A mural recreating Dez Bryant’s catch/no catch against the Green Bay Packers in the 2014 NFC Divisional Playoff at Lambeau Field is the work of local muralist Juan Velázquez. It adorns the façade of Gilberto Tacos in Arlington.
Abraham Nudelstejer/Staff
The wound remains etched forever in the hearts of Dallas Cowboys fans. And now, one of the most infamous plays in franchise history has been immortalized on the façade of a small restaurant in Arlington.
Juan Velázquez spent a full week — and 250 cans of spray paint in varying tones — to recreate Dez Bryant’s controversial “catch/no catch” against the Green Bay Packers in the 2014 NFC Divisional Playoff at Lambeau Field. Or, as the moment is better known: #DezCaughtIt.
The mural, depicting Bryant soaring over Packers cornerback Sam Shields, now covers the front of Gilberto Tacos at 1112 E. Abram St. in Arlington.
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“It’s an iconic image in Dallas sports history. It represents so many things,” said Velázquez, 37, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and moved to Fort Worth at age 10.
Velázquez believes the 2014 season was the last time the Cowboys truly had everything in place to reach — and win — the Super Bowl.
“If the referees hadn’t overturned that catch, I’m sure the Cowboys would have been on their way to the Super Bowl,” he said.
With under five minutes left in the fourth quarter and Dallas facing 4th and 2 at the Green Bay 32, Tony Romo launched a deep pass to Bryant.
Bryant leaped over Shields, secured the ball, took steps, and lunged toward the goal line.
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Officials initially ruled it a spectacular 31‑yard completion, giving Dallas first‑and‑goal at the 1.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy challenged the play.
After review, referee Gene Steratore overturned the ruling — incomplete pass.
The turnover on downs allowed Green Bay to drain the clock and win 26-21.
“That reversal by the referees stole from me the chance to experience something I hope to see before I die: The Cowboys winning a Super Bowl,” Velázquez said.
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That play will almost certainly resurface on October 18 when the Cowboys visit the Packers for a Sunday Night Football showdown.
That #DezCaughtIt play, now a mural on a small restaurant in Arlington, will almost certainly resurface on October 18 when the Cowboys visit the Packers for a Sunday Night Football showdown.
Abraham Nudelstejer/Staff
Good luck charm
Velázquez became a muralist out of necessity.
After working 12 years at a manufacturing plant in Keller, he enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces. When his service at Fort Hood ended, he returned to Fort Worth.
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A divorce came first. Then the pandemic hit. Velázquez relied on the artistic painting skills he had honed in high school to make ends meet.
During that period came the case of Vanessa Guillén, the 20‑year‑old Army specialist from Houston whose murder at Fort Hood in April 2020 sparked a national movement against sexual harassment and assault in the military.
Although they were stationed at the same base, Velázquez never met Guillén. But her death compelled him to paint a mural in her honor.
The Guillén mural became a national symbol, and Velázquez found his calling.
“From one day to the next, my social media exploded. The Vanessa mural made a lot of people discover my work, and I haven’t stopped painting murals since,” he said.
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The Guillén mural also gave Velázquez a second chance at love. His current wife was among the people who began following him on social media because of that piece — and that connection eventually grew into something deeper.
Velázquez recreated Bryant’s play on a 15-by-10‑foot wall, working under extreme heat that forced him to paint from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., when the sun’s scorching rays were no longer at their peak.
He received help from another local muralist, Gustavo Briceño, to complete the piece.
Murals are now Velázquez’s full‑time job. Since painting Guillén’s face on a wall located on Hemphill Street in Fort Worth, he has completed more than 350 murals.
One of them captures another iconic moment in North Texas sports history: Texas Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor punching José Bautista during a bench‑clearing brawl in May 2016.
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That mural covers the façade of a second Gilberto’s restaurant located at 611 W. Park Row Drive.
Velázquez painted it in February 2023, the same season the Rangers won the World Series.
With that in mind, he hopes his #DezCaughtIt mural becomes a good‑luck charm, helping the Cowboys end a 30‑year Super Bowl drought.
“It already happened once,” Velázquez said, referring to the Rangers’ championship season. “Why wouldn’t it happen again?”