Editor’s note: The following is an edited version of a story about Clint Longley by Matt Mosley for The Dallas Morning News published Nov. 21, 2004.
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Former Cowboys quarterback Clint Longley, whose name was immortalized on Thanksgiving Day 1974, was a 22-year-old rookie when he replaced a woozy Roger Staubach early in the third quarter and led the Cowboys to a stunning 24-23 comeback victory over George Allen’s Washington Redskins.
Offensive lineman Blaine Nye famously described Longley’s performance (11-of-20 for 203 yards and two touchdowns) as “the triumph of an uncluttered mind.”
In an otherwise undistinguished NFL career that lasted just over three years, that game was enough to make Longley a folk hero among Cowboys fans.