Tyree, who caught four passes during the season, leapt through the arms of New England safety Rodney Harrison and caught the ball by pinning it against the top of his own helmet, holding on even as Harrison tackled him.

The Giants went on to score a touchdown with 35 seconds remaining to win the game 17-14. Coach Tom Coughlin, who won two titles with the team as an assistant in 1986 and 1990, and Steve Sabol, president of NFL Films Inc., both called Tyree's grab the greatest play in Super Bowl history.

"There's no reasonable explanation," Tyree said. "God? Angels? I'm just happy to be a part of history."

Championship Catches

History records an elite group of improbable NFL playoff- game passing plays that have names. A throw from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw to running back Franco Harris in the fourth quarter of the 1972 American Football Conference title became known as the "Immaculate Reception" after the ball bounced off Oakland Raiders safety Jack Tatum, flew backward and into the arms of Harris, who ran it in for the game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds remaining.

A pass with 51 seconds remaining in the National Football Conference championship from San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana to Dwight Clark became "The Catch" in 1982 after two Dallas Cowboys defenders sent Montana scrambling toward the sideline, where he threw over Ed "Too Tall" Jones. Clark leapt to snag the ball in the end zone for the winning touchdown.
Tyree said he hasn't figured out how to make money off his role in the title game, though he is taking calls on the subject.

"I'm sure they want a piece of the pie -- the big old pie that's out there," Tyree said. "But it's all been great. I couldn't even wish to pray for something of this magnitude to happen."