Calling Hostile... Any info/pics on Longely punching Staubach? - Dallas Cowboys Forum

CowboyDan · 03-08-2010

Just heard about this today......you got any scoop on this?

Hostile · 03-08-2010

There are no known pictures of it. Danny White and Charlie Waters tell really good versions of it. Basically Roger then beat the crap out of Longley.

CowboyDan · 03-09-2010

i was hoping for a more in depth explanation, but thanks.

Hostile · 03-09-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by CowboyDan

i was hoping for a more in depth explanation, but thanks.

Sorry, I was headed off to bed when I saw it.

Longley got the nickname "Mad Bomber" from the team because one time in practice he threw a pass that hit Landry's observation tower. In other words, it was way off target.

Longley was a character. He hunted rattlesnakes in his spare time and one year at Training Camp in Thousand Oaks, CA he took a rifle up to his hotel room and shot gophers in the vacant lot next to the hotel from his hotel window.

Charlie Waters owned some pasture land near the teams practice facility and Longley had bought a pony. He made arrangements with Charlie to let the pony graze on that pasture. Charlie was waiting for Longley and he expected him to bring the pony in a pickup truck and trailer. Instead Longley loaded the pony into his convertible Cadillac. He took out the back seats and just loaded him in and held onto the reins as he drove.

To say Longley was out there is to understate it. In 1974 the Cowboys traded Craig Morton away and all they had were 2 QBs on the roster, Staubach and Longley. Diron Talbert remarked before the Thanksgiving day game that year that all they needed to do was knock Staubach out of the game and deal with the rookie.

The Redskins did just that. Longley came in and had the game of his life, leading the Cowboys from a 16-3 deficit in the 3rd quarter to an improbable 24-23 win.

Larry Cole called that victory, "the triumph of an uncluttered mind."

In 1976 Longley felt like he should be starting. If not in Dallas, then somewhere. Longley wanted to be traded, but Dallas had shown no inclination to do so. Longley felt he had to do something drastic.

Longley allegedly started sniping about the WRs dropping his passes. In particular he groused out loud about Drew Pearson. Roger supposedly told him that if he didn't knock it off someone was going to "knock his Bugs Bunny teeth in." Longley asked Roger if he thought he could and Roger was alleged to reply, "yeah, I'd love to."

Two days later, Longley decided that the only way to get out of Dallas was to punch Roger. He announced his intentions to do this to Charlie Waters and asked Danny White be his lookout for Dan Reeves. They knew that Dan Reeves was the only Assistant Coach who was likely to break up the fight.

So while Danny pretended to talk to Dan Reeves, but stand so Reeves back was to the action and Danny could see, Clint Longley walked up to Roger Staubach as he was taking his shoulder pads off over his head and sucker punched him right in the face.

Danny White described it as Roger falling backwards into the scales, getting up and then absolutely pummeling Longley. When Reeves finally figured out what was going on, Roger was sitting on Longley's chest and landing punches with both fists.

Longley went straight to his hotel room and grabbed his already packed bags and left. He was traded to San Diego almost immediately.

I did see a picture of Staubach one time with a black eye, allegedly it was from that fight. I know of no other pictures of any of it.

BraveHeartFan · 03-09-2010

Very interesting. I didn't know that it all went down like that. I'd heard about Longley punching Roger but I didn't know that they'd allowed Roger to get ahold of him and pummel him for it.

Great stuff.

CowboyDan · 03-09-2010

Thanks Hos! You're the Man! Great stuff.

Hostile · 03-09-2010

I did a search for Roger Staubach black eye. Couldn't find anything. Then did a search on Longley punched Staubach and found this. You can see the picture of Roger with the black eye I was talking about.

http://www.cowboysplus.com/sharedcon...e/longley.html

Hostile · 03-09-2010

I just read something on this. There were 2 fights. Or rather one fight and one sucker punch.

The first fight was after Roger offered to knock his Bugs Bunny teeth out. They wandered over to a baseball dugout area and Danny was the look out to keep Reeves busy. That was when Roger pummeled Clint.

They shook hands afterward and it was over.

Two days later Clint sucker punched Roger as he was taking off his shoulder pads. Roger never got a shot in that one. He got stitches over his left eye from hitting the scales in the training room.

Apparently the two have not spoken since that day.

BraveHeartFan · 03-10-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hostile

I just read something on this. There were 2 fights. Or rather one fight and one sucker punch.

The first fight was after Roger offered to knock his Bugs Bunny teeth out. They wondered over to a baseball dugout area and Danny was the look out to keep Reeves busy. That was when Roger pummeled Clint.

They shook hands afterward and it was over.

Two days later Clint sucker punched Roger as he was taking off his shoulder pads. Roger never got a shot in that one. He got stitches over his left eye from hitting the scales in the training room.

Apparently the two have not spoken since that day.

Ahhh ok. Now things are a little more clear. i was somewhat confused with the first story yesterday cause I could have sworn I remembered seeing something, maybe on NFL network, where they were talking about the sucker punch and they showed some footage of an interview with Roger where they asked him about that years later and he talked about being furious cause he was never able to get his hands on him cause the dude jetted out of there after that and they immediately moved him off the team.

Thanks for the clarification Hos.

CowboyDan · 03-10-2010

So you're saying I shouldn't ask Roger to "Make that autograph out to Clint" ?

canters · 03-11-2010

Shame on Danny for being an unindicted co-conspirator against Roger. Wonder if he was already stalking Roger's job?

Hostile · 03-11-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by canters

Shame on Danny for being an unindicted co-conspirator against Roger. Wonder if he was already stalking Roger's job?

In the 70's there was a very famous picture of Staubach and White. Staubach was kneeling, looking into the camera smiling. Danny was behind him, wild eyed, with a helmet in his hand acting like he was going to smash it into Roger's head. I wish I could find it. It was purely a joke, but there was some rivalry there too.

fgoodwin · 03-11-2010

The "uncluttered mind" quote was actually uttered by guard Blaine Nye:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...2480/index.htm

Both he and Larry Cole (along with DE Pat Toomay) were members of the famous "Zero Club". Cole is since remembered for scoring TDs a decade apart against the Redskins, Toomay for authoring a couple of books, and Nye for his famous quote. Not exactly expected behavior from Zero Club members!

bbgun · 03-11-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hostile

In the 70's there was a very famous picture of Staubach and White. Staubach was kneeling, looking into the camera smiling. Danny was behind him, wild eyed, with a helmet in his hand acting like he was going to smash it into Roger's head. I wish I could find it. It was purely a joke, but there was some rivalry there too.

Hostile · 03-11-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbgun

Ask and ye shall receive. The exact picture. I have not seen that in 20 or more years.