“They give out the MVP every year. I own a record that can stand forever.” Dwight Smith has always said this when discussing his Super Bowl XXXVII snub, after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Oakland Raiders 48-21. The former Bucs safety remains the only player in NFL history to record two pick-sixes in a Super Bowl.

However, when the time came to hand out the MVP award, Smith was overlooked, with his teammate Dexter Jackson receiving the honor instead. More than two decades later, Smith says that record means the world to him.

“My name is Dwight Smith. I played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and I scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Matter of fact, I scored two,” said Smith recently. “Well, during the week, they have the media time. All the media is telling me that the Raiders are going to keep three receivers on the field, so that they can keep me on the field to throw the ball at me. And I told them then, if that’s their plan, I will be winning MVP. And the rest is history.”

Dwight Smith indeed created history that day. Against the Raiders, the Buccaneers were already dominating, but a pair of Dwight’s pick-sixes effectively turned the game into a rout. The first came during the third quarter. Tampa Bay entered the second half leading 27-3 and put together a 14-play, 89-yard touchdown.

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Subsequently, Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon dropped back and threw an interception to Dwight Smith, and the safety returned it for a 44-yard touchdown. It extended the Buccaneers’ lead to 34-3 with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter. By the time Smith caught another pick-six, the Raiders had found some offense. Jerry Porter orchestrated a 39-yard touchdown, Eric Johnson blocked a 13-yard punt return, and Jerry Rice scored another 48-yard touchdown.

The Buccaneers’ defense, however, answered it with another pair of pick-sixes. Derrick Brooks intercepted Gannon and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown, putting Tampa Bay ahead 41-21 with 1:18 remaining. Later, after Gannon attempted another pass, the ball was tipped, and Smith intercepted it for a 50-yard touchdown, his second during the matchup.

“At that time of the game, they don’t have any timeouts,” Smith added. “They’re trying to get out of bounds. And Greg Spires tips the ball. I mean, it’s a layup after that. Spires grabs me, and they’re saying over there, intercom, and the Super Bowl MVP, and Spiers is pointing at me. And they’re like, Dexter Jackson.

“I mean, in the moment, you’re thinking about, should I have been the MVP? You don’t understand that you’ve done something nobody who’s ever walked the earth has done before. I’m the only player to have two pick-sixes in the Super Bowl, so it means the world to me.”

After Dexter Jackson was named the Super Bowl XXXVII MVP, it sparked a debate, with many believing Smith was snubbed despite his performance. Jackson recorded two of the Raiders’ record five interceptions.

However, considering Jackson’s turnovers resulted in just three points while Dwight Smith’s interceptions led to 12 points, the decision has since been viewed as one of the most undeserving MVP selections in NFL history.

Smith, meanwhile, has since moved on from it, as he still remains the only player in NFL history to record two pick-sixes in a Super Bowl matchup.