On February 12, 2023, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker performed a feat that very few NFL players can claim to have completed: After having kicked a game-winning field goal in the AFC Championship game to beat the Bengals, he kicked what turned out to be another game-winning field goal as he put the Chiefs ahead of the Eagles with just eight seconds to go in the Super Bowl.

But while millions are aware of Butker’s incredible talent on the field (164 field goals made, 271 extra points made, scored 763 career points), many might not be aware of Butker’s off-field life and devotion to the Catholic faith.

Harrison Butker joined John Morales on Morning Air today to talk about his second Super Bowl win, his spiritual life, and what it means to be a truly dedicated Catholic athlete.

John began by asking what it felt like leading up to the kick that won him his second Super Bowl in four years and Harrison responded that today was the first time he’s heard the on-air calls of those two game-winning kicks and sometimes he just forgets that his name is Harrison Butker and he’s the one that people are talking about. It’s surreal for him.

“I’m just sitting back in awe at those games, at the way they came down, and a lot of times it doesn’t even feel like I’m the one kicking the football or even playing in the game,” he said. “I feel like I prepare to the best of my ability throughout the week leading up to the game, and then when I go out there, I trust in Our Lord, I trust in Our Blessed Mother, and I really do feel like Our Lord completely takes over and His will is done out there. I wouldn’t be able to handle those types of pressure kicks if it wasn’t for that foundation in Jesus Christ.”

Butker said that he had a feeling it was going to come down to a kick in the Super Bowl because the game was tied when the Chiefs got the ball late in Super Bowl LVII. So, he went to the kicking net, put himself in a bubble, and concentrated on his process. He explained that when you’re in a game like that, “If you give too much credit to the pressure that’s around you, then a lot of times, you’re going to fold.” Butker said he prays the rosary on the sidelines to keep himself centered and calm in high-pressure games.

“I try to make the biggest kick of my career feel the same as a kick that I have in practice, and I make my practice kicks feel like the biggest kick of my career, so the idea behind that is trying to make every kick feel like the exact same kick.”

Butker, who left the Church when he was young, said he made a reversion when he was in college and went to confession to begin again. His best friend Grant was a big proponent of saying the Holy Rosary daily, and he encouraged Harrison to think about getting into the habit. So he did. And ever since, Harrison said it’s been instrumental in prioritizing the will of God over his own accomplishments, which gives him peace for whatever happens in his life, personally or professionally.

“People say, ‘Wow, Harrison, you’ve won two Super Bowls, the game-winning kick. How does it feel?’ And I can give all of the glory back to God because, without Him, I am nothing.”

Butker said he’s grateful for his talent and his position in the NFL, and he realizes that all things are temporary. When his time comes to retire, he will be called by God to use his talents elsewhere in the service of Our Lord. But for now, this is his bid in life and because we are asked by God not to squander the abilities we’ve been given, he will glorify God in the NFL as a kicker for as long as he is able.

John recalled Harrison’s attention to the first quarter of the Super Bowl when he missed a 42-yard field goal and asked him what role failure plays in his life as not only an athlete but as a Catholic.

“I would, obviously, have loved to have made that kick, but this season especially, with other kicks throughout the season – big kicks that I missed – I was able to learn to grow in humility.”

Butker said that even though he could make football the focus of his entire existence by training harder than anyone else and practicing more than anyone else, failure is always a possibility, and as a servant of God, we have to trust that that is God’s will, and He has something better in store for us.

“In football, it’s not good to miss kicks. It’s not good to fail. But Our Lord is thinking about our souls and what we need to be purified and grow so that we can be ready to meet Him one day face-to-face and hopefully share the beatific vision with Him and all the saints.”

Tune in to Morning Air weekdays at 5am CT