NFL: Ranking Quarterbacks who were one-hit wonders
By Nick Villano
NFL: Ranking Quarterbacks who were one-hit wonders: 12. Clint Longley
Clint Longley is one of the original one-hit-wonders. He was the backup to Roger Staubach on those legendary 1970s Dallas Cowboys teams. They traded for him after the Cincinnati Bengals took him in the supplemental draft. During his rookie season, Staubach got injured during the popular Thanksgiving Day game between the Cowboys and Washington.
The Cowboys really needed this win to keep their playoffs alive, but Washington grew a 16-3 lead when Staubach got hurt. He led two touchdown drives, including one that saw him throw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Billy Joe Dupree. The Cowboys got the ball back with 28 seconds left and no timeouts. Longley was on the 50-yard line, and he had to heave it to the end zone.
It is one of the greatest Hail Marys in the history of the NFL. Longley threw it up, and he hit Drew Pearson for a touchdown and the win as time expired.
Staubach would return as the starter, and Longley would be his backup until he punched him in the face. Yeah, Longley punched the legendary Cowboys quarterback in a locker room incident, and he was ousted to the San Diego Chargers. He never usurped Dan Fouts, and his career struggled to gain traction after that. He will always have that one glorious pass, and the legacy surrounding the pass.