It is often said the stone that the builder refused turned out to be the head corner stone.

Perhaps the same could be said for New York Giants' Bermudian linebacker Antonio Pierce who had to overcome rejection and many hardships before finally realising his dream of playing in the NFL.

Having been ignored by some of the so-called bigger US colleges, overlooked for the NFL draft and then sidelined for most of his debut season with the Giants through injury, make no mistake, Pierce has certainly paid his dues - and then some! Cleo Burrows, Pierce's father, has been in his son's corner from day one and is all too familiar with many of the challenges he has had to face in pursuit of his dreams.

"It's definitely been a struggle for him every step of the way. I remember when Antonio graduated from high school and thought he would automatically get a scholarship at one of the Big Ten colleges. It did not happen," he recalled.

"In America there's millions of kids that are just as good as you are. I attended high school and college in the States and seen a lot of talented people who did not even make it to the college level, let alone the pro level.

"It was a struggle for Antonio when he went to Arizona (University of Arizona) to try and make the first side and also at Washington (Redskins) where he made it as a free agent because nobody drafted him from college. I think they (Redskins) called him an hour after the draft and invited him to come out to Washington.

"Some of my close friends who have travelled with me to see Antonio play over the past seven years know exactly what he's been through, like when he got injured (ankle) during his first year in New York. That was not a nice feeling at all." It's during times of adversity when others might've long thrown in the towel that Pierce seems to thrive on, a trait that has earned the Bermudian hard-earned respect among both foe and peer alike.

"Antonio has always had to prove himself," Burrows noted. No doubt Pierce will be out to prove something else this weekend, prove that his Giants indeed belong in the big dance after dismantling Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay Packers in the National Football Championship (NFC) to set up a Super Bowl showdown with unbeaten American Football Championship (AFC) champions New England Patriots.

Burrows has not missed a single Giants game this season. And this week will be no exception as he plans to make the trip to Arizona to support his son from the stands at arguably the biggest show on earth.

And like his now famous son, who he has fittingly dubbed the "quarterback" of the Giants' defence, Burrows is backing the men from the Meadowlands to go the distance and deny the Patriots the "perfect season".

"I think the Giants are going to go all the way because these guys are hungry," he declared. "The Patriots are great, not to take anything away from them. But the Giants stand a good chance because they are hungry and when you are hungry you can always win.

"Obviously there's a lot of pressure there, but the Giants have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I think it's going to be a battle, but everybody is starting to gel and it's going to be another team effort." Since the Giants beat the Packers to become the first NFC wild card team since the 1975 Cowboys to reach the Super Bowl, understandably, the Burrows family has been abuzz.

"Everybody in the family is just so excited while my mom (Gwenith Burrows) has been glued to the television," Burrows said. "It's just been great and to see your kid out there playing with the best of the best is a great feeling. "No matter where I go people are congratulating me and Antonio also appreciates all of the support he has received from the people in Bermuda. He's very appreciative of that because it has been a long dream of his to play in the Super Bowl, and now he's about to realise that dream.

"Last year it was the (NFL) Pro Bowl, which was great. But to now top that off by going to the Super Bowl. . . . that's just the ultimate. All of this is just so phenomenal because I've seen the struggle from when he was just a free agent. Now whenever we go to dinner or walk into a hardware store people want his autograph.

"It's great to see your son playing in the NFL and also a great feeling to see Antonio finally achieving some of his goals. I think it's every parent's dream is to see their child reach their goals and doing what they like to do."