MCKINNEY, Texas — Alexa Bibb and Devin Manigo were a little nervous on Super Bowl Sunday.
The nine-year-olds were in Miami. Bibb, Manigo and 30 other kids were selected to run onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium as part of the NFL’s "Next 100" commercial, which aired right before kickoff.
“I was a little bit nervous at the start,” Manigo said.
“We were waving our arms, trying to get the crowd pumped up,” Bibb said.
Each of the 32 NFL teams held a contest where kids, ages 9 to 12, were asked to submit highlight reels showing off their football skills. Each team selected a winner, who was awarded Super Bowl tickets.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Manigo from McKinney. Cardinals’ WR and Texas A&M grad Christian Kirk flew to Manigo’s house and surprised him with the news that he’d won their contest. Kirk is Manigo’s favorite player.
“I thought he was a piece of paper!” Manigo said, when he first saw Kirk standing in his living room.
The Dallas Cowboys selected Bibb from Lavon. She and her family were invited to The Star in Frisco, where they were surprised with Super Bowl tickets.
Bibb said she chose to run out onto the field wearing bright pink shoes, and at first, they weren’t approved.
“They said you cannot wear these pink shoes,” Bibb said. “They want(ed) me to wear some ugly shoes.”
In the end, Bibb was allowed to wear the pink shoes.
Sunday's "Next 100" commercial stars Maxwell "Bunchie" Young, Sports Illustrated's 2017 SportsKid of the Year. To watch the full commercial, click here.
This year’s "Next 100" commercial was inspired by last year's version.