Boy Says God Helped Him Win NFL Super Bowl Contest

By Katherine Weber, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, January 30, 2014

Thomas Brown, the lucky 9-year-old who gets to hand referees the game ball at this Sunday's Super Bowl XLVIII, has attributed his winning of an NFL youth contest to God and prayer.

"I knew from the start that I was going to win. I prayed about it and God helped me win," the boy told Wavy.com.

Brown, who attends Norfolk Christian Elementary school in Virginia, recently entered to win the NFL Play 60 Super Bowl contest after reading about the contest on the back of his Boy Scouts' Boys Life magazine. The NFL's Play 60 campaign encourages children to stay active by participating in 60 minutes of outdoor play per day, and in order for Brown to win the contest, he had to pledge to be active for 60 minutes a day and answer three questions about leading a healthy lifestyle.

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The fourth grader plays NFL FLAG football, is a competitive swimmer, and enjoys surfing as well as serving as a Webelo Boy Scout. As the "Super Kid" winner of the Play 60 contest, Brown and his family get to spend this week as VIP guests of the NFL in New York ahead of this Sunday's Super Bowl game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. The 9-year-old, along with getting to be on the field for part of the game, also holds the very special responsibility of handing referees the kickoff ball at the start of the game.

Additionally, the NFL flew Brown and his father down to Pittsburgh to meet his favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brown was able to tour the team's facility, meet team owner Art Rooney Jr., head coach Mike Tomlin, and even have dinner with his favorite player, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who reportedly asked the young boy to say grace at dinner.

Brown has credited all of his recent good fortune to God, telling multiple media outlets that he believes he won the competition, which had thousands of applicants, thanks to his Christian faith.

Brown told the Christian Broadcasting Network that he thinks maybe he was chosen by God to win the competition in order to spread Christianity. "God can make miracles," Thomas said. "I prayed every night about it, and then they told me that I won."

"I think that He's using me to make other kids know Jesus 'cause, like, if I'm on TV, which I will be, and I talk about God, then they'll be like, 'Oh, he's talking about God,' and they might become Christians," the boy added.

Brown's father, Shannon, told Steelers.com that by serving as an active duty Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, his family has had to make a lot of sacrifices for his career, and he is happy the NFL has allowed his son to participate in such an exciting opportunity. "Like other military families, my wife and boys have had to sacrifice a lot over the years during my deployments overseas," said Shannon.