It is Day 99 of our 100-day countdown to kickoff. We are looking back at the 100 most iconic games in Dallas Cowboys history. The countdown will leads us right up to the opening game of 2026. Our look back doesn’t depend on just one criteria for our rankings. We take into consideration things like how big the game was for the organization, how memorable the game was, games that had unusual events take place, games that are a part of NFL lore, Cowboys firsts, and games where the Cowboys just plain
dominated. Variety is the spice of life and we have all different kind of Cowboys games to review. At the bottom, we’ll link each day of the countdown so you can go back and check out any you missed.
At Day 99 of our we look at one of the oddest days in Cowboys history where a loss is more remembered thanks to one of the greatest plays in NFL history. Dallas played in Minnesota on Monday Night Football and even though the Vikings won the matchup, it was Tony Dorsett that won the night.
Monday, January 3, 1983 — 9:00 p.m. ET
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Final Score: Minnesota Vikings 31, Dallas Cowboys 27
The Cowboys jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, helped by a huge 60-yard interception for a touchdown by Dennis Thurman. But Minnesota came back to tie the score at 10-10 by halftime and then took control of the second half. It’s started with Ted Brown catching a Tommy Kramer pass for a 13-yard touchdown, a field goal by Rafael Septien, then a killer blow to start the fourth quarter with a tipped pass by John Turner from Danny White to get a pick-six score of their own. That put the Vikings ahead 24-13 and looking to pin Dallas down in the final quarter.
Then came the moment.
The ball was fumbled out of bounds from the kickoff at the one-yard line and things looked tough. Dorsett took the handoff from Danny White and found the hole quickly. He quickly bent toward the right sideline, and from there he outran every Vikings defender and got a key half-block. A full 99 yards later Dorsett was in the endzone with the longest rush from scrimmage in NFL history. The run cut the deficit to 24-20 and turned a frustrating second half into something special.
Dallas then retook the lead when Ron Springs scored from two yards out. But Minnesota answered back with a killer drive moving 80 yards in 10 plays, converting a third-and-18 with a 23-yard completion to Terry LeCount, then finding Rickey Young for a 14-yard touchdown. The Cowboys lost 31-27, but the game belonged to Dorsett.
Interesting Facts About the Game
The play somehow becomes even more absurd when you find out that Dallas had only 10 players on the field during the 99-yard touchdown. Ron Springs was supposed to be in the play, but a misunderstanding left him on the sideline. Dorsett took the handoff anyway, and without a lead blocker, he still went the length of the field.
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