Hail Mary pass in '75 a play full of disgrace

Did Drew Pearson push off Nate Wright before snaring the winning touchdown pass in the Vikings' heartbreaking loss to Dallas in a 1975 divisional playoff game at Met Stadium? A Minneapolis Tribune account published the next day is clear: We wuz robbed.

Because of one catch that possibly could be called a miracle and two calls that possibly could be called mistakes in judgment, the Dallas Cowboys, in the final 24 seconds of the game Sunday, knocked the Minnesota Vikings off Super Bowl Road by a score of 17-14.

Because of what they thought had been a comeback victory by Minnesota, the last-second loss left fans in a sudden state of sadness and shock. One fan was so perturbed or mentally deranged that he hit an official in the head with a whiskey bottle shortly before the game ended.

The near miracle was the completion of a desperation 50-yard pass to Drew Pearson for the clinching touchdown.

"Our only goal was to throw it and hope for a miracle," said Cowboys Coach Tom Landry, who admitted he was "very, very depressed when the play started because we were trailing and to my way of thinking we had outplayed them the entire game."

One of the possible miscalls came on the final touchdown play; the other preceded it in the Cowboys' quick 85-yard drive to the touchdown.

On the first, Dallas stood on its own 25-yard line in a fourth-and-16 situation. Passing from the shotgun formation, Staubach hit Pearson, who made a jumping catch on the 50 yard-line near the sideline.

"It was a judgment call by the official," said Vikings Coach Bud Grant. "Nate touched him and the official gave Pearson the benefit of the doubt."

The call on the touchdown pass was definitely wrong, in the eyes of the Vikings.

Pearson streaked down the field in a pattern that started much the same way as the fourth-down pass had. He ran to the inside and then turned out. Both he and Wright went for the ball. Pearson came down with it and went in to score.

"It was a little bit short so I had come back a little and that gave me a chance to get away from Nate," Pearson said. "The ball juggled around a little and I finally caught it between my elbow and my ribs. It was a lucky catch, but it was the most important catch of my career.

"It's hard to say. I thought I might have gotten pass interference. It could have gone either way."

"From our side of the field," said Grant, "there is no question that Nate was pushed. No question. He [Pearson] had nothing to lose. If they called a penalty on him, what had he lost? They would just line up and try another long pass. It was one chance in a hundred that he would get away with it, but it was the only chance he had."

"I had a clear view," said Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton. "The man pushed his arm down and pushed Nate down. It definitely should have been offensive pass interference."

Epilogue: Tarkenton's father, the Rev. Dallas Tarkenton, 63, suffered a heart attack and died while watching the game on TV at his home in Georgia. Fran Tarkenton didn't learn of his death until after the game, while watching television with friends in their motor home in the Met Stadium parking lot.