"Not long before kickoff between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders on Oct. 19 at AT&T Stadium, Roger Staubach, now 83 years old and wearing his familiar No. 12 jersey, was twirling a football in his hands. Nearby was Drew Pearson. "Roger gave me that nod, pointing like, 'Go down [the field],'" said Pearson, now 74 years old and donning his No. 88. "I said, 'OK, but not too far now.'""
"On a cloudy and freezing day -- Dec. 28, 1975 -- at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota, Staubach launched a bomb that Pearson caught for a 50-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left to beat the Minnesota Vikings 17-14 in a divisional round playoff game. Staubach birthed the now iconic phrase with his postgame comment: "I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary.""
Roger Staubach, 83, and Drew Pearson, 74, reunited at AT&T Stadium before the Cowboys-Commanders game on Oct. 19, with Staubach wearing No. 12 and Pearson No. 88. Staubach twirled a football and floated a few passes while Pearson recalled Staubach's nod signaling him to go downfield. Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones presented commemorative footballs marking the 50th anniversary of the play known as the Hail Mary. The original play occurred Dec. 28, 1975, when Staubach launched a 50-yard touchdown to Pearson with 24 seconds left to beat the Vikings, 17-14. At The Star, the Ring of Honor statues for Staubach and Pearson sit 50 yards apart with each player's cleats marked in cement.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]