Drew Pearson

This article covers the American football player, for the journalist of the same name see Andrew Russell Pearson .

Drew Pearson
Position (s): Wide Receiver	Jersey number (s): 88
born on January 12, 1951 in South River , New Jersey
Career information
Active : 1973 - 1983
Undrafted in 1973
College : University of Tulsa
Teams
Dallas Cowboys (1973-1983)
Career statistics
Captured passports	489
Captive yards	7,822
Touchdowns	48
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl Winner ( XII ) 3 × Pro Bowl election (1974, 1976, 1977) 5 × All-Pro election (1974–1978) 1st + 2nd team 3 × NFC champions (1975, 1977, 1978) NFL 1970s All-Decade Team Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2010)

Drew Pearson (born January 12, 1951 in South River , New Jersey , USA ), nickname : Mr. Clutch , is a former American football player . He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys .

youth

Drew Pearson was born to Mary Pearson Schenck and Samuel Pearson Sr. His father worked as a weigher at an agricultural products company, his mother worked as a cleaning woman. Drew Pearson grew up with his seven siblings in his hometown and attended high school there . He played for the local football team as a quarterback and was also active as a basketball and baseball player. Pearson came from a sports-loving family. His older brother Sam was a successful football player also in his youth and was the Cincinnati Bengals drafted . Due to an injury sustained in a domestic accident, he had to end his football career before his first game as a professional.

Player career

College career

After graduating from high school, Drew Pearson received a scholarship to the University of Tulsa . He played there from 1970 to 1972 for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Football, initially in the position of a quarterback and switched to the position of wide receiver after a year. Pearson caught 55 passes for a space gain of 1,119 yards and six touchdowns during his student days . The Tulsa Golden Hurricane were a run-oriented football team. The college's passing game was of little consequence. The NFL scouts found Pearson unsuitable as a professional player, he was considered not athletic enough and his running time on a distance of 40 yards was 4.6 seconds above the limit of 4.5 seconds. He was prophesied of a late signing in the NFL Draft.

Professional career

Drew Pearson was never drawn in an NFL draft. After the 1973 NFL Draft was finished, the Dallas Cowboys approached him and offered him a professional three-year contract with an annual salary of $ 14,500 . Pearson joined Tom Landry 's Dallas team in 1973 . Already in his rookie game year he attracted national attention. The Cowboys had qualified for the play-offs with a season record of ten wins and four defeats and met the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional play-off game . Pearson caught an 83 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Roger Staubach in the game . With a second touchdown he was one of the decisive players in his team's 27:16 victory. The 27:10 defeat of the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings could not be prevented by Pearson.

In 1975 Pearson was able to win his first NFC title . After a season with ten wins from 14 games, the Cowboys were able to qualify again for the play-offs, where they first met the Minnesota Vikings. Shortly before the end of the game, the Cowboys were behind at 14:10 when he managed a run of 50 yards into the opposing end zone on a pass from quarterback Roger Staubach. The team from Texas left the field with a 17:14 win. In the subsequent NFC Championship Game, the Cowboys beat the Los Angeles Rams 37-7 . Pearson get five pass catches for a space gain of 46 yards. The subsequent Super Bowl X against the Pittsburgh Steelers was lost 21:17. Pearson scored a touchdown in the defeat and caught a total of two passes for a space gain of 59 yards.

Pearson moved back to the NFC Championship Game after the 1977 regular season . After a 37-7 win over the Chicago Bears in the divisional play-off game, the Minnesota Vikings were the opponents in the NFC final. The Minnesota team entered without their regular quarterback Fran Tarkenton and lost 23-6 . The Denver Broncos also had to admit defeat to the Pearson team in the Super Bowl , the Cowboys won Super Bowl XII with 27:10.

In 1978 Pearson won his third and final NFC title. After a main round with twelve wins and four losses, his team met in the Divisional Play-Off game on the Atlanta Falcons . After four pass catches to a gain of 75 yards by Pearson, the Cowboys left the field with a 27:20 win and then defeated the Los Angeles Rams 28-0 in the NFC final. Although Pearson was able to achieve the longest gain of space of all wide receivers of the Cowboys with 73 yards by four pass catches in the subsequent Super Bowl XIII , he did not succeed in preventing his team's 35:31 defeat.

Drew Pearson sustained serious injuries in a traffic accident in 1984 and then retired as a player. Drunk, Pearson drove his sports car onto the back of a semi-trailer. His brother Carey Mark Pearson was killed in the impact.

After the career

Pearson worked after his career as a sports presenter for two American television stations. In 1986 he founded a company that manufactures headwear. Among other things, the company also produces licensed products for the NFL. Pearson is hosting the Drew Pearson Show today . He wrote his memoir in 2006 and now lives in Plano , Texas.

Honors

Drew Pearson played three times in the Pro Bowl , the final game of the best players of an NFL season. He was voted All Pro five times . He is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the 1970s NFL All-Decade Team . The Dallas Cowboys honor him at the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor .

Web links

• Drew Pearson in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
• Drew Pearson website
• Drew Pearson in college
• Drew Pearson Show ( Memento November 14, 2012 on the Internet Archive )
• Drew Pearson at the Dallas Cowboys

Individual evidence

1. ^ Annual statistics of the cowboys 1973
2. ^ Statistics divisional play-off game Cowboys versus Rams 1973
3. ↑ Statistics NFC final 1973
4. ↑ Annual statistics of the Dallas Cowboys 1975
5. ↑ Statistics play-off game Cowboys vs. Vikings 1975
6. ↑ Statistics NFC final 1975
7. ↑ Statistics Super Bowl X
8. ↑ Annual statistics of the cowboys 1977
9. ^ Statistics divisional play-off game Cowboys vs. Bears 1977
10. ↑ Statistics NFC final 1977
11. ↑ Statistics Super Bowl XII
12. ^ Annual statistics of the cowboys 1978
13. ^ Statistics divisional play-off game Cowboys vs. Falcons 1978
14. ↑ Statistics NFC final 1978
15. ↑ Statistics Super Bowl XIII
16. ↑ Newspaper article about Drew Pearson's accident
17. ^ Drew Pearson's business activities

source

• Drew Pearson, Hail Mary - The Drew Pearson Story , Rogers Publishing & Consulting, Inc, 2006, ISBN 9780977755820