INDIANAPOLIS – Inside Dolphin Stadium, Reggie Wayne was about to catch a wide open 53-yard touchdown with the rain coming down.
Outside, T.Y. Hilton was also trying to dodge Mother Nature while directing cars into parking spots.
At Super Bowl XL, the Colts were inside winning their first Super Bowl in Indianapolis. The high-school aged Hilton was doing what he had done so often at then Dolphin Stadium.
Growing up about 15 minutes south of the iconic home of five Super Bowls (including the last two appearances by the Colts), Hilton would park cars to raise money for his basketball team's jerseys.
Nearly a decade later, Hilton's days of parking cars are long gone.
Instead, this Sunday, the Miami native will be inside of SunLife Stadium trying to earn some bragging rights.
"It's one game that I can't lose, especially with all the uncles and aunties that are Miami Dolphins fans," Hilton, who is expecting to have around 30-35 family and friends at Sunday's game, said earlier this week.
"When it's time to have the family reunion, family picnic, family dinner, I want to be the one talking (trash)."
Andre Johnson's ticket requests for his trip back home is nearing the 200 number.
Like Hilton, Johnson also did some parking of cars in his younger days before going over to grandma's house where he could watch the game on the jumbotron while standing in her front yard.
Ironically enough, Johnson's first ever NFL game was at Pro Player Stadium (the stadium has gone through several name changes over the years).
In the 2003 NFL season opener, Johnson caught six balls for 76 yards in helping the underdog Texans to a win over the Super Bowl favorite Dolphins.
"As a little kid, you always had the childhood dream of playing in the NFL," Johnson says. "I always said, 'I wanted to play in that stadium.'
"It's always fun to play in front of friends and family. It's like a dream come true for me."
The Miami connections for the Colts don't stop at just Hilton and Johnson:
- Darius Butler:From Tamarac, FL, which is about 45 minutes north of Miami.
- Vontae Davis:The Colts cornerback was drafted by the Dolphins in the first-round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Davis played in Miami until August, 2012, when the Colts traded for him.
- Phillip Dorsett:For the past four years, the Colts first-round pick played inside of SunLife Stadium for the Miami Hurricanes.
- Frank Gore:Another 'U' product, Gore attended Coral Gables High School, setting a Miami Dade County record for rushing yards and touchdowns. This will be Gore's first-ever NFL game in Miami. He missed San Francisco's 2009 meeting down in Miami due to injury.
- Kendall Langford:In 2008, Miami took Langford in the third-round of draft. Langford played for the Dolphins from 2008-2011.
- Erik Walden:The Dolphins signed Walden near the end of the 2008 season and he played in 19 games over three years with Miami.
