It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since Malcolm Butler went Beast Mode in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX. I doubt anyone in Vicksburg will forget where they were when he intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass at the goal line to seal the New England Patriots’ victory over Seattle, or the months of Malcolm Mania that ensued.

I know I won’t.

Like most people, I spent the first three quarters enjoying one of the best Super Bowls ever with no particular rooting interest one way or the other.

And then Malcolm Butler knocked away a pass. And another. And another.

Finally, he made the interception heard ‘round the world.

While all of this was going on, my journalistic Spidey Sense was tingling that we might need to write something about him. That became a certainty with the interception and I sprung into action, scribbling some quotes from his on-field interview.

The next two hours were spent making phone calls to anyone I could think of before they went to bed. I managed to somehow get his mother on the phone inside the stadium. It was like finding a winning lottery ticket and then seeing it fall into a shredder. Between the difficulty of hearing over the crowd noise, the excitement of the moment and not having a clue who I was, she more or less hung up on me.

Just before midnight I sat down to write my story. Every time I started to put a bow on it, some other nugget or interview with or about Malcolm popped up on Sports Center. I’d rush over to the TV to scribble down notes and work them into the story.

At 2 a.m. I heard he and Julian Edelman scream about going to Disneyland. Happiest Place on Earth my foot. That meant another rewrite.

It all finally came together at 3 a.m. I still had to put the paper out at 6:30, so I got in the shower and trudged to the office instead of sleeping. It was early afternoon by the time I got to bed, and then I stayed there the rest of the week.

My wife had gotten the flu a couple of days earlier. By Monday night it was sinking its teeth into me. I spent the next four days in bed, and I think I needed it.

So, here’s rooting for Malcolm and the Patriots to win another Super Bowl when they take on the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday in Super Bowl LI. I just hope this one is a little less eventful.

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Ernest Bowker is a sports writer for The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com