IRVING, Texas (March 5, 2019) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter announced today that legendary Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson will receive the chapter's 2019 Distinguished Texan Award. Pearson will accept the honor during the chapter's 11th Annual Awards Banquet on Sunday, March 24, at 6 p.m. CT at the Dallas/Addison Marriott Quorum by the Galleria.
 
"Drew Pearson is one of the greatest to ever play for the Dallas Cowboys, helping the team win a Super Bowl on his way to the Cowboys Ring of Honor," said Gerald Brence, president of the NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter and athletics director for the Plano Independent School District. "He has remained a constant presence in the area as a broadcaster and speaker while giving back to the community through multiple charities. His impact on the game and Dallas makes him truly deserving of our chapter's highest honor."

The Distinguished Texan Award, the chapter's most prestigious award, pays tribute to an outstanding person who has maintained a lifetime of interest in the game of football and has been a significant contributor to the betterment of the sport in Texas. Past recipients include NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell (2017), longtime Dallas sports talk radio staple Norm Hitzges (2016), Dallas businessman and former Texas Tech quarterback John Scovell (2015), former University of Texas athletics director DeLoss Dodds (2014), College Football Hall of Famer and longtime Dallas Cowboys director of pro scouting John Wooten (2013), longtime Dallas Cowboys personnel director Gil Brandt (2012), TCU head coach Gary Patterson (2011), Dallas Cowboys owner, president and general manager and NFF Board Member Jerry Jones (2010) and College Football Hall of Fame coach Grant Teaff (2009).
 
Pearson was born and raised in South River, New Jersey, and began his football career at South River High School as one of the wide receivers for future College Football Hall of Famer Joe Theismann. He succeeded Theismann as the high school's quarterback as a junior and eventually earned a scholarship to the University of Tulsa. Pearson started four games as the Golden Hurricane's quarterback during his sophomore season before switching to wide receiver. He would end his career among the top 10 receivers in school history, and he led the team in receiving yards in 1972.
 
In 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Pearson rose from undrafted free agent rookie to one of the club's all-time leading receivers – from unknown to legend. Named to the All-Decade Team of the 1970s by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980, Pearson earned a niche as one of the top clutch receivers in football history.
 
During his career as a Cowboy, Pearson led the team in receptions and receiving yards for four consecutive seasons (1974-77) and recorded two 1,000-yard campaigns. His most memorable catches form a list of some of the greatest moments in Cowboys history – an 83-yard fourth-quarter touchdown reception to beat the Rams in the 1973 playoffs; a 50-yard scoring catch in the closing seconds to beat Washington on Thanksgiving Day in 1974; the 50-yard "Hail Mary" touchdown reception in the final 20 seconds to beat Minnesota in the 1975 playoffs; two touchdown catches in the final 3:40 at Atlanta in the 1980 playoffs, the second with 42 seconds left, to rally the Cowboys past the Falcons 30-27.
 
"The Original 88" became the Cowboys then all-time leader in receptions in 1980 when he passed Bob Hayes' mark of 365 catches and in 1983 surpassed Hayes' club top mark of 7,295 receiving yards. Pearson ended his career with 489 receptions for 7,822 yards and 48 touchdowns.
 
Pearson also left his mark in the NFL postseason record books with his receptions (67), placing him third, and his receiving yards (1,105) and touchdowns (eight), ranking him fourth all-time when he left the NFL – all club records at the time of his retirement – and he caught a pass in a club-record 22 consecutive playoff games.
 
An All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 1974, 1976 and 1977, he was a key member of the 1977 Super Bowl XII Championship squad while also guiding the Cowboys to two other Super Bowl appearances. He led the NFC in 1976 with 58 receptions and once held the club record for catching passes in 58 consecutive games. He served as an offensive captain on the team during the 1977, 1978, 1982 and 1983 seasons and helped the team win six division championships.
 
In 1979, Pearson and Tony Hill each posted 1,000 receiving yards to become the first NFC receiving duo to post 1,000-yard seasons, and along with Tony Dorsett's 1,000 rushing yards, it allowed the Cowboys to become the first team in NFL history to boast two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher in the same season.
 
Since retiring from the NFL, Pearson has had success as a broadcaster, coach and marketer. In 1985, he served as wide receivers coach for the Cowboys while also starting Drew Pearson Marketing Inc., a leading licensed and uniform apparel company that has received multiple awards and recognitions.
 
Pearson also served as head coach of the Dallas Texans in the Arena Football League (1991), vice president and general manager of the New York/New Jersey Hitmen in the XFL (2001) and general manager of the Allen Wranglers in the Indoor Football League (2011-12).
 
An active broadcaster in the Dallas market, Pearson has appeared as a sports reporter on NBC 5, a co-host on FOX Sports Net's "Cowboys Weekly" and as a co-host for the Dallas Cowboys Postgame Show on KVIL/KLUV Radio. During the season, he can be seen on NBC 5's "Out of Bounds with Newy Scruggs."
 
A member of the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor, Pearson is enshrined in multiple halls of fame, including the Texas Sports, Oklahoma Sports, Pop Warner Football, New Jersey Sports, University of Tulsa and Texas Black Sports.
 
He has received multiple honors, including an honorary doctorate from Wiley College (Marshall, Texas), the NFL Alumni Career Achievement Award, the University of Tulsa Distinguished Alumni Award, an NCAA Silver Anniversary Award and the NFL Alumni Dallas Chapter Legends Award.
 
An avid motivational speaker, Pearson has appeared at countless events, including engagements hosted by Microsoft and Southwest Airlines. He has also authored two books: "Hail Mary: The Drew Pearson Story" and "Remembering Texas Stadium."
 
Pearson has donated his time to multiple organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the ARC of Dallas, the Texas Business Leaders for Educational Choice, the University of Tulsa Board of Trustees and Wednesday's Child.

The March 24 event will also recognize the best high school and collegiate student-athletes in North Texas and distribute a number of scholarships. Award-winning sportscaster Scott Murray will serve as the evening's emcee for the 11th consecutive year. The event will also provide the stage for the presentation of several other awards to those who have made an impact on the game both on and off the field as well as the high school coach of the year honors.
 
The club's awards committee will announce the additional honorees in the near future. For more information on tickets and/or banquet sponsorship opportunities, please contact club president Gerald Brence at 469-878-5370 or via email at Gerald.Brence@pisd.edu.
 
The NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas is one of 120 nationwide chapters of the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame. The NFF is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. NFF programs include Football Matters®, the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, annual scholarships of more than $1.3 million and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future.