Credit: Benjamin Reed Flickr
In February of 2002, 11x NBA All Star, Charles Barkley, was visiting Las Vegas. He was still fairly new to retirement from basketball, and was enjoying one of his favourite past times – casino gaming.
While at Mandalay Bay, he visited the sportsbook and saw that the New England Patriots were plus-14, making them one of the biggest underdogs in Super Bowl history.
Barkley liked these odds so much, that he not only took the bet, but laid a stonking $500,000 on the line. He wasn’t done there, though. He also found another $50,000 to bet on the Patriots winning the game outright, taking odds of something like 3/1.
He has always been a little vague about these numbers, but he has confirmed he won around $1.5 million, with would make the overall odds something like 2/1.
Back in 2002, that was worth £1,060 009.27.
We know now that this was the dawn of New England’s period of dominance, thanks in no small part to they young quarterback, Tom Brady, who you might have heard of.
Barkley didn’t have a crystal ball in 2002 though, he just saw an opportunity where the bookies had priced it wrong, and he took advantage.
Patriots Win Super Bowl XXXVI
Super Bowl XXXVI was held on February 3, 2002, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, and New England’s Opponents were the St Louis Rams, featuring superstars like Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk.
The Rams were huge favourites, and took an early lead in the first quarter, when Jeff Wilkins kicked a 50-yard field goal, putting them ahead 3-0. The Patriots responded in the second quarter with a pivotal defensive play. Ty Law intercepted a pass from Rams quarterback Kurt Warner and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown. This, along with Adam Vinatieri’s extra point, gave the Patriots a 7-3 lead, but they weren’t done.
As the second quarter neared its end, the Patriots extended their lead when young Tom Brady led a crucial drive, culminating in an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver David Patten. Vinatieri’s extra point made it 14-3, and the Patriots went into halftime looking surprisingly confident.
In the third quarter, they added another 3 crucial points to their tally. Vinatieri kicked a 37-yard field goal, increasing the lead to 17-3. The Rams, however, mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter. Kurt Warner led a drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Warner himself, narrowing the Patriots’ lead to 17-10.
Then, with just over a minute and a half left in the game, Warner threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ricky Proehl, tying the game at 17-17. With 1:21 remaining and no timeouts, Tom Brady led the Patriots on a determined final drive. He made several key completions, including passes to wide receiver Troy Brown and tight end Jermaine Wiggins, advancing the Patriots into field goal range.
As time expired, Adam Vinatieri successfully kicked a 48-yard field goal, securing a 20-17 victory for the Patriots, and a double win for Charles Barkley, whose bets had both come in thanks to that final 3 points.