| | | | | | | | Friday, October 18, 2002
Classic game: 9/5/83, Dallas 31, Washington 30
By James Weiner
ABC Sports Online
It was halftime on Monday night, Sept. 5, 1983. The outlook appeared bleak for quarterback Danny White and the Dallas Cowboys. They trailed their arch-rival, the Washington Redskins, 23-3 at RFK Stadium. White had completed just 1-of-9 passes for 10 yards.
|  | | Tony Dorsett held most of the Cowboys' rushing records until Emmitt Smith came along. |
The Cowboys only positive play came when running back Tony Dorsett broke free for a 77-yard run in the first quarter. Redskins rookie cornerback Darrell Green, in his first game as a pro, caught Dorsett from behind and the Cowboys were forced to settle for a field goal.
Yet, the Redskins knew the game was far from over. The Cowboys had worked too many miracles against them before.
On Thanksgiving Day in 1974, the Cowboys trailed the Redskins 16-3 late in the third quarter and Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, Captain Comeback himself, had just been knocked out of the game. With veteran backup Craig Morton traded to the Giants, coach Tom Landry was forced to turn to rookie quarterback Clint Longley. Longley led the team to three touchdown scores, including a 50-yard game-winner to Drew Pearson with 28 seconds to play as the Cowboys came back to win 24-23.
On Dec. 16, 1979, with a division title and a playoff berth on the line, the Redskins led the Cowboys 34-21 late in the fourth quarter and had the ball. Dallas recovered a Clarence Harmon fumble and then Staubach threw two late touchdown passes. The last one, an 8-yard pass to Tony Hill with 39 seconds to play, gave the Cowboys an improbable 35-34 victory.
In the second half of the Sept. 5, 1983 game, it was White's turn.
"Obviously, the situation in (our) locker room wasn't a pleasant one at halftime." White said. "It was an embarrassment, not completing a pass, not being able to move the ball across the midfield. I can't think of a worse first half we have played offensively. I was burning up, I was throwing helmets, fumes were coming out of my ears."
Critics had said White couldn't win the big one. He couldn't inspire his team like Staubach. Perhaps, he shouldn't even be playing ahead of Gary Hogeboom. In the second half, those critics would be silenced.
In the first 8:25 of the third quarter, White threw touchdown passes of 75 and 51 yards to wide receiver Tony Hill, closing Dallas within 23-17. Hill easily outran cornerback Vernon Dean on a simple fly pattern for the first touchdown. Hill made a spectacular one-hand grab along the sidelines for the second score, just past the outstretched arms of reserve cornerback Anthony Washington.
With 9:35 left to play, the Redskins had a chance to close out the game, but sure-footed Redskins kicker Mark Moseley missed a 31-yard chipshot that would have given the Redskins a comfy 26-17 lead.
Aided by a 15-yard spearing penalty on Redskins linebacker Mel Kaufman, White led the Cowboys on a 12-play, 80-yard drive, scoring on a 1-yard run with 2:20 left to give Dallas a 24-23 lead.
Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann was intercepted by cornerback Ron Fellows on the next possession, who returned it to the Redskins 4. Three plays later, White threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Doug Cosbie, to give the Cowboys an insurmountable 31-23 lead. The Redskins managed a touchdown with 10 seconds left to pull within 31-30, but could not recover the subsequent onsides kick.
"All of Danny's critics are on the outside," Cowboys safety Dextor Clinkscale said. "He's tough. He's a winner. We came back and won this game on the big play, and Danny initiated them."
" (White) got more satisfaction out of this one than probably anyone else on the team," Cowboys receiver Butch Johnson said. "He showed everybody on national television what we knew all along. The man can play quarterback."
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