INTRO from The Sports Time Traveler
Super Bowl X was played on the 3rd Sunday in January in 1976. I remember it well. I was 12 years old, and my eyes were glued to the 12-inch Sony Trinitron TV in the den of my house.
I was rooting for the Cowboys because of a hometown connection to wide receiver Drew Pearson, and an admiration for quarterback Roger Staubach, who had served 4 years in the Navy, including 2 years in Vietnam, and had only became an NFL starting quarterback at age 29.
The Staubach-Pearson connection reached the crescendo of excitement 3 weeks earlier when Roger Staubach coined the phrase, “The Hail Mary Pass.” His desperation last-minute 50-yard TD bomb to Drew Pearson had knocked the #1 seed Vikings out of the playoffs in the 1st round. It was the most exciting football play I had ever seen.
You can read my article on that Cowboys - Vikings game, and see the original Hail Mary pass at this link:
The Hail Mary Pass That Beat the Vikings
Next, the Cowboys steamrolled over the #2 seeded Rams in the NFC Championship game 37 - 7 to become the first Wild Card team to ever reach a Super Bowl.
Their opponent would be the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers, who were the #1 seed in the AFC.
It was a classic matchup. Never before had 2 teams that had previously won a Super Bowl (Pittsburgh in 1975 and Dallas in 1972) faced off in a Super Bowl.
And now I take you back in time to January 1976 for Super Bowl X.
THE ORANGE BOWL, MIAMI - January 19, 1976
The Sports Time Traveler is here virtually in Miami, where yesterday the Steelers and the Cowboys played a thriller of a Super Bowl.
You can watch the game as I did via this video of the original CBS broadcast with announcers Tom Brookshier and Pat Summerall:
My comments on the game are below with timestamps from the video:
2:00 - Listen as CBS play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall describes the Cowboys - Vikings playoff game saying, “Roger threw what he called a Hail Mary.” That term is a brand new addition to the sports lexicon here in 1976.
17:00 - The Cowboys run a trick play on the opening kickoff return, and it works as they gain 50 yards and begin play on the Steelers’ 44.
25:00 - It’s classic Staubach to Pearson for a 29-yard TD and Dallas has a 7 - 0 lead.
29:20 - Bradshaw throwing from his own 45 connects with Lynn Swann at the Dallas 15. Swann makes a spectacular sideline catch. I had to watch it a half dozen times to figure out how he caught the ball and stayed in bounds. Moments later, Pittsburgh gets into the end zone and the game is tied at 7.
55:20 - It’s one of the rare times in the 1st half that CBS actually shows the score and the time left to play on the screen. Watching games here in 1976 is a totally different experience than in the present time. You’re nearly completely dependent on the announcers to know what is the score, and how much time is left. At this point in the game it’s 10 - 7 Cowboys late in the 1st half.
1:04:50 - With about 3 minutes to go in the 1st half, the Steelers have a 3rd and 10 from their own 10. Terry Bradshaw drops back to pass, and he throws the ball while standing on his own goal line. Lynn Swann is at midfield and is covered. He leaps for the ball. It bounces off of him and as he’s falling to the ground he grabs the ball on the rebound. It’s one of the most sensational receptions in Super Bowl history.
But the completion is meaningless as the Steelers can’t score and the Cowboys retain the 10 - 7 lead at the half.
Cowboys Dominance in the Playoffs
The Cowboys have now outscored their opponents in the playoffs 54 - 14 over the last 6 quarters plus the final minute of the Vikings game, and 64 - 28 for the entire playoffs.
This is remarkable since the Vikings, Rams and Steelers were by far the best 3 teams in the NFL during the season, with the best 3 defenses, all yielding under 200 points for the season (less than 14 points per game).
1:38:50 - You can see the halftime stats. It’s fascinating that the Steelers have an enormous advantage in total yards 194 - 98, and yet are behind 10 - 7 on the scoreboard. Much of that is because the Steelers’ 80 yard drive in the closing minutes of the 1st half resulted in no points as they missed a field goal attempt.
Watching the game as a kid 50 years ago, it felt like the Cowboys were dominating, and the time of possession bears that out - 17:39 for Dallas vs. only 12:21 for Pittsburgh.
The 2nd Half
2:05:50 - The big play of the 3rd quarter takes place when Franco Harris catches a Bradshaw pass and has a clear path to the end zone. But he is ruled out of bounds at the Dallas 40. And when Bradshaw gets sacked on 3rd down, Dallas gets the ball back.
2:12:00 - For some reason, Super Bowls have had an abnormally high incidence of a safety being scored, and Super Bowl X had one of them. With 11:40 to go in the game and Dallas still clinging to their 10 - 7 lead, the Steelers block a punt and the ball goes out of the back of the end zone. That’s an automatic safety and the score is now 10 - 9 Dallas.
2:19:20 - Getting the ball back after the safety the Steelers can only manage a field goal, but that puts them ahead in the game 12 - 10 with 9 minutes to play. It’s the first time in Super Bowl X that the Steelers are in front.
2:20:45 - On the first play after the kickoff, Staubach is intercepted, and the Steelers run it back to the Cowboys’ 6 yard line.
2:22:40 - 2 minutes later the Steelers kick another field goal and they now lead 15 - 10 with 6:30 to play. It’s been a stunning 5 minutes of football, with 3 Steeler scores, but they only add 8 points, and it’s still a tight game.
2:31:45 - After the Steelers stop Dallas again, Bradshaw almost gets sacked back at his own 26 yard line. But he evades the tackle and throws deep to Lynn Swann. Swann takes it in for a touchdown, and suddenly the Steelers have a commanding 21 - 10 lead late in the game. But Terry Bradshaw is hurt badly on the play and didn’t even see the touchdown.
2:38:15 - Staubach is finally able to mount a 2nd half drive and he throws a 34 yard TD pass to seldom used Percy Howard with 1:48 to play in the game. It’s now Steelers 21 - Cowboys 17.
NOTE from The Sports Time Traveler
I interrupt this article to come back to the present time and inform you that this TD pass in the Super Bowl is the ONLY NFL reception of Percy Howard’s career.
Even more incredible it was his 1st catch in organized football since he was in high school! Howard never played college football.
He did play basketball on scholarship at Austin Peay University. The 6’ 4” forward averaged a respectable 12 points and 7 rebounds in 3 years of varsity play for the Division I school. And he never missed a game while helping Austin Peay to a 55 - 25 record during those 3 seasons. The team’s high point was reaching the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament in 1973.
When Howard graduated, the Cowboys drafted him purely on the strength of his athletic capability. He played special teams for 3 years and was the backup wide receiver in Super Bowl X.
But Howard saw no action on offense until the final drive, and only then because starting WR Golden Richards had broken a rib late in the game.
Howard’s sole career reception couldn’t have come at a better time, as it gave the Cowboys life late in the contest.
Now back to 1976.
2:43:30 - The Steelers have the ball in quarerback Terry’s hands. But wait, it’s not Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw was hurt on the Steelers’ last possession, so back-up QB Terry Hanratty is in the game. On 3rd down and 10 on the Dallas 43, Terry Hanratty can’t get the 1st down, and the Steelers have to punt.
But wait again! The Steelers decide to go for it, and Dallas holds them to 2 yards. It’s a turnover on downs and Dallas has the ball back with 1:22 to play at their own 38.
There’s plenty of time, but the Cowboys have no timeouts.
2:45:50 - Staubach is back in the shotgun on 1st and 10. The snap is low, and Staubach has to pick the ball up off the turf. It’s a broken play, but Roger scrambles 12 yards to mid-field with 1:10 to play.
Stay with the tape and see how Dallas loses precious time taking 20 seconds to get off the next play at just 50 seconds to play.
The shotgun snap is low again, causing Staubach to lose a second to kneel down and grab it. Staubach has great protection, and he fires a pass over the middle to Preston Pearson who goes down, in bounds, at the 38 with 40 seconds to go.
2:46:30 - WATCH THE TAPE HERE AND TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE. I CAN’T FIGURE IT OUT! Pearson is down at the 38. The tape is so grainy, I have trouble following where the ball is after the play. Even though there was a 1st down, the clock never stops to reset the chains. The Cowboys are standing around and not getting set up because there is no ball to hike and a Steelers player is on the Dallas side of the line of scrimmage! The clock is still ticking! Suddenly with 31 seconds to go, a ball mysteriously is thrown from out of camera left to the referee who misses the ball and it rolls into the Dallas backfield. With 28 seconds left, the referees finally blow the whistle to stop the clock to place the ball. Yet, even before the ball has been placed the clock starts up again.
2:46:55 - Dallas finally snaps the shotgun with 20 seconds to go. The snap is again too low for Staubach to handle and he’s loses precious seconds and space. The Steelers are about to sack him. But Roger the Dodger breaks free, steps up to the 40, and fires down the middle near the end zone. It’s incomplete and the clocks stops with 12 seconds remaining in the game.
Dallas must score a touchdown and there’s time for perhaps 2 shots at the end zone.
2:47:55 - Staubach is in the shotgun formation. He finally gets a good snap. Staubach dances back to the 50 and prepares to throw. He launches a Hail Mary pass into the right corner of the end zone. The TV screen is blocked by the clock that CBS has superimposed on the middle of the screen!
In the end zone were 3 Steelers and only one Cowboys’ wide receiver, Percy Howard.
The pass is incomplete.
There are 3 seconds remaining, time enough for one final play.
2:48:42 - While the Cowboys are still in their huddle, CBS shows a replay from the end zone of the last incomplete pass. The film is too grainy to see exactly what happened.
THE FINAL PLAY - HAIL MARY II
2:48:56 - The shotgun comes back perfect to Staubach. He pedals back to near midfield. It looks very much like the Vikings game from 3 weeks ago. Just as he did against the Vikings, Staubach fakes a pass down the left side, then he dances and twists to the right and launches a Hail Mary pass to the center of the end zone. Drew Pearson is the closest Cowboy, but he never has a chance. The ball is intercepted 5 yards behind the goal line. The game is over. There is no miracle for the Cowboys.
The Steelers have won Super Bowl X in the most exciting and climactic 4th quarter in Super Bowl history to this time, coming from behind 10 - 7 to win it 21 - 17.
POST GAME INTERVIEWS
3:15:00 - Watch as Roger Staubach is interviewed in the Dallas locker room. CBS’s Gary Bender sets up Roger saying, “Up to the last play you were trying to pull another one out.” Roger responds, “We were in a position there that was kind of tough without any timeouts left. You never know though. Drew made the play in Minnesota. Of course, Percy Howard was in there, and he’s a basketball player. I tried to hit him with kind of an alley oop pass in the corner of the end zone. I tried to hit Drew in a post down the middle. And they (the Steelers) were back there. They were laying back, and it was a tough situation… We played a great team. Pittsburgh is a tremendous football team… I put them up as the best defense.”
Percy Howard and Perhaps a Controversy
Percy Howard described the 2nd to last play to Jim Sarni in the Fort Lauderdale News:
Howard told Gary Wilkins of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
In the Waco Texas Tribune-Herald, sports editor Dave Campbell quotes Howard saying, “I had a touchdown.” Here’s the full quote, and it’s worth pondering:
There is unfortunately no video that can support or deny Percy Howard’s assertion of pass interference.
Time and again NFL games have come down to a disputed pass interference play.
SPECIAL NOTE from The Sports Time Traveler
Just imagine for a minute, if interference had been called, or better yet, if Howard had not received the alleged contact, and had caught the first of the two Hail Mary passes. It would have been the greatest catch in NFL history. And Percy Howard would have had 2 TD catches in the final 2 minutes to win a Super Bowl. Percy Howard, who had never caught pass in college or in the NFL prior to the 4th quarter of this game, might have been the Super Bowl X MVP and not Lynn Swann. Percy Howard could have been a name that we recall 50 years later with ease, instead of a forgotten athlete from the past.
GAME ANALYSIS
It wasn’t the alleged pass interference that lost the game for the Cowboys. It was a multitude of factors as it usually is in football.
Staubach was sacked a Super Bowl record 7 times. And he was intercepted 3 times including on the final Hail Mary attempt.
Head coach Tom Landry cited the blocked punt for a safety as the key to the game. That essentially gave the Steelers 5 points, including the subsequent field goal after the free kick. That’s 5 points the Cowboys gave away in a game they lost by 4.
And the Steelers defense was just too tough in the second half, holding the Cowboys scoreless until 1:48 to play.
Staubach told William Wallace of the New York Times, “They shut everything down on us in the second half… Pittsburgh is the best.”
MY PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE FROM 1976
This is one of the most interesting games I’ve covered in 400+ stories as The Sports Time Traveler, because I so vividly recall the game and the roller coaster of emotions I went through 50 years ago as a 12 year old Cowboys fan watching live on TV with no ability to watch replays.
At halftime, I called my friend Matt, a Steelers’ fan, and relished in the fact that the Cowboys were in command with the 10 - 7 lead.
And when the Cowboys still led 10 - 7 in the middle of the 4th quarter, it was tense but still looked good for Dallas.
Then, of course, things went awry, beginning with the blocked punt and then the interception, and finally the Lynn Swann touchdown pass when Bradshaw was a half-second away from being sacked at his own 26. I had an impending sense of doom as Dallas needed 2 TD’s in the final 2 minutes.
And yet, hope sprang again as the ever resilient Roger Staubach manufactured the first TD, and then willed the Cowboys into position for 2 legitimate shots at a game-winning miracle TD.
It was so close to being Hail Mary II.
The loss was devastating for a 12 year old.
The legacy of that game for me can be summed up in a line from Roger Kahn’s classic book, The Boys of Summer, “You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat.”
My connection to the Cowboys increased exponentially after Super Bowl X. And the bitter loss in 1976 made the triumph in Super Bowl XII in 1978 so much sweeter.
POSTSCRIPT
I’ve just read the Philadelphia Daily News from 2 days after the Super Bowl. Columnist Jack McKinney shared his conversation with Percy Howard on the Hail Mary pass with 12 seconds remaining in the game:
Wow! It really seems like Howard could have made the catch and won the Super Bowl for the Cowboys.