TERRE HAUTE —
Steve Weatherford said Friday he wouldn’t be celebrating a Giants’ Super Bowl victory if not for the support he’s received from his hometown, his parents and mentors in his life.
“It was important for me to get back and see everybody,” he said when answering questions from the media Friday afternoon. “As soon as we won the game, the first thing I wanted to do was come back here … and share it with everybody that’s helped me get to where I’m at.”
His team, the New York Giants, defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI Sunday.
Weatherford got up at 3:30 a.m. Friday to catch a flight to Indianapolis so that he could visit Terre Haute to attend a parade and pep rally in his honor. He has to return to New York this morning.
The last few days have been “surreal. It kind of feels like I’m in a dream. I don’t know if it’s because I’m so tired I can’t sleep or that I’m living everybody’s dream,” he said.
Commenting on the impact he had on Sunday’s game — with three of four punts landing inside the Patriots’ 10-yard line, he said, “It was a blessing to be able to play in that game and to be able to play well — and winning it is icing on top of the cake. It’s a feeling I hope lasts a long time.”
Earlier this week, he was in a parade in New York City, but the Terre Haute parade was even more special, he said, “because I’m going to recognize a lot of the faces in the crowd.” Even before the Super Bowl victory, “Everybody [in Terre Haute] had been pulling for me and cheering for me.”
He said he expects to get his Super Bowl ring in a few weeks, and when he does, “I’ll come back and show everyone.”
Weatherford talked about the impact his father, Sam Weatherford, has had on his life. “He’s coached me ever since I was 4 years old. He’s poured a lot of his heart and time into developing me as a man and as an athlete.”
He also talked about how Dan Tanoos has been an important mentor to him.
He recalled how 15 years ago, he was in trouble and sitting in Tanoos’ office. “It was ever since that day that I first met him, he’s kind of taken me under his wing and that was before anybody in Terre Haute considered me an elite athlete,” Weatherford said. “Long before any of the cameras were in my face, Danny was there.”
Weatherford’s advice for any kids who want to follow in his footsteps is to “Dream big. It’s improbable that anybody will ever make it to the Super Bowl and it was improbable that I would make it. But unless you give yourself a chance, with hard work, dedication and dreams, it will never happen. You’ll miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Asked what he missed about Terre Haute, he said it’s the support and encouragement he gets from everyone. “Everybody wants to see you do well here,” he said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
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Meet the press: Steve Weatherford meets with news media at the Vigo County School Corp. on Friday afternoon before the parade and rally.
Discussion
Hometown support vital to success, Weatherford says
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