His high, arcing ball came down near the 5-yard-line. Staubach’s 50-yard prayer was answered, but not without a bit of deviltry. READ MORE: Compared to his sons, Archie Manning's NFL career flopped "I just threw it up there as far as I could." “It was a Hail Mary pass,” Staubach told reporters afterward. “The chances on a play like that,” Pearson told reporters after the game, “are slim and none.” Their season appeared over.Ĭoach Tom Landry, another Pro Football Hall of Famer, called for a long pass. With the Vikings ahead, 14-10, the Cowboys had the ball with just 24 seconds left at midfield. On December 28, 1975, Staubach's Cowboys played against the Vikings in a divisional playoff game at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. Naval Academy, Roger Staubach used the term "Hail Mary." He went on to star for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969-79. Naval Academy, of course, is not affiliated with any faith, but its quarterback, Staubach, is Catholic.Īfter a victory over Michigan in 1963, Staubach-who won the Heisman Trophy that season-described a touchdown as “a Hail Mary play.” Twelve years later, after an NFL game, the term stuck, fueled by newspaper sports sections and widespread use on television. Notre Dame and Georgetown are affiliated with the Catholic Church, so the Hail Mary was familiar to every player and coach who said the prayer as penance after giving confession. ![]() An Associated Press preview story mentioned that the “Hoyas put faith in the Hail Mary pass.” The story matter of factly offered this definition: “A Hail Mary pass, in the talk of the (Georgetown) 11, is one that is thrown with a prayer because the odds against completion are big.” The term reappeared six years later, when Georgetown played Mississippi State in the 1941 Orange Bowl. READ MORE: When college stars played NFL champs Layden, recalling that victory against Georgia Tech, called it “a Hail Mary play.” ![]() With 32 seconds left, Notre Dame completed a 19-yard pass for the winning touchdown. Perhaps the term would have vanished were it not for Elmer Layden, who played fullback in that 1922 game for The Fighting Irish and coached Notre Dame against Ohio State in 1935. Afterward, Notre Dame offensive lineman Noble Kizer declared: “Say, that Hail Mary play is the best play we’ve got!” It worked, so they did it again before scoring another 6-yard touchdown. In a game against Georgia Tech in 1922, Notre Dame players literally said a “Hail Mary” prayer in the huddle before scoring a 6-yard touchdown. READ MORE: The greatest games in sports history Hail Mary thus became ingrained in the American sports lexicon, but the term was used decades earlier. You throw it up and pray," Staubach said.In 1975, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach popularized the term "Hail Mary" to describe his miracle, winning touchdown pass to fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Pearson in a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. ![]() Reporters asked him what happened after the game. "Well, I guess you could call it a Hail Mary. They won 17-14 on a late 50-yard touchdown heave from Staubach to Drew Pearson. In 1975, the Cowboys played the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs. Everybody knew that he was obviously the star on the team and had a million demands, but he never put himself above the team. "For a guy who won the Heisman, he was such a humble guy, a hard-working guy," Bill Belichick told Wang. Bill idolizes his dad and rightfully so."īill Belichick had high praise of Staubach to Gene Wang of the Washington Post: After the game, he said winning that Super Bowl next to his son was the most excited he's ever been. He came running over to me before the game and gave me a big hug. When they won the Super Bowl that first time, Steve had retired and was on the sideline. Steve Belichick, Bill's father, was at the Academy when I was. "Well, I grew up at the Naval Academy and Bill Belichick's dad was a coach there.
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