Washington Football Team: History of the Dallas Thanksgiving matchup
By Jonathan Eig
NOVEMBER 28, 1974
Clint Longley.
Old-time fans don’t need to hear any more. For younger fans — and for that special breed of masochistic old-timer — Longley was the unheralded rookie from Abilene Christian who had never played a down in the NFL prior to this game. He backed up legendary Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach and… well, we’ll get to that in a moment.
First, some context.
Washington was on a roll. George Allen had taken them to their first Super Bowl two years earlier. To get there, Washington crushed Dallas 26-3 in the NFC Championship game. The fourth quarter of that game, played on New Year’s Eve, 1972, constituted a glorious turning point for Washington. The Washington Football Team scored 16 unanswered points to complete their climb from doormat to dominant.
Two seasons later, Washington was again headed for the playoffs. Less than two weeks before the ’74 Thanksgiving game, Washington had sprinted out to a 28-0 lead against the Cowboys, before allowing Dallas to mount a comeback. The comeback fell short, and Washington won 28-21.
Travelling to Dallas a couple weeks later, Washington could clinch a playoff spot with another win. In the lead-up to the game, defensive tackle Diron Talbert had said that if Washington could knock Staubach out of the game, Dallas had nothing but some unknown kid to play quarterback.
Talbert hated Roger. After watching him run and throw his way to victory after victory, all of Washington hated Roger. In fact, the only person who may have hated Roger more was his backup Clint Longley. The two QBs had several well-publicized scuffles during Cowboys practices. One of them sent Roger to the hospital for stitches.
Early the third quarter, a Billy Kilmer pass to former Cowboy Duane Thomas put Washington in front 16-3. Then, linebacker Dave Robinson fulfilled Talbert’s prediction. He knocked Staubach out of the game. With about 25 minutes to go and down 13 points, Dallas turned to Longley.
By the end of the third quarter, Dallas was somehow in front. Longley had completed a 35-yard TD pass to tight end Billy Joe Dupree, and then led the Cowboys on another touchdown drive, culminating in Walt Garrison’s one-yard run.
But Thomas put Washington back in front with his own touchdown gallop in the fourth quarter. Then the miracle occurred. At least from the Cowboys’ perspective.
Dallas had the ball, down by six, with 105 seconds left to play and no timeouts. Longley got them to midfield on a controversial fourth-and-six completion to Bob Hayes that barely secured the first down. Two plays later, with Washington’s secondary falling into a prevent defense, Dallas receiver Drew Pearson sprinted past Washington cornerback Mike Bass and nickel safety Ken Stone.
Longley, nicknamed The Mad Bomber, hit Pearson in stride. There were less than 30 seconds left, and Dallas had seized one of the most unlikely wins in the history of the rivalry.
Washington would go on to make the playoffs as a wild card. Longley would kick around the league a few more years as a backup, eventually moving up to Canada to take one final shot at a football career. Then he would essentially vanish, becoming a recluse, moving around Texas, never willing to talk about that one moment of glory.
But Washington Football Team fans who saw it back in ’74 don’t need to hear him talk it. We aren’t likely to forget. This is not a recommendation, but if for some reason you would like to relive it, here it is.