Dream comes true for Ross
Return to city caps banner year for 2006 Thorpe winner, Giants starter
Return to city caps banner year for 2006 Thorpe winner, Giants starter

By Jenni Carlson

Published: February 13, 2008

Amid the Super Bowl celebration inside the Giants locker room, Aaron Ross raised his voice against the din.

"We've been waiting all year for this,” he hollered time and again.

Michael Strahan eventually cornered Ross.

"Y'all been waiting all year for this,” the veteran defensive end told the rookie cornerback. "I've been waiting 15 years.”

Remembering those words on Tuesday night, Ross shook his head.

The former Texas Longhorn cornerback has had plenty of head-shaking, life-changing moments these past 12 months.

After all, it was only a year ago that Ross came to Oklahoma City as the 2006 Thorpe Award winner.

Tuesday night, he returned as his successor, Arizona Wildcat corner Antoine Cason, was honored at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

Ross never imagined that he'd come back as a Super Bowl champion.

"Everything is just zoom, zoom, zoom right now,” he said. "I'm still trying to catch up with myself.”

Being a speedster, Ross usually has no problem keeping pace with anything or anyone, but this past year has his head spinning.

"It was too fast,” he said.

First, there was the Thorpe Award, then the NFL Combine, then the first-round selection by the Giants. Had that been the end of the excitement, it still would've made for a banner year.

But that wasn't even close to the end.

Ross became a starter in Week 4, and even though he was pulled from the starting lineup a couple of times, what he did in week five against the Jets showed his potential greatness. He intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown.

Just think what he had done had he played the whole game. Ross missed the first half because he'd violated team rules.

Hey, no one said this past year has been perfect for Ross.

Even during the Giants' amazing playoff run, all was not easy. Ross injured his shoulder in the divisional round against Dallas. It knocked him out of the game and almost sidelined him for the NFC title game against Green Bay.

Ross wasn't about to miss that game, and while he didn't start, he played extensively with his shoulder in a protective brace.

His presence was huge in a secondary that really turned it on in the playoffs.

Then, he had one of his best games as a pro with a six-tackle performance in the Super Bowl.

Players, even great ones, will sometimes go for years without ever playing in a Super Bowl, much less winning one. Ross had plenty of teammates who waited for years before finally having that opportunity. Cornerback Sam Madison. Punter Jeff Feagles. Strahan.

All had words of wisdom for the rookie.

"Treasure the moment,” they told him. "Don't let it pass you by.”

Ross has soaked up every moment. The rally back at Giants Stadium. The parade through downtown New York. The party awaiting him when he got home to Austin, a surprise from his fiancé, Olympic sprinter Sanya Richards.

"I really don't think it's dawned on me,” he said of being a Super Bowl champ. "It's crazy because it's been a life-long dream, a childhood dream.”

Ross used to watch the Super Bowl on television, then go out in the front yard and pretend he was the star. Emmitt Smith. Jerry Rice. Deion Sanders.

He copied their moves. He mimicked their styles. But more than that, he dreamed their dreams.

Ross wanted to play in the Super Bowl.

"To be able to play in it and win it,” he said, "it really hasn't hit me yet.”

He shook his head yet again.

"I'm still livin' a dream.”

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