Bear Digest

Bears' Legend Devin Hester Reveals Why He Never Watches the Super Bowl

You won't find a better reason to skip the biggest game in football than this one.
Pete Martuneac|
Tony Tomsic-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

There is no bigger television event in America than the Super Bowl. Every year, well over 100 million Americans tune in to watch the final game of the NFL season and see who will be crowned the champion. Celebrities from every form of entertainment will show up for the game, and even some current and former players, too

One former player, however, has apparently made a habit of not watching the Super Bowl: Hall of Fame return specialist Devin Hester. In a recent interview for ESPN, Hester recounted the emotions he felt immediately before and after he returned the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI for a touchdown. "To have that feeling when you look up at the scoreboard and you see yourself running down the sideline and there's no one in sight," Hester says, "it's a feeling that you would never know unless you actually did it."

If it's true that what Hester felt in that moment can only be felt by someone who's done it, then he is truly one-of-one. No one had ever returned the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl before Hester did it, and no one has done it in the 19 Super Bowls since then.

What Hester said next, however, was surprising. Despite being a Super Bowl icon, Hester never watches the Super Bowl. Well, to be precise, he only watches the opening kickoff to see if someone can do what he did. "Every year I watch the Super Bowl for the first 15 seconds, just to see if somebody else is gonna do it. And then after that, I turn the TV."

Devin Hester has earned his right to brag

Talk about an all-time humble brag, but Hester has earned that right. As aforementioned, he remains the only player in NFL history to return the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl for a touchdown, and
considering the new kickoff rules begun in 2025, including a return landing zone, there's a good chance that that feat will be Hester's alone for the rest of time.

It was an iconic moment in Chicago sports history. The coaches for the Indianapolis Colts had said all week long that they would not be kicking to Hester, but head coach Tony Dungy was inspired to kick to Devin Hester by a church chaplain. The chaplian recounted a Bible story, the tale of David and Goliath, to Dungy. Just as David showed no fear when facing the giant Goliath, Dungy believed that his team should not show any fear of Chicago's Goliath, Devin Hester.

He instructed his special teams unit to send the ball directly to No. 23 on the opening kickoff. 14 seconds later, Hester was celebrating in the endzone. The moment was so incredible that, despite the final result of the game, it's still talked about by Bears fans 20 years later.

The Bottom Line

Like I said, Hester has earned the right to flex his Super Bowl moment, even if it ended in a loss. His touchdown created a club of just one man, Hester himself, and 19 years later, no one has joined him. However, I hope that he soon has another reason to watch the Super Bowl, and that would be if the Bears can return to the Promised Land.

That could be as soon as this year. A quirk in NFL history may foretell a Super Bowl title for the Bears in 2026, based off the last two Super Bowl champions. More importantly, they are led by Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson. If they can build on their breakout 2025 season, a return to the Super Bowl is very much on the table, and that may convince the great Hester to watch more than the first 15 seconds.

Caleb Williams and Ben Johnso
David Banks-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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