OJ Anderson explains lack of Disney shoutout following Super Bowl XXV

Ottis Anderson Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Former Giants RB OJ Anderson explains lack of Disney shoutout after Super Bowl XXV

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 3/15/23

Former New York Giants running back Ottis "OJ" Anderson has explained why he didn't mention Disney shortly after he was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXV.

Anderson said during the latest edition of the 'Damon Amendolara’s New York Accent' podcast that he and several other possible MVPs were asked before Super Bowl XXV if they wanted to say "I’m going to Disney World" or "I dedicate the win to the troops" upon a hypothetical trophy win. The Super Bowl XXV matchup between the Giants and Buffalo Bills took place during the Gulf War in January 1991.

Anderson made his decision to salute the troops and the rest is history, as they say.

"I don’t know if I was the only one that thought of that, but I know I’m the only one in the history of Super Bowl that ever been played, I’m the only one that never said 'going to Disney,'" Anderson added during the podcast.

Interestingly, Anderson acknowledged he didn't quite understand what had happened immediately after he said what remains a one-of-a-kind Super Bowl phrase.

"I had no idea that I was the Super Bowl MVP," he admitted. "I thought I was Disney MVP until I got into the locker room and (teammate) Lewis Tillman told me I was the MVP of the Super Bowl and (head coach) Bill Parcells came over to me, gave me a big hug, and said 'Congratulations, you’re the MVP of the Super Bowl.'"

Anderson rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries against the Bills. It turns out the two-time Super Bowl champion made history in multiple ways that fateful night.

As Avianne Tan wrote for ABC back in 2016, the Giants have a special connection to the tradition of Super Bowl MVPs declaring that they're traveling to Disney World after championship victories. Former Big Blue quarterback Phil Simms became the first Super Bowl MVP to say, "I'm going to Disney World!" shortly after the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win Super Bowl XXI in January 1987.

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