By Edward Hill
Drew Pearson is probably still crying somewhere.
But instead of tears of disappointment as they were last January when he was denied entrance into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the 2020 Centennial Class; this time they’re tears of unbridled joy, pride and satisfaction.
The legendary receiver achieved football immortality last Saturday [February 6th]when it was announced that he would go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Class of 2021, officially correcting an egregious oversight and ending a personal 33-year wait for a man who made the No. 88 jersey a sacred symbol with the Dallas Cowboys.
Pearson was known as “Mr. Clutch” during an 11-year career with the Cowboys.
He retired as the team’s all-time leader in pass receptions and passing yards and was linked to many of the legendary plays in Cowboys history that helped forge their “America’s Team” moniker and championship pedigree.
The high school teammate of former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann, Pearson played in three Super Bowls, winning the title with the Cowboys in 1978; he will be forever known for his “Hail Mary” catch in the Cowboys’ 1975 divisional playoff win over the Vikings.
There was never a question about Pearson’s greatness during his career. Still, he was the only member of the 1970s All-Decade Team not in the Hall of Fame.
Until now. And now his football legacy is secure. A dream deferred, but not denied. It’s still just as sweet.
“I can’t imagine it being better if I got in earlier or sooner,” said Pearson, who began what has been a stellar football career at South River High School in his hometown of South River, NJ.
“This experience has been very rewarding. The timing of it has been amazing. Seventy years old andnowIamlookedatasaHall of Famer and I can be that for the rest of my life.”
A recipient of numerous honors and recognitions, the University of Tulsa alum was also inducted into the Tulsa Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985. There’s something extra special here though.
“This creates immortality for Drew Pearson,” he explained. “In life, we try to establish something that outlives us and this is going to outlive me.” His decades-long wait for the Hall of Fame was largely a product of the times, as most of his career numbers came in an era when the running game was more prominent, prior to the shift to the pass-happy movement and the explosion of receiver stats.
“I was disappointed a few times,” the businessman, philanthropist and radio/tv broadcaster added. “I know it’s a tough process. I survived that process. I am a Pro Football Hall of Famer now. That is all that matters.”
The wait was long. But the joy is forever.
According to Pearson, his inclusion among the eight-member Class of 2021 has lifted a huge weight off of not only his shoulders; but also his family and his former teammates.
“It’s the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Pearson said. “You are going to wait as long as you need to wait. I am 70 years old. I will enjoy it. The wait was well worth it when you get the word. It’s still a big deal.”
It’s football immortality.
And yes, there were tears and they are likely still flowing.
But again, they were tears of joy, unlike last January when he was not voted in as a member of the Hall of Fame’s Centennial Class of 2020.
A despondent and inconsolable Pearson wailed “they broke his heart” before family and friends in a video that went viral during what was supposed to be a celebration party.
There was no party when the announcement was made this time.
But there were tears of shock, awe and surprise—thanks to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach and Pro Football Hall of Fame CEO David Baker.
Pearson said Cowboys public relations director Rich Dalrymple wrote him a letter saying that Jones had requested his presence at the Cowboys’ headquarters at the Star in Frisco for a meeting.
“He said he didn’t know what it was about, but he thought it had something to do with real estate and the businesses going on at The Star,” Pearson recalled. “I figured this was logical, because Roger and Jerry are involved in a business deal with a high rise condominium there, and I thought maybe they wanted to include me in this deal.”
Jones was already waiting in a meeting room just off the lobby of the main entrance when Pearson and Staubach arrived.
“We come in, he says a few words and they’re talking—and the next thing you know, you hear that knock on the door,” Pearson said.“Jerry tells me to go open the door, so I open the door and bam—the doorway was filled with Mr. David Baker. And he never looked so good. If it wasn’t on camera I probably would have kissed him. It brought me to tears.”
In another viral video, an emotional Pearson said he was stunned.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I have always wanted this for a long time. I promise to live up to what the Hall of Fame is all about. You are giving me a chance at immortality. The legacy of that is amazing.”
What was amazing was the huge Afro that Pearson wore during the 1970s. He had kids idolizing him and wanting their Afro hanging out the back of their helmet.
He is bald now, but he said that afro will be included on his Hall of Fame bust, the biggest afro in NFL history. And then there were the iconic plays that were some of the most famous in NFL history.
Most notable was the 50-yard “Hail Mary” reception from Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach to lift the Cowboys to a 17-14 win at the Minnesota Vikings in the 1975 NFC divisional-round game. It created the term “Hail Mary” in football for last second game-winning touchdown passes.
There was also the 50-yard touchdown reception from unknown-rookie Clint Longley, who replaced an injured Staubach, to clinch a comeback victory against rival Washington on Thanksgiving in 1974. Pearson caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Danny White to rally the Cowboys to a victory against the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round in 1980.
And he was blocking down the field when Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett set an NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings on a Monday night game in 1983.
Pearson made the 88 Club legendary in Dallas. It followed with Michael Irvin, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, Dez Bryant, the team’s all-time leader in touchdown catches, and now CeeDee Lamb, who with 74 catches last season established a new team rookie reception record.
Not bad for someone who played quarterback in college and started his career with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 1973.
“You can’t tell the story of the NFL without him,” Irvin said of Pearson “He is in his rightful place. Thank God he is going home where he belongs. I get emotional thinking about it.”
More tears will come during the official induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio in August.
You can count on it!
Pearson, inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in 2011, will become the 20th member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who were elected based on their accomplishments with the Cowboys.
The others are: Jones, Gil Brandt, Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aikman, Larry Allen, Charles Haley, Bob Hayes, Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders, Mel Renfro, Bob Lilly, Randy White, Rayfield Wright, Staubach, Dorsett, Irvin and Cliff Harris, a safety who’s a member of the Centennial Class.
