![]() ![]() For more than 40 years, use of the term was largely confined to Notre Dame and other Catholic universities. Originally meaning any sort of desperation play, a Hail Mary pass gradually came to denote a long, low-probability pass, typically of the " alley-oop" variety, attempted at the end of a half when a team is too far from the end zone to execute a more conventional play, implying that it would take a miracle for the play to succeed. The expression goes back at least to the 1930s, when it was used publicly by Elmer Layden and Jim Crowley, two former members of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's Four Horsemen. ![]() Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catholic " Hail Mary" prayer for divine help. Roger Staubach, the thrower of the game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson during an NFL playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings on December 28, 1975Ī Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion.
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