Malcom Butler's Unlikely Route: 'I Still Get Chills'

WASHINGTON -- If you watched Super Bowl XLVIII you probably know the name Malcolm Butler.

He secured the win for the New England Patriots in one of the greatest finishes in Super Bowl history. The 25-year-old says he still gets "chills" when he thinks about it.

Now he's working to grow into his fame.
         
This weekend, Butler broke in his brand new tuxedo at the White House Correspondents' Dinner as CBN's special guest. It was one of a number of extraordinary experiences that includes presenting an award at the Grammys, which continue to amaze him.

Just days ago he was with his teammates at the White House where President Barack Obama sang his praises.
         
"Where's Malcolm? He's so small you can't even see him," the president said as the crowd gathered on the South Lawn laughed and Malcolm covered his face.  "But he made an unbelievable play and showed hearts and guts."
         
"He was looking for me; he called me short," Butler told CBN News.

"I don't think I'm that short; I'm just around a lot of big guys," he added with a smile. "It's an honor to have the leader of the world mention your name and congratulate you on your accomplishment."
         
Butler says that when he made the game-winning interception at the Super Bowl, at first he wasn't sure what had just happened. He was in a state of shock.
         
"My teammate, he fell on me and he started crying and, you know, I was shocked. I really didn't know what was going on.  I never thought that would happen to me in a million years, so once he started whining and boo-hooing on me then he made me start crying," he recalled.
         
For Butler, it's been a long journey to the NFL and fame.
         
"You know, I made mistakes in my life and, you know, I think that's one of the things that drives me," he explained.

"And growing up as a child, you know, I really didn't have much and seeing my mom and my family struggle, you know," he continued. "A lot of things can put drive in you and make you want to be a great person."
         
It's what drove him on an unlikely route from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to the NFL, and that life-changing play.

For a private person like Butler, who's still not completely comfortable talking about himself, it's been an adjustment. Yet Butler thanks God for each opportunity and is working hard to be a man his fans can respect.
         
"It's just that relationship that you have with God and I think that's all that matters," he said.