Tag: drew pearson

Cowboys legends Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson team with Washington rival for special HS practice

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys icons partnered with Washington Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green to lead a special high school practice in New Mexico.

Albuquerque, New Mexico is just six hours from Glendale, where the Arizona Cardinals play. It’s about the same distance to Denver, home of the Broncos. But a recent poll shows that most of the Land of Enchantment actually roots for the NFL team that resides 650 miles to the east.

No surprise, then, that past Cowboys icons Tony Dorsett and Drew Pearson would be treated like royalty during a stop in Albuquerque. And even though the former rival who brought them there to serve as their teammate for a day may feel like an odd mismatch, it was all for a great cause.

Seven-time Pro Bowler and Washington football icon Darrell Green hosted a special football practice last week for the city’s Highland High School team. The three Pro Football Hall of Famers and the University of New Mexico Lobos coaching staff not only led the Hornets squad through drills on the field at UNM’s University Stadium, they also spent time with the youngsters to focus on the importance of physical and mental health, higher education, and suicide prevention.

“We’re not playing anymore,” Green said. “We use the memories- the nostalgia, whatever you want to call it, we use that- to come and stand before young people and tell them all the knots, bumps, and scars that we have on our lives so that you don’t get the knots and bumps and scars on your life. That’s what this is really all about.”

Green helped establish the Strong Youth, Strong Communities initiative alongside the Pro Football Hall of Fame and managed care company Centene Corporation several years ago to equip and assist youth and youth-serving organizations across America.

He travels the country for events like last Wednesday’s practice session, using connections he made during his playing days and as a Hall of Fame member to bring a little added star power to each stop.

For the team from Highland High, an under-served Title 1 school, it was important to hear from the visiting Super Bowl legends that it’s not where they start out that determines the impact they can have, it’s where they choose to go.

“They need to understand [for] themselves,” Dorsett said, “the fact that they have leadership qualities, that they can lead what’s going on and make a difference in what’s happening in their schools. Take this platform and make it a positive thing.”

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Highland High was chosen for the event, organized by Western Sky Community Care, because of the Hornets’ performance both on the field and in the classroom, with the team’s players reaching 100% eligibility for the upcoming football season.

Dorsett, Green, and Pearson shared some of their own stories of overcoming adversity, in lessons that they hope will stick with the young players long after they unlace their cleats.

“We all know football’s a tough game,” Pearson told the group. “And that’s why the people that come out of the game, whether you’re in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or not, when you come out on the other side of playing this game, you become a better person.”

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NFL fans loved how Drew Pearson trolled the draft crowd with his love for the Cowboys

Cowboys legend Drew Pearson is back to his NFL Draft trolling.

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson can’t help but antagonize the crowds at the NFL Draft with his love for America’s Team.

Pearson has trolled the crowd at the draft in the past with his love of his Cowboys, and he returned to the stage in Kansas City to begin his heel turn anew.

While this year’s Cowboys taunting wasn’t nearly as raucous as his 2017 appearance, he still knew exactly how to rile up the crowd by talking just long enough about Dallas to stick.

If you’re a Cowboys fan, this is high comedy. If you’re a Cowboys hater, this is nails on a chalkboard. If you’re ambivalent … this is high comedy.

C’mon, how can you hate an NFL legend like Pearson still so gleefully courting the NFL Draft boo birds after all these years? He loves the team he played for, and he’s going to let the folks know it.

Drew Pearson to announce Cowboys pick at 2023 NFL draft

The Hall of Fame receiver is announcing the Cowboys selection Friday night. Will it live up to his previous iteration in 2017? | From @cdburnett7

The second round of the 2023 NFL draft starts Friday night, and the Cowboys will have a familiar face making the selection. 2021 Pro Football Hall of Famer and former wide receiver Drew Pearson will be making the announcement for the Cowboys. Fitting enough, Demarcus Ware is also making a selection for the team he won a Super Bowl with so it’s fair to assume there may be some Dallas camaraderie in Kansas City.

Pearson is an expert when it comes to making a draft selection for the Cowboys. Back in 2017, when the draft was in the hostile territory of Philadelphia, Pearson took the stage with a plethora of boos coming his way and proceeded to deliver one of the most iconic draft pick announcements in its history.

After keeping it calm when he first took the stage, Pearson made sure to give the Eagles faithful an earful. “On behalf of the five-time world champion Dallas Cowboys,” with his hand counting the titles was just the start of the moment. Then Pearson went full superhero.

“All the Cowboys players that played before me, that played with me and played after me,” Pearson shouted over the Philadelphia crowd as he announced the selection of cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. There’s very few bigger icons for Cowboys history and Pearson has another chance to add to his list of iconic moments in this year’s draft at No. 58.

The second and third rounds of the 2023 NFL draft begin at 6 p.m. CT, televised on ESPN, where you can see and hear Pearson’s announcement.

Drew Pearson reveals story on the ‘kick’ before ‘Hail Mary’

The story of the kick before the Hail Mary is finally uncovered

Everyone remembers the original “Hail Mary” when Roger Staubach and Drew Pearson combined to life the Dallas Cowboys over the Minnesota Vikings in a 1975 Divisional Round playoff game.

However, the Cowboys Hall of Fame wide receiver had a previous play on his mind for years.

The Cowboys faced a fourth and 17 a couple of plays earlier and Pearson made a catch to keep the drive going along the sidelines.

A Vikings security guard stationed on the sidelines was so upset he kicked Pearson.

Now, decades later, Pearson meets the security person who delivered the kick.

WATCH: Cowboys greats Pearson, Irvin, Bryant join CeeDee Lamb in TV ad convening ’88 Club’ for first time

Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, and Dez Bryant join CeeDee Lamb in their first-ever group meeting in a new Chipotle ad, set to debut Sunday. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys fans will no doubt get an eyeful of CeeDee Lamb during Sunday night’s game, when the wide receiver is expected to be an integral part of the team’s 2022 season opener against Tampa Bay in a primetime matchup.

But those who pay close attention during the commercial breaks will also see Lamb take part in a cool bit of franchise history.

Lamb will star alongside former Cowboys receivers Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, and Dez Bryant in a new ad for Chipotle. For the fast casual chain, it marks the launch of some new menu items. For fans of America’s Team, it commemorates the first time all four members of the Cowboys’ vaunted “88 Club” met in person.

In the :30 spot debuting during Sunday Night Football, the quartet of pass-catchers talk about the significance of wearing the iconic No. 88 jersey in Dallas, which they all sported for their respective playing careers. Lamb even alludes to the short time immediately following his selection by the Cowboys- in the first round of 2020’s draft- when he announced he wanted to wear No. 10.

In the end, team owner Jerry Jones successfully lobbied Lamb to wear the famed 88 to honor an old college friend, but also to carry on the number’s larger-than-life tradition in Dallas.

The “88 Club” ad (and the behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot) is a fun chance to see the four Cowboys greats chop it up, but Chipotle is hoping it will also lure fans into its more than 3,000 restaurants. “The 88 Club” Menu is already up and running at the Mexican chain and includes the favorite go-to orders of Lamb, Pearson, Irvin, and Bryant.

The CeeDee Lamb Bowl, for example, is white rice, half-chicken, half-steak, fresh tomato salsa, extra cheese, and queso blanco. The Drew Pearson Tacos are three soft flour tortillas filled with steak, romaine lettuce, and cheese. The Michael Irvin Bowl features brown rice and black beans among its ingredients with guacamole on the side; the Dez Bryant Bowl is a chicken bowl with white rice and other toppings.

The personalized menu items are set to be offered for just a limited time, but the members of The 88 Club seem intent on doing more as a foursome, even beyond burritos.

“We had the 88, but we all brought style,” Pearson told the group. “We got something special. We need to stay linked.”

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Cowboys News: Prescott and Amari back to work, ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights

Dallas welcomed two of its offensive stars back on Tuesday, plus a surprising admission from Roger Staubach about new HoFer Drew Pearson. | From @ToddBrock 24f7

Two of the Cowboys’ A-list superstars are back, just as the team goes primetime on HBO. Those were the lead stories as fans geared up for the season premiere of Hard Knocks Tuesday night. While the reality show’s debut lived up to the hype (and offered several intriguing moments), the club gave its fanbase even more to get excited about in the hours before, with a double whammy of good news: quarterback Dak Prescott is throwing once again in practice… and he’s throwing to Amari Cooper, who was taken off the PUP list.

Elsewhere, Cooper’s wide receiver mates Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb are both eyeing big seasons of their own, new linebacker Michael Gallup looks to employ a strategic gambit to getting up to game speed in his rookie campaign, and kicker Greg Zuerlein is supposedly still on track to resume normal kicking duties… but maybe not until Week 1. Roger Staubach makes a somewhat startling admission about his now-Hall of Fame companion Drew Pearson, there’s depth to discuss along both the offensive and defensive lines, one outlet estimates the cost of acquiring a second-year standout, and a rule change from the COVID season makes a welcome return for 2021. Here’s the News and Notes.

‘The wait is over!’ Cowboys legend Drew Pearson revels in Hall of Fame moment

The legendary wide receiver gave an impassioned acceptance speech, spotlighting teammates and coaches while reminding everyone where he was. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Drew Pearson, the legendary wide receiver for the Cowboys of the 1970s and early ’80s, admitted last week that he’s been mistakenly introduced as a Hall of Famer for years. His stats and place in the league’s history have certainly warranted his place there ever since retiring from the game in 1983.

But now that Pearson can officially be called a member of the club, he was clearly excited to, as he put it, “wear it out.” Pearson said the words “Pro Football Hall of Fame” 15 times (and added the abbreviated “Hall of Fame” another eight times) in just 11 minutes at the mic at Tom Benson Stadium on Sunday evening.

Pearson’s long wait- and near-misses- for making the Hall had been well-documented, making his speech one of the most anticipated of the weekend. And the fiery Pearson didn’t disappoint, shouting, “The wait is over!” to open his remarks; spotlighting his bronze bust for having “the biggest Afro in NFL history;” pulling up his pant legs to show off the skinny legs that carried him all the way to Canton; even taking a friendly dig at fellow Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.

After paying tribute to Cowboys founding fathers like Clint Murchison, Tex Schramm, and Gil Brandt, the original member of the 88 Club honored many of his star teammates and coaches by name for the role they each played in his football journey. Ditka, a former Cowboys standout before going on to become the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl-winning coach, got a special mention.

“Thank you, Mike Ditka, my first receivers coach in the NFL,” Pearson said. “Mike was an All-Pro tight end, which means he taught me nothing about running pass routes as a wide receiver.”

The crowd ate it up.

“But, Mike,” he continued, “you taught me how not to just be a pro, but be a professional. And you did that by the passion you showed and that you brought to the Dallas Cowboys.”

Pearson, as expected, brought plenty of passion to his enshrinement remarks, just as he had to his playing days. He spent considerable time thanking his family members, both those in attendance and those who were, in his words, “gone too soon.”

But he also took the occasion to give a shout-out to a relative unknown named Otto Stowe. Stowe was a wide receiver who played just seven games for the Cowboys in 1973, Pearson’s debut season in the league. Pearson emulated Stowe early that year, and it was Stowe’s season-ending injury that opened the door for Pearson to start as a rookie and never give the job back.

“I learned so much from you, Otto,” Pearson said Sunday. “And I would not be here today without you.”

But the person Pearson is most closely linked to professionally is his longtime quarterback, Roger Staubach. Staubach presented Pearson Sunday night, the culmination of a prolific pairing that’s most famously remembered for the 50-yard touchdown versus Minnesota in the 1975 playoffs that served as the NFL’s original “Hail Mary” pass play.

But Pearson was a key figure in several other Cowboys milestone moments, too. He snagged the opening touchdown in Super Bowl X. He threw the final block that sprang Tony Dorsett on his record-setting 99-yard touchdown run in 1983. He caught the game-winning touchdown from Clint Longley in the team’s famous 1974 Thanksgiving comeback. And were it not for a one-handed horse-collar tackle, Pearson would likely have negated Dwight Clark’s “The Catch” in 1981’s NFC Championship Game with a late catch and run into field goal range.

But it’s the Hail Mary that has largely defined Pearson’s career over the years, the moment most fans want to talk about, the photo that he most often signs. Even though Staubach coined the term, Pearson is the one who personalizes his autographs with “Hail Mary to you.”

And that’s how he signed off his enshrinement speech.

“There’s so many special people in my life, but my time has run out. I don’t have a Hail Mary in my pocket, so I’ve got to wrap this up… Hail Mary blessings to you all.”

Pearson may be best remembered for that one miracle catch, but he racked up 555 others over his 11-year career. The Hail Mary was only one score; there were 55 others. And after 8,927 receiving yards (regular and postseason combined), three Super Bowl appearances, three Pro Bowls, three All-Pro nods, a spot on the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team, and a place in the Cowboys Ring of Honor, Pearson can now add “Hall of Famer” to his resume.

Judging by how often he visibly enjoyed saying it Sunday night, that may well be how he signs autographs for the rest of his life.

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Cowboys legend Drew Pearson on Hall of Fame speech: ‘You know I’m going to cry’

The receiver known for his passion says his emotion will be on full display when he is officially welcomed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Drew Pearson has never been shy about showing his emotion. Whether he was chucking the legendary “Hail Mary” ball into the parking lot in Minneapolis in 1975, turning the announcement of a second-round draft pick into a goosebump-raising motivational speech in 2017, breaking down on-camera upon not being selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, or breaking down (again) upon finally getting the call to Canton in February of this year, the Cowboys great has always worn his heart on his sleeve.

But now that sleeve will be in the Hall of Fame’s own proprietary shade of gold. The Original No. 88 says fans can expect his trademark flair for the dramatic when he makes his acceptance speech this weekend.

“I was reading my speech this morning crying! In the hotel room! You know I’m going to cry,” Pearson told NFL Network‘s Steve Wyche and fellow member of the Cowboys’ 88 Club Michael Irvin. “I’m not going to hold it in.”

The honor is a long time coming for the three-time All-Pro wide receiver, who had to wait nearly four decades after hanging up his cleats for the recognition.

“You don’t really know how you’re going to feel once you get in and how it’s going to affect you,” the 11-year veteran said. “But after you get in and you feel the effect, oh man. First of all, as a Dallas Cowboy, you get respect. But now the respect’s at a different level when people come to you. It’s, ‘You deserve it,’ and, ‘It’s all about you.’ They ain’t talking about the team or nothing; it’s all about you. ‘You deserve it,’ ‘Waited too long,’ and all that kind of stuff. It’s everything I expected it to be.”

Pearson had already been to a pair of Pro Bowls before first-ballot selections Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson were even born. By the time bouncing baby Calvin Johnson entered the world, Pearson had been retired from the game for two years. Now they’ll all receive their gold jackets together.

“When we got together at the Super Bowl, my class, I’m there with three first-ballot guys and other great guys,” Pearson recalled. “But it didn’t seem any different; we’re all the same happy. We’re slapping the same fives. First-ballot, thirty-eight years; it didn’t matter. Because you’re in, and that’s all that matters.”

Due to the extra-large class size this year, the NFL has said they will enforce a time limit on acceptance speeches, which will be delivered over two days. Pearson knows it will be difficult to distill all of his emotion and passion for the game into just six minutes. (By way of comparison, tight end Tony Gonzalez went for 40 minutes during his 2019 enshrinement speech.)

“We’ve got limited time, but still, the emotion’s going to be there, especially when I talk about my mom and dad and my deceased brothers and sisters and stuff like that, wanting to get them involved. It’s going to be emotional, but it’s also going to be a celebration. And I’m going to focus on the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys- because they’re the reason I’m there- and my teammates that helped me get there.”

And even if the band has to cut Pearson’s speech short (at eight minutes), his place among pro football immortality will last forever. And he’ll finally be correctly referred to as a Hall of Famer… even if he’s already heard that unofficial tag for years.

“Before I got in, sometimes when I’d do a speech presentation, people would introduce me as a Hall of Famer. I’d say, ‘Do you know something I don’t know?’ Pearson joked.

He always felt he belonged in Canton. So, Irvin wondered, did Pearson accept the accolade anyway?

“Oh, I corrected them,” Pearson explained. “I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do that until I’m in.’ But now you can wear it out. Wear it out, man.”

Pearson will lead Sunday evening’s speeches, beginning at 7 p.m. Pearson’s quarterback and fellow Hall of Famer Roger Staubach will introduce him.

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Drew Pearson names his presenter for 2021 all of Fame induction

Cowboys legend Drew Pearson will be presented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 by Cowboys Hall of Famer Roger Staubach.

After a long wait, Cowboys legend Drew Pearson was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2021. The three-time Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro wide receiver will be enshrined in August with Cowboys Hall of Famer Roger Staubach being his presenter.

Staubach was a large part of the reveal for Pearson, collaborating with team owner Jerry Jones to trick Pearson into coming to The Star, where David Baker was waiting.

The pair of Staubach and Pearson was known for many heroics during their time together in the 1970s, including the first “Hail Mary” in 1975 against the Vikings in the playoffs. In 1978, the Cowboys won Super Bowl XII, led by the duo and legendary head coach Tom Landry.

On August 8, Staubach will present Pearson as part of the Class of 2021 Enshrinement, welcoming him to the Hall of Fame. The Cowboys will also be playing in the Hall of Fame game that weekend against the Steelers.

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Cowboys News: Dak MVP odds high, OTA boycotts bubble while McCoy wants do-over

Also, Ezekiel Elliott finds himself at a crossroads, Drew Pearson talks about his journey, a small-school DB prospect, and retooling at OT.

It’s still mock season, and legendary draft guru Mel Kiper has a new one that defensively-minded Cowboys fans should be happy with. But amidst the hype and hoopla of the countdown to draft day, there’s sobering news on the COVID-19 front as the players union recommends that its members boycott their teams’ voluntary workout programs over heightened virus concerns. Several Cowboys players in particular stand to lose out financially if they don’t attend in-person workouts, so things could get sticky soon.

Elsewhere, we’re spotlighting the offensive tackle position, checking out a late-round small-school DB, dissecting the deals of the two newest Cowboys free agents, talking about a possible return by Gerald McCoy, and exploring Ezekiel Elliott at a critical moment in his career. Also, Dak Prescott’s comeback season now has MVP odds attached to it, and “The Original 88” looks back on his football journey as he prepares to be enshrined in Canton. That’s all on tap in this edition of News and Notes.