AFC 38 - NFC 30
(February 10, 2002)

The 2002 Pro Bowl produced the first back to back and two-time Pro Bowl MVP since the institution of the modern MVP award in 1973. The coaches were Andy Reid of the Eagles and Bill Cowher of the Steelers. A crowd of 50,112 saw the game.

The AFC got off to a shaky start when Rich Gannon of Oakland fumbled on the first play from scrimmage. Philadelphia’s Hugh Douglas recovered the fumble, returning it to the AFC's 2 yard line and setting up a touchdown run by Green Bay’s Ahman Green that put the NFC ahead 7-0 after less than 30 seconds. The NFC also added a 29 yard field goal by the Eagles’ David Akers to take an early 10-0 lead. But, Gannon responded, leading the AFC to 21 straight points in the first quarter and a 28-13 lead when he left the game. Gannon's first touchdown pass covered 55 yards to the Colt’s Marvin Harrison. Harrison beat Tampa’s Ronde Barber to the middle of the field and with Tampa’s John Lynch late coming over to help, Harrison had a clear path to the end zone. The AFC added two rushing touchdowns of 4 yards by the Jets’ Curtis Martin and 39 yards by Kansas City’s Priest Holmes. Akers hit his second field goal for the NFC as the quarter ended making the score, AFC 21, NFC 13. In the second quarter, Gannon's second touchdown pass was a 19 yarder to Indianapolis’ Ken Dilger down the left sideline. NFC linebacker LaVar Arrington of Washington gambled in trying to knock the ball down, leaving Dilger a clear path to the end zone and putting the AFC up 28-13. With :06 to go in the half, Akers kicked his third field goal to make the score 28-16 at the half.

The NFC tried to battle back in the third quarter, closing to 28-23 on San Francisco’s Terrell Owens' 8 yard scoring pass from Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb. But Denver’s Jason Elam's 38 yard field goal widened the lead and Baltimore’s Ray Lewis' interception return sealed the victory. Ty Law had already run an interception back for a touchdown in a Pro Bowl. It helped get him co-MVP honors in 1999. So this time the Patriots cornerback let Lewis do the honors for the game's most entertaining play. Law's interception and lateral to Lewis resulted in a 44 yard score that made it 38-23 with 2 minutes and 49 seconds left, halting the NFC's attempted comeback. San Francisco’s Garrison Hearst caught a 15 yard touchdown pass from McNabb with 1:40 remaining. The final was 38-30.

Gannon, who was 8-of-10 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns in a little over one quarter of work, was named the Pro Bowl MVP, becoming the first player to claim back-to-back MVP honors in the Pro Bowl since the NFL began naming just one Pro Bowl MVP in 1973. He joined Johnny Unitas (1960, 1961) , Jim Brown (1962, 1963) and Gale Sayers (1967, 1968) as the only back-to-back winners in history. Aloha Stadium saw the fifth win in the last six games for the AFC, tying the overall series at 16 (since 1971).

In his first Pro Bowl, Ricky Williams rushed for 56 yards, caught three passes for 18 yards, scored two touchdowns and forced a fumble on special teams to earn the MVP award. The AFC beat the NFC for its sixth victory in the last seven Pro Bowls. Starting quarterback Rich Gannon, the MVP of the regular season and the previous two Pro Bowls, went 12-for-18 for 102 yards and two TDs. Akers’ field goal broke the record of 52 yards shared by Sam Baker of Washington and Bert Richichar of the Colts, both hitting that mark in the 1957 Pro Bowl.

ROSTER