Vikings fans last December endured the 40th anniversary of Roger Staubach's Hail Mary touchdown pass to give the Dallas Cowboys a 17-14 playoff victory over the Vikings in 1975.
The famous play still bothers Minnesotans and the debate over whether Drew Pearson pushed off before making the catch will never end.
However, Staubach arguably helped steal something much greater from Minnesota sports fans.
Leading up to the Wild and Dallas Stars playoff series, The Dallas Morning News on Tuesday reminded us that Staubach helped lure the North Stars out of Minnesota in 1993. The newspaper dusted off and republished online an article published in March 1993, when the franchise announced it would move to Dallas, that told readers it was Staubach who drove North Stars owner Norm Green around Dallas and befriended him. An excerpt:
Hartford Whalers owner Richard Gordon, who had known the former Cowboys quarterback since advising him on a real estate deal in 1978, thought it would be helpful if Norm Green knew someone in Dallas who knew the territory and had credibility with others Green would have to meet. The next day, Gordon flew to Dallas and introduced Green and Staubach. Staubach showed Green around town, but it wasn't long after that Green bought the Minnesota North Stars. They continued to talk by telephone on occasion. ...
"At first, I was skeptical when Norm called me," Staubach said. "I thought, "Why would this team leave Minnesota?' I think they will move. Dallas is a bigger market.'"
You get the idea. The rest is history -- painful Minnesota sports history. One more reason for fans up here to have less-than-fond memories of Staubach.
Read the rest of the well-detailed article here.
... And, if you dare, relive Staubach's famous pass from 1975.
