Roger Staubach is 82 years old. Yes, that is hard to believe, especially if you're old enough to remember when Staubach was James Harden Jersey the face of the during an era when pro football surpa sed baseball as America's No. 1 pastime.Staubach's football legacy is as good as it gets. The last Heisman winner to come from a military academy, Staubach fulfilled his military service before enjoying an 11-year career with the . Staubach led the Cowboys to two wins and two other trips to the big game despite not becoming a starter until he was 29.In honor of Staubach's birthday (he was born on Feb. 5, 1942), we decided to look back at his most famous play, one that continues to be part of NFL lore.It's been nearly a full half-century since Staubach completed a miracle pa s that has forever been known as the "Hail Mary." The pa s, which took place on Dec. 28, 1975, lifted the Cowboys to an upset win over the defending NFC champion in the divisional round of the playoffs. Back then, the Vikings played their games at Metropolitan Stadium. It had no roof, which gave the home team an enormous home-field advantage late in the season, especially against warm-weather teams like the Cowboys. The weather for this game followed suit, with the kickoff temperature at 25 degrees (with a 17 degree wind chill) and 8 mph winds.Minnesota struck first when All-Pro running back Chuck Foreman blasted through the Cowboys defense from a yard out. It was the only score Chris Chiozza Jersey of a first half dominated by Dallas' "Doomsday" defense and Minnesota's "Purple People Eaters" gang. The best defender on this day was Vikings future Hall of Fame lineman Carl Eller, who managed to record three sacks of Staubach.Led by Staubach and his three-headed backfield of Doug Dennison, Preston Pearson and Robert Newhouse, the Cowboys took their first lead on Dennison's touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Minnesota, behind the running and receiving of Foreman, regained the lead when Brent McClanahan's second effort got him acro s the goal line late in the fourth quarter. Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. After its offense went backward on its ensuing drive, Dallas' defense gave Staubach another chance when safety Charlie Waters came up and stuffed Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton on a running play to the outside on third-and-2, forcing a punt with under two minutes left.Staubach and the Cowboys offense moved 35 yards to midfield with 32 seconds left on the clock. On second-and-10, Staubach pump faked to his right before going for it all down the near sideline. The slightly underthrown pa s fell right into the hands of Drew Pearson, who put the Cowboys in front for good. Instead of the Vikings, it would be Landry's D'Angelo Russell Jersey Cinderella Cowboys advancing to the NFC Championship Game.After the game,when asked about the play. "I was a Catholic kid from Cincinnati, and they asked me, 'What were you thinking about when you threw the ball,'" Staubach recalled, via the team's official website. "I said, 'When I closed my eyes I said a Hail Mary.' I could have said Our Father, Glory Be, The Apostles Creed."So he picked it up and gradually, instead of the bomb or the alley-oop, those were kind of the big plays winning games back then. He coined the phrase and, of course, I said it. The recognizes I said it, and slowly but surely it took off. Now it's used for everything." No. 15: Roger Staubachs Hail Mary TD pa s to Drew Pearson (Dec. 28, 1975) : NFL 100 Greatest Plays on NFL Tyler Johnson Jersey (@NFL) Pearson, who joined Staubach in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, accounted for all of the Cowboys' 91 yards on their game-winning drive after not making a catch during the game's first 58 minutes. While his touchdown catch is part of NFL lore, his catch two plays earlier with Dallas facing a fourth-and-17 is perhaps even more impre sive. On the play, Pearson streaked downfield before cutting toward the near sideline. After pulling down Staubach's pa s, Pearson was actually got, who surely didn't like what transpired two plays later. While Pearson and the Cowboys were celebrating, the Vikings argued that Pearson had committed offensive pa s interference on the play. Pearson and cornerback Nate Wright made contact with each other as Pearson put himself in position to catch the pa s. As Wright fell to the ground, Pearson caught the pa s, then danced the remaining 5 yards for the score."Must have been a lot of people praying," , "because it was a lucky catch."Pearson certainly doesn't regret his contact of Wright on the game-winning play. He does, however, regret throwing the historic ball into the stands after scoring the touchdown. "I can't believe I did that," Pearson said with a laugh in 2021.The historic play propelled the Cowboys to the NFC Championship, where they dismantled the to earn a third trip to the in six years. Pearson opened the Super Bowl with a touchdown, but he and the Cowboys ended up on the short end of a 21-17 score vs. the . Pearson and the Cowboys would win the franchise's second Super Bowl two years later before losing another epic showdown with Pittsburgh in the final Super Bowl played during the '70s.The Vikings, losers of three prior Super Bowls before losing the "Hail Mary" game, would make it back to the Super Bowl in 1976. The result was similar to the Vikings' three previous trips to the big game, as the dominated from start to finish while winning their first championship.The lo s, or more specifically, the Vikings lost that game still doesn't sit well with Tarkenton, who wonders what may have been had Staubach's prayer not been answered. "That was one of our best teams," Tarkenton . "That Wilson Chandler Jersey 's how we lose."