Monday, Dallas Cowboy Jason Witten pulled in his 1000th catch during the Cowboys’ 19-16 win over the Washington Redskins.
And by making the catch, the Elizabethton High School alumnus became the second tight end in NFL history to reach the 1000th catch mark, with Tony Gonzalez being the first.
Setting in the stands during the big moment was an anxious and excited Witten clan, who had traveled to FedEx Stadium in Maryland to support Jason. On hand were Jason’s wife, Michelle, his sons, C.J. and Cooper, and his mother Kimberly. Also there were his brothers, Ryan and Shawn, along with other family and friends. For Shawn Witten, who is the head coach of the Elizabethton Cyclones football team, watching his brother make the big catch was like a dream.
“It is a surreal moment,” Shawn Witten said Tuesday. “We are very blessed that he has been able to play 13 years. It just speaks volumes of his career.
“We are fortunate that he has stayed healthy and he has play for a great organization and coaches,” he added.
In a game that came down to the wire for the Cowboys, with Dallas kicker Dan Bailey booting through a 54-yarder to give Dallas the lead with nine seconds left in regulation, Jason’s family was on the edge of their seats throughout the game.
“We were all anticipating when the catch was going to take place,” Shawn said, adding that both catch 999 and catch 1,000 were both for first downs. “You know he has always been a go to guy. He has always been a clutch guy. He has always been a dependable guy.”
“It was just awesome to see,” he said.
Shawn and his family got to see Jason after the game Monday night.
“He was pretty excited to reach that milestone,” Shawn said. “He was also very excited to get a win on the same night.”
“You know, you never want to reach a milestone as an individual and have your team lose the game,” he added. “It is always about the team winning.”
Jason pulled in five catches Monday night for a total of 45 yards receiving, giving him 1003 career catches and 11,055 career receiving yards.
The seasoned Cowboy’s first NFL catch came in 2003, when he snatched a pass from then-quarterback Quincy Carter during Dallas’ 19-3 win over the New York Giants. His 1000th catch was a 7-yarder from Cowboy QB Matt Cassell during the second quarter of Monday night’s game.