David Tyree David Mikel Tyree ( born January 3 , 1980 ) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) for seven seasons . He played college football at Syracuse University . He was drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft . Tyree has also played for the Baltimore Ravens . He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2005 as a special teams player . He is best known for the famous " helmet catch " in 2008 on the Giants ' final drive of Super Bowl XLII in the waning moments of the game . The catch came at a crucial moment , and was instrumental in continuing the drive that eventually resulted in the Giants scoring a last - minute touchdown and a 17 – 14 victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots . Early years . Born in Livingston , New Jersey , Tyree grew up in a one - bedroom house in Montclair , New Jersey with his mother and two older sisters after his parents divorced . He played high school football and was a three - year varsity letterman at Montclair High School , where he was selected as a " Blue Chip Illustrated " All - America n . College career . Over Tyree ' s career at Syracuse , he ranked 13th on the career receiving record list with 1 , 214 yards , including 229 yards against Virginia Tech in 2002 . He also developed a reputation for being an excellent special teams player , amassing six blocked punts . Professional career . New York Giants . Tyree was primarily a backup for the Giants , never catching more than 19 passes in a single season . However , he was known as an exceptional special teamer , and he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2005 as a special teams player . During the 2007 season , Tyree had 4 receptions for 35 yards with no touchdowns ; however , his utilization in Super Bowl XLII was perhaps his most relevant contribution . Tyree made two key plays in Super Bowl XLII . First he caught a five - yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning , Tyree ' s first of the season , that gave the Giants a 10 - 7 lead late in the game . Later , on a 3rd - and - 5 with 1 : 15 remaining and trailing 14 - 10 , Manning eluded a sack and threw 32 yards downfield toward Tyree . In Manning ' s words , the ball " floated " high . Tyree leaped and caught the ball fully extended , bringing it down against his helmet with his right hand , while the New England Patriots ' Rodney Harrison pulled violently downward on that arm , simultaneously wrenching Tyree arching backwards towards the turf . Tyree , who managed to get a second hand on the ball during the descent , seemingly kept the ball only inches from the turf , thereafter struggling successfully for possession while Harrison tried to steal the ball away from him on the ground . The play was known as " the catch " . " I told you . He ' s a gamer " , Eli commented to his brother , Peyton , regarding Tyree , after the game . ESPN Sportscenter designated it the greatest play in Super Bowl history the following day . It was later voted for the 2008 ESPY award for Play of the Year . The pass moved the Giants to the Patriots ' 24 - yard line . Four plays and 24 seconds later , Manning threw a 13 - yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress for the winning touchdown . The final score of Super Bowl XLII was Giants 17 , Patriots 14 . Tyree dedicated this catch , which remains the last catch he has made in an NFL game , to his mother , Thelma , who died of a heart attack that year . In 2008 , Tyree was placed on injured reserve for a knee injury suffered during training camp after being on the physically - unable - to - perform list most of the season . Tyree was released during the final cuts on September 5 , 2009 . Baltimore Ravens . Tyree was signed by the Baltimore Ravens on October 13 , 2009 after working out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . He appeared in ten games with the Ravens , but had no receptions . Retirement . Tyree signed a 1 - day contract with the New York Giants to announce his retirement from the NFL as a Giant on July 29 , 2010 . On February 5 , 2012 , Tyree watched from the Giants sideline as his former team beat the Patriots again in Super Bowl XLVI with the final score being 21 - 17 . Personal . Tyree is married to Leilah , and they have four children : two sons — Teyon and Josiah , and twin daughters — Sophia and Hannah . They reside in Wayne , New Jersey . Tyree battled with alcohol addiction beginning in middle school , and in March 2004 was arrested by the Fort Lee Police Department for possession of marijuana . Leilah told him she was pregnant with their second child the day he was released from jail . Later that month , Leilah " presented Tyree with an ultimatum — her lifestyle or his . " He began reading a Bible on her bed , and " for the first time , the words on the page made sense " to him . Tyree said from that day he never drank again . He and Leilah were married in June 2004 . He is a born - again Christian and has made appearances at the 2008 and 2009 Christian concert " BattleCry " . In 2006 , he and his wife started Next In Line , a project that counsels teenagers in his hometown . In 2011 , Tyree became an advocate against legalization of same - sex marriage in New York with the National Organization for Marriage . Tyree said in an interview that the passage of the Marriage Equality Act would " be the beginning of our country sliding toward . . . anarchy " . He said he would trade his famous catch and the team ' s Super Bowl title to keep marriage between a man and a woman .