Drew Pearson

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Pearson was born and raised in South River, New Jersey, and began his football career at South River High School as one of the wide receivers of Joe Theismann. As a junior, he succeeded Theismann as the starting quarterback. He also lettered in baseball and basketball, graduating in 1969. He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Tulsa. As a sophomore in 1970, he was the backup quarterback behind John Dobbs. As a junior in 1971, he was converted into a wide receiver. He finished his college career with 55 receptions for 1,119 yards, 8 touchdowns and a 20.3-yard average per reception. In 1985, he was inducted into the Tulsa Athletics Hall of Fame. In 1998, he received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. In 1973, Pearson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. He helped the Cowboys to three Super Bowl appearances and a victory in Super Bowl XII in 1978. He also scored a touchdown in Super Bowl X. Pearson was known as 'Mr. Clutch' for his numerous clutch catches in game-winning situations, especially the Hail Mary reception from Roger Staubach that sealed the victory over the Vikings in a 1975 playoff game. He rose to become one of the NFL's greatest wide receivers, earning career records of 489 receptions and 7,822 receiving yards, along with 189 rushing yards, 155 yards returning kickoffs, and 50 touchdowns (48 receiving and two fumble recoveries). Pearson was named one of the Top 20 Pro Football All-Time wide receivers, he was also recognized for his achievements by being named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team. Despite this fact, he was the only player from the team to not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the time, including the only one from the offensive first team category. Pearson was named All-Pro three times (1974, 1976–77), All-NFC in 1975 and second Team All-NFC in 1978. In addition, Pearson was a Pro Bowler in 1974, 1976 and 1977. He was named The Football Digest NFL receiver of the year in 1977. He led the National Football Conference (NFC) in pass receptions in 1976 with 58. He served as offensive captain for the Cowboys in 1977, 1978, 1982 and 1983. In 1984, he was named to the Dallas Cowboys' 25th-anniversary team. On August 19, 2011, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced that Pearson had been selected for inclusion into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor. Pearson, Charles Haley and Larry Allen we

In Their Own Story

The most infamous moment of Pearson's playoff career occurred during the 1981 NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers. In the waning moments, he caught a 31-yard pass from Danny White that appeared destined for a game-winning touchdown. However, 49ers cornerback Eric Wright made a one-handed horse-collar tackle—legal at the time—to stop him at the 44-yard line, just outside field-goal range. The Cowboys subsequently fumbled on the next play, preserving the 49ers' victory and their trip to Super Bowl XVI. Conversely, Pearson's brilliance shone brightest in triumphs like the 1975 playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, where he sealed the victory with a famous Hail Mary reception from Roger Staubach. He also caught the game-sealing touchdown in a 1973 playoff win over the Los Angeles Rams and the winning pass from Clint Longley in the 1974 Thanksgiving Day game against Washington. All three plays were later named among the Top 75 in NFL history by NFL Films.

Reader's Guide

Pearson was named All-Pro three times (1974, 1976–77) but the source does not specify whether these were First-Team or Second-Team honors. It separately lists All-NFC in 1975 and second Team All-NFC in 1978, implying the All-Pro honors may have been First-Team, but this is not explicitly stated.

Did You Know?

• Pearson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 1973.
• He was known as 'Mr. Clutch' for his numerous clutch catches, including the Hail Mary reception from Roger Staubach in a 1975 playoff game.
• Pearson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
• He helped the Cowboys to three Super Bowl appearances and a victory in Super Bowl XII in 1978.