Staubach's Hail Mary for Cowboys left a 50-year Vikings beef - ESPN

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.'»

Staubach floated a few passes to Pearson as memories flowed back. On that day in Arlington, Texas, the Cowboys were celebrating their alumni with the quarterback and the wide receiver, both Hall of Famers, among the former players on hand — and the Cowboys had a surprise for them.

Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones and chief brand officer Charlotte Jones presented footballs commemorating the 50th anniversary of the most memorable play in Cowboys history: the «Hail Mary.»

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.»

At The Star, where the Cowboys practice, the Ring of Honor statues of Staubach and Pearson are exactly 50 yards apart, with each player's cleats marked in cement. Inside The Star, there is a three-story-long stairwell with a frame-by-frame photo display of the play — from Staubach taking the snap to Pearson crossing into the end zone. Thirty-six photos in all.

Some 471 miles away in Minneapolis, however, the Hail Mary is remembered for far different reasons.

Vikings players of that era remain