Remembering when a Cowboys folk hero went from legend to punching Roger Staubach

The Dallas Cowboys playing on Thanksgiving has transcended football, as the game has quickly become an American institution. Some of the most memorable moments in regular season history have taken place in these games, from the good (Danny White putting up 51) to the bad (Leon Lett, Randy Moss).

Perhaps the most memorable moment in Cowboys Thanksgiving history comes not from the right arms of Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, but a seldom-used backup named Clint Longley. For exactly one day, Longley was the talk of the football world and a Cowboys legend.

He then became infamous for sucker-punching Staubach in the face and getting shipped away as fast as humanly possible. In record time normally reserved for whomever becomes the face of the latest social media meme craze, Longley's status within the league rose and fall to truly epic proportions on both ends of the spectrum.

Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Hero Clint Longley once sucker punched Roger Staubach

Who is Longley anyway? Originally a non-scholarship player at Abilene Christian, Longley was named a Small College All-American alongside teammate Wilbert Montgomery and played in an All-Star game in the same backfield as Walter Payton. He was selected in the supplemental draft by the Bengals and later traded to Dallas.

Longley served as a backup to Stabuach, who needs no introduction. A Cowboys legend who was the clean-cut face of America's team, the squeaky-clean Staubach was considered by many to be an ideal role model. His backup, Longley, had some issues with his temper that later got him in serious trouble.

The Cowboys were in the doldrums in 1974, as it was the only season between 1966 and 1983 in which they did not make the playoffs. Heading into Thanksgiving against the then-Washington Redskins, Staubach and the Cowboys needed a win if they wanted any chance of possibly making it to the postseason.

Staubach was knocked out of the game early due to injury, and Longley came in. Guard and Stanford alum Blaine Nye would eloquently call what happened next "the triumph of the uncluttered mind" due to the unprepared Longley having no idea he was going to get into the game.

Longley took full advantage of his arm, chucking deep balls to Billy Joe Dupree and Hall of Famer Drew Pearson. To win the game 24-23 for Dallas, Longley launched a Hail Mary down the sideline to Pearson to seal the victory with no time left on the clock. Staubach returned the next week, but Longley was a folk hero. In the end, he went 11-20 for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the second half.

It was back to the bench for Longley, who started just one game after that in 1975. Staubach was resting before the playoffs, and Longley, despite winning the game against the Jets, completed just six passes and threw an interception.

Then, training camp in 1976 came around. According to writers of the time, the Thanksgiving miracle gave Longley an ego the size of Texas Stadium and caused him to bristle at the notion of carrying a clipboard for Staubach until the end of time.

What happened next is a bit murky, but the Dallas Morning News claims the dispute started when Staubach took issue with Longley insulting Pearson at practice. Staubach once intimated that the beef started over something between he and Longley.

The argument escalated, and Longley ended his Cowboys career by approaching Staubach when he was putting pads on. Longley threw what was described as a "sucker punch" from behind that nailed Staubach in the eye. The two scuffled, giving Staubach a gash under his left eye.

“They put me in charge of distracting (assistant coach) Dan Reeves so he wouldn’t break up the fight,” said fellow QB Danny White. “I started trying to make stuff up to talk to him about, and then we looked back up the hill and Roger was just whaling on Clint.”

The Morning News also attested that Longley's motivation was a desire to be traded. Instead of asking Tex Schramm for a trade, committing assault on the franchise icon is what Longley decided was the sensible course of action.

To prevent Staubach from beating him to a pulp, Longley was suspended and later traded to the San Diego Chargers to backup Dan Fouts. He started just one game (another win), but threw three interceptions. Failed attempts to catch on in Canada and in the NFL with the Cardinals marked the end of his career.

Things get weird here. Longley went nearly off the grid after leaving football, as no one had reliable information on his occupation or whereabouts. The late Steve Sabol claims the last thing he heard was that Longley was "selling carpet remnants out of the back of a van in Marfa, Texas."

Marfa, over in Presido County near the border, has a population of just 1,788. Not exactly the spot for an NFL quarterback.

The lesson here, beyond don't punch the star quarterback for no reason, is that life in the NFL can change very quickly. Still, Longley will always have that magical Thanksgiving game to look back on.