The
Cowboys had finished the 75 season with a 10-4 record with thirteen rookies
on the squad. They entered the divisional playoff a heavy underdog to the
Vikings. With less than two minutes left in a punt-filled defensive struggle,
the Cowboys were trailing 14-10 with the ball on their own 9 yard line.
Staubach connected on 5 passes with Drew Pearson, including a clutch 22-yarder
on fourth down to keep the drive alive where he made the catch and stepped
out of bonds on the 50.
Staubach said later, "I never had a more eerie sensation on a football field than during the aftermath of our touchdown. The crowd was so shocked there wasn't a sound from the stands. It was as though all of a sudden we were playing in an empty stadium. The silance, as they say, was deafening." Later in the locker room he called it a Hail Mary pass -- thrown up as a prayer -- and the name stuck.
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