Kenny Powers: Based on a True Story?

quote:

---

Unfortunately less than two years after his Thanksgiving Day heroics, Longley under pressure from Danny White for the back-up QB role, left the Cowboys in disgrace after he landed a blindside punch on Staubach during training camp in Thousand Oaks, California.[6] The infamous "sucker punch" occurred after Longley and Staubach had fought over a negative remark Longley made about Staubach to fellow Cowboy teammates. Staubach was putting on his shoulder pads on the last day of training camp when Longley hit him in the face without warning and from behind, requiring several stitches to close the wound on Staubach's face. Longley was immediately traded to the San Diego Chargers[6] where he finished his career with little more success.

Apparently, there is more to the story. "History says Staubach ripped Longley for mouthing off about teammates, but Gil Brandt said the tiff between Staubach and Longley began with a simple game of boredom.

"Roger always could bounce the football off the ground to come right back to him," Brandt said. "He'd do it over and over. They'd have contests, and Clint couldn't do it.

"Longley challenged Roger to a fight. Roger told him they were going to meet on another field after practice."

Staubach and Longley took off their helmets and pads. "They got after it," Brandt said. "Roger beat the hell out of him."

Assistant coach Dan Reeves had to break up the fight. Later, Longley sucker-punched Staubach in the dressing room.

"Tex (Schramm) had enough," Brandt said. "He told me to get rid of Longley immediately, so we traded him to San Diego for a first-round pick we used to help us get (running back) Tony Dorsett in the next draft.""

---

quote:

---

Steve Sabol said he last heard that Longley had ended up selling carpet remnants out of the back of a van in Marfa, Texas.[4]

---