Former president George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush oversaw the coin toss at Super Bowl LI on Sunday, February 5. The event marked their first public appearance since being hospitalized within days of each other last month. Watch the couple on the field in the video above!
George, 92, and Barbara, 91, were all smiles as they took the field in their native Houston at NRG Stadium. Clad in a suit, George arrived in a wheelchair. Barbara wore a blue blouse, a red scarf and tan pants as she arrived on a golf cart alongside her husband.
The couple were greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd, which included Vice President Mike Pence, who was seen smiling and clapping from his seat.
The 41st POTUS flipped the coin, which landed on tails. The Atlanta Falcons won the coin toss, and chose to defer to the second half of the game.
Former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton‘s daughter, Chelsea Clinton, tweeted a sweet message to the Bushes shortly after they took the field. “So happy to see President George H.W. Bush & Mrs. Bush looking so healthy & strong #SuperBowl,” she wrote.
So happy to see President George H.W. Bush & Mrs. Bush looking so healthy & strong #SuperBowl
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) February 5, 2017
Their appearance came days after George was released from the hospital after being treated for pneumonia. He was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital on January 15 and was later admitted to the intensive care unit, forcing him to be the only living former U.S. president to skip President Donald Trump‘s January 20 inauguration. Barbara was admitted to the same hospital on January 18 for bronchitis, but was discharged on January 30.
