On This Date: Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. makes incredible one-handed TD catch

Jaw-dropping grab catapulted then-rookie to stardom

11/23/2018, 4:40 PM
Nov 23, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) catches a one handed touchdown against by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr (39) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Deutsch
Nov 23, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) catches a one handed touchdown against by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr (39) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Deutsch

Before the blonde hair, the dancing, the celebrations and sideline antics, Odell Beckham Jr. was just a promising rookie wide receiver looking to make his mark. 

On this date four years ago -- Nov. 23, 2014 -- that mark was made. 

The Giants wide receiver burst onto the scene when he made a leaping one-handed (technically, three-fingered) catch into the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter of a Sunday night nationally televised game against the Cowboys. 

Oh, and there was defensive pass interference on the play, too. 

The jaw-dropping catch was the first of many acrobatic plays by Beckham but this one turned him into a star overnight.

NBC broadcaster Cris Collinsworth said it may be the greatest he has ever seen. Fans on Twitter turned him into an internet sensation by making memes of the catch -- photoshopping it into things such as the Sistine Chapel.

Beckham went onto win Rookie of the Year that season with 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 12 games -- but it was that catch that was most memorable about that season. 

"It was a moment that honestly changed my life forever, for better or worse," Beckham said on Friday. "There's no way I can ever forget about that moment. I remember the smell of the stadium. I remember it all. It was a very special moment."

While there have been some pretty spectacular catches around the league since then, Beckham's catch has become somewhat of the standard for other great catches, which he has seemed to notice. 

"It's bittersweet," he added. "I think my career is much more than one catch. But it was a very iconic moment, very prolific moment in my career. I don't mind getting tagged on Instagram seeing a bunch of nice catches. It gives me motivation to do something crazier." 

Unfortunately for the Giants, it could not help them win the game that night as they fell to the Cowboys, 31-28. 

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