab it.’
It is not uncommon for Super Bowl footballs or those linked to iconic moments in games to sell for five or even six-figure sums at auction.
An autographed football signed by the superstar lineup who performed a hip-hop medley during the halftime show of Super Bowl LVI 2022 sold at auction for $23,328. Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Anderson Paak all autographed the Wilson football.
The ball used in the iconic James Harrison ‘Immaculate Interception’ in the AFC divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders is currently listed with a highest bid of $41,620.
Tom Brady’s last touchdown ball sold for $744,727, but the sale was canceled less than 24 hours later when Brady announced he would continue playing.
In 2015, a ball used in the infamous ‘Deflategate’ game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts sold for nearly $63,182 at auction.
Today Show co-host Stefanovic even made an attempt to buy the ball off the lucky Aussie punter when he appeared on the Channel Nine morning show.
‘So you would sell it if you got the right price?’ Stefanovic asked.
‘Are you buying?’ Dixon fired back. ‘What are you offering?’
Stefanovic closed with: ‘Let’s talk off air.’
Butker kicks the game winning 27 yard field goal to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
It’s going, it’s going, it’s good! Butker and Kansas City Chiefs teammates ride the match-winning kick over the goalposts
When asked by 3AW radio about his frantic dash to attend America’s most-watched sporting event, Mr Dixon revealed he worked on one of the prized advertising slots shown during the game.
‘I’m a creative director in advertising so I actually worked on the Doritos Super Bowl spot that actually played in the stadium during the game,’ he said.
‘I didn’t have a ticket to the game but one of my incredible Doritos clients called me up in the morning and said a spare ticket had become available.
‘So I found out at 10am, got a flight at 12pm and then I got to the game just as the national anthem was being sung.’
Kansas City Chiefs guard Nick Allegretti congratulates place kicker Butker for his match-winning heroics
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and his wife Tammy Reid after winning Super Bowl LVII
Mr Dixon said he had been deciding what to cook his kids for dinner that night when he got the fateful call to go to the game.
‘I was just happy to be there, it’s always been a bucket-list item to go to the Super Bowl,’ he said.
‘I was just sitting there and then four quarters later the ball sort of just fell in my lap, which was pretty surreal.’
However, in the moments after he caught the winning ball he quickly realised he might not be so lucky.