Hail Mary pass
Encyclopedia
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football
refers to any very long forward pass
made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half.
Although the expression had been used before, it was made famous when it was used to describe the game-winning touchdown pass by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach
to Drew Pearson
in a December 28, 1975, NFL playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings
. Afterwards, it was reported that Staubach (a Roman Catholic) said, "I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary
."
An early print appearance of the term was an Associated Press story about the upcoming 1941 Orange Bowl, appearing in several newspapers (the 31 December 1940 Daytona Beach Morning Journal, for one: "Orange Bowl: [Georgetown] Hoyas Put Faith in “Hail Mary” Pass"). As the article explained, "A ‘hail Mary’ pass, in the talk of the Washington eleven, is one that is thrown with a prayer because the odds against completion are big."
quarterback
Roger Staubach
in a 1975 divisional playoff game. The term first came into mainstream use by the sporting press resulting from an interview shortly after the game-winning touchdown pass. Staubach was referring to his desperation (and Catholic
faith) for his game-winning touchdown pass in the December 28, 1975, NFC Divisional Playoff Game.
The Dallas Cowboys
started with the ball on their own 15-yard line, trailing 14-10, with one minute and fifty-one seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cowboys quarterback
Roger Staubach
managed a nine-play drive to midfield against the Minnesota Vikings
defense. From midfield, with 24 seconds now remaining, Staubach lined up in the shotgun formation
, took the snap, pump-faked left, then turned to his right and threw a desperation pass to wide receiver
Drew Pearson
, who was being covered by Minnesota Vikings cornerback
Nate Wright
. Wright was pushed in the back and fell to the ground and Pearson was barely able to complete the catch by trapping the ball against his right hip at the 5-yard line and backing into the end zone
to make the score 16-14 in favor of Dallas, and what would eventually be the winning touchdown
. The point after
was successful, making the final score 17-14. In a later interview with Pearson, he stated that he thought he dropped the ball only to find it against his hip and then just waltzed right into the end zone.
that an interference penalty on Pearson should have been called. An orange
, thrown by a spectator in the stands, whizzed by Pearson at the goal line. The orange is visible on NFL Films
footage of the play and was initially confused by some as a penalty flag and was also misinterpreted by the Vikings defense as a penalty. More debris was thrown from the stands by angry Vikings fans, enraged that no penalty was called on Dallas.
Defensive tackle Alan Page
argued with officials and was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct
penalty on the ensuing kickoff. On Minnesota's next possession with 14 seconds left to play, a Corby's whiskey bottle was thrown by a spectator, striking referee Armen Terzian in the head at Minnesota's own 10-yard line, creating a large forehead gash and rendering him unconscious. Terzian had to wear a bandage, later requiring 11 stitches, as he walked off the field and was replaced by substitute official Charley Musser for the final two plays.
". Staubach, who had been hit immediately after throwing the ball and didn't see its ending, was asked about the play and he said, "You mean [Pearson] caught the ball and ran in for the touchdown? It was just a Hail Mary pass; a very, very lucky play." Staubach told reporters "I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary
". This was among the plays by Roger Staubach
that enhanced his fame and legend as noted in NFL Hall of Fame Archives.
Shortly after the game concluded, Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton
was informed that his father, Dallas Tarkenton, had died of a heart attack
during the third quarter while watching the game on television at his Savannah, Georgia
, home.
A play is more often called "Hail Mary" after the fact, that is if and after it has worked out against all odds and resulted in a score in the final moments. It is more a descriptive term of a sports moment, as opposed to a planned play.
Although such plays have low percentage chance of completion, there is likely some type of long pass play in every playbook at the professional and college level. Such a "long ball" "post" pass can occur with four or five wide receivers in the singleback formation
or with four or five wide receivers in the standard or shotgun formation
. Generally, three or more eligible receivers
are lined up on the short side of the field and all run a fly pattern. The running back
s, if in the play, may be kept in to block. Sometimes the team running a post will not even have a running back in the backfield, instead choosing to use every possible eligible receiver (five of them) to run a pass route, hoping to spread out the defense and give the quarterback more passing options. The quarterback
throws towards a receiver, making the decision as to which one within 2 - 2.5 seconds of getting the snap. The Hail Mary pass does not always need to be completed to move the ball for the offense. It may succeed in drawing a pass interference
penalty on the defense (a strong possibility with so many receivers running deep routes for the defense to cover), which gives the offense the ability to run another play with better field position in all situations (since the game cannot end on a defensive penalty, even if there is no time left on the clock). In college it may not help much as pass interference is only a spot foul up to 15 yards, while in the NFL, it is a spot foul no matter where it occurs, with the ball placed at the 1 yard line if the infraction occurs in the end zone.
.
The first priority is to ensure the defensive backs are in zone coverage
, and that they keep the receivers well in front of them until the ball is thrown. Second, generally no more than four defensive linemen rush the quarterback, with all the linebackers dropping back to prevent a shorter pass. In many cases, the defense will remove some of its linebackers and linemen and replace them with extra defensive backs, in order to help compensate when the opposing team brings in extra receivers, leading to there being five or six defensive backs on the field instead of the usual four, generally known as the nickel and dime packages, respectively. Once the ball gets down field, the primary role of the defensive back is to knock the ball to the ground, thus ending the play, and preventing something such as an offensive player stripping the ball, a tipped pass resulting in a reception, or a fumble that could happen if the defensive player intercepted the ball.
Occasionally, especially in college football, offensive players (usually wide receivers) will be put in on defense to defend a Hail Mary. Hail Mary passes are most successful when the defense is in the wrong alignment. If the defense is in man-to-man coverage, and a receiver manages to break coverage by getting further down field than the nearest defensive back, the chance of success is greatly improved.
gave BYU its first-ever bowl win, defeating SMU 46-45. This game is known among BYU fans as the "Miracle Bowl".
Another Hail Mary pass came in a 1984 game between Boston College
and Miami (FL)
. With just 6 seconds left on the clock, Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie
threw what was by then commonly called a Hail Mary pass, which succeeded primarily because Miami's secondary stood on the goal line to keep the receivers in front of them, and failed to cover a post route being run by Gerard Phelan
. Miami's defense was based on the assumption that Flutie wasn't able to throw the ball as far as the end zone, but Flutie hit Phelan in stride against a flatfooted defense a yard
deep in the end zone.
A connecting road in Natick
, where Flutie played for the high school
, has been named "Flutie Pass".
Another example was the Bluegrass Miracle
, a Hail Mary pass by Tigers QB Marcus Randall with 2 seconds to go in the Kentucky-LSU game on 9 November 2002.
In basketball
, A "Hail Mary shot" or "Hail Mary throw" is a shot thrown from a place far away from the basket (e.g. behind the half court line.)
There are similar usages in other fields, such as a "Hail Mary shot" in photography where the photographer holds the view finder of an SLR
camera far from his eye (so unable to compose the picture), usually high above his head, and takes a shot. This is often used in crowded situations
In 1991, Norman Schwarzkopf (Desert Storm commander) likened his strategy of flanking Iraqi defenders (by sending his forces in a westward direction to get behind them) to a Hail Mary play.
During the 2008 United States presidential election, Senator Chuck Schumer criticized John McCain
's vice presidential pick
, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
, by calling it a "Hail Mary pass". The term was also applied to his decision to suspend his campaign, and later, to his attempt to win Pennsylvania and "toss-up" states in order to win the election.
In the 1996 movie Executive Decision
commander in charge Lieutenant Colonel Austin Travis (Steven Seagal
) describes the severity of a possible mission to Pentagon officials as 'Hail Mary'. This phrase eventually employed as the code name of the mission, denoting to its last-chance nature.
In the 2010 movie Extraordinary Measures
Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford
) uses the phrase during his conversation with John Crowley (Brendan Fraser
) referring to chance of approval for sibling trial (a clinical trial
) of an enzyme developed for treatment of Pompe; John Crowley's two kids are suffering from Pompe.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
refers to any very long forward pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half.
Although the expression had been used before, it was made famous when it was used to describe the game-winning touchdown pass by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
to Drew Pearson
Drew Pearson (American football)
Drew Pearson is a sportscaster and former American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-Early years:...
in a December 28, 1975, NFL playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. Afterwards, it was reported that Staubach (a Roman Catholic) said, "I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary
Hail Mary
The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
."
An early print appearance of the term was an Associated Press story about the upcoming 1941 Orange Bowl, appearing in several newspapers (the 31 December 1940 Daytona Beach Morning Journal, for one: "Orange Bowl: [Georgetown] Hoyas Put Faith in “Hail Mary” Pass"). As the article explained, "A ‘hail Mary’ pass, in the talk of the Washington eleven, is one that is thrown with a prayer because the odds against completion are big."
Origins
The term "Hail Mary pass" was used by the press to describe a pass by Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
in a 1975 divisional playoff game. The term first came into mainstream use by the sporting press resulting from an interview shortly after the game-winning touchdown pass. Staubach was referring to his desperation (and Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
faith) for his game-winning touchdown pass in the December 28, 1975, NFC Divisional Playoff Game.
The Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
started with the ball on their own 15-yard line, trailing 14-10, with one minute and fifty-one seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cowboys quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
managed a nine-play drive to midfield against the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
defense. From midfield, with 24 seconds now remaining, Staubach lined up in the shotgun formation
Shotgun formation
The shotgun formation is a formation used by the offensive team in American and Canadian football. This formation is used mainly for passing plays, although some teams use it as their base formation. In the shotgun, instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage,...
, took the snap, pump-faked left, then turned to his right and threw a desperation pass to wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Drew Pearson
Drew Pearson (American football)
Drew Pearson is a sportscaster and former American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-Early years:...
, who was being covered by Minnesota Vikings cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Nate Wright
Nate Wright
-Professional career:Wright earned All-Pro honors at defensive back in 1974 and 1976. His career consisted mostly of time as a defensive back with the great Minnesota Vikings teams of the 1970s...
. Wright was pushed in the back and fell to the ground and Pearson was barely able to complete the catch by trapping the ball against his right hip at the 5-yard line and backing into the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
to make the score 16-14 in favor of Dallas, and what would eventually be the winning touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
. The point after
Convert
The convert or try, in American football known as "point after", and Canadian football "Point after touchdown", is a one-scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking the ball through the uprights , or...
was successful, making the final score 17-14. In a later interview with Pearson, he stated that he thought he dropped the ball only to find it against his hip and then just waltzed right into the end zone.
Reactions
As Pearson strode into the end zone for the score, free safety Paul Krause complained to field judge Armen TerzianArmen Terzian
Armen Terzian was a U.S. American football official in the NFL from 1961 to 1981. He was a field judge and wore uniform number 23, which was later worn by two African-American referees: Johnny Grier and, currently, Jerome Boger...
that an interference penalty on Pearson should have been called. An orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, thrown by a spectator in the stands, whizzed by Pearson at the goal line. The orange is visible on NFL Films
NFL Films
NFL Films is a Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based company devoted to producing commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentaries on the National Football League, as well as other unrelated major events and awards shows...
footage of the play and was initially confused by some as a penalty flag and was also misinterpreted by the Vikings defense as a penalty. More debris was thrown from the stands by angry Vikings fans, enraged that no penalty was called on Dallas.
Defensive tackle Alan Page
Alan Page
Alan Cedric Page is a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1963, received his B.A. in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1967, and received his J.D. from the University of...
argued with officials and was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct
Unsportsmanlike conduct
Unsportsmanlike conduct is a foul or offense in many sports that is not necessarily a violation of the respective sport's rules of play, but violates the sport's generally accepted rules of sportsmanship and/or participant conduct...
penalty on the ensuing kickoff. On Minnesota's next possession with 14 seconds left to play, a Corby's whiskey bottle was thrown by a spectator, striking referee Armen Terzian in the head at Minnesota's own 10-yard line, creating a large forehead gash and rendering him unconscious. Terzian had to wear a bandage, later requiring 11 stitches, as he walked off the field and was replaced by substitute official Charley Musser for the final two plays.
Aftermath
The term "Hail Mary pass" was used by Roger Staubach following the game in a post-game interview. Previous to this play, a last-second desperation pass had been called several names, most notably the "Alley-OopAlley Oop (football)
The Alley Oop play was developed in the 1950s American football games by San Francisco 49ers Y.A. Tittle and R.C. Owens. Tittle, who played as quarterback, would throw the ball into the end zone high like a jump ball, and Owens would jump up and catch it. The play was named after V. T. Hamlin's...
". Staubach, who had been hit immediately after throwing the ball and didn't see its ending, was asked about the play and he said, "You mean [Pearson] caught the ball and ran in for the touchdown? It was just a Hail Mary pass; a very, very lucky play." Staubach told reporters "I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary
Hail Mary
The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
". This was among the plays by Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
that enhanced his fame and legend as noted in NFL Hall of Fame Archives.
Shortly after the game concluded, Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton
Fran Tarkenton
Francis Asbury "Fran" Tarkenton is a former professional football player, TV personality, and computer software executive....
was informed that his father, Dallas Tarkenton, had died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
during the third quarter while watching the game on television at his Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, home.
Setup
There is no one setup, although many teams may have a "Hail Mary" type play in their playbooks. More often such plays are called a "post" or a "fly," although most plays in football playbooks have numerical tags as opposed to names. Generally there is no standard "Hail Mary Play."A play is more often called "Hail Mary" after the fact, that is if and after it has worked out against all odds and resulted in a score in the final moments. It is more a descriptive term of a sports moment, as opposed to a planned play.
Although such plays have low percentage chance of completion, there is likely some type of long pass play in every playbook at the professional and college level. Such a "long ball" "post" pass can occur with four or five wide receivers in the singleback formation
Formation (American football)
A formation in American football refers to the position players line up in before the start of a down. There are both offensive and defensive formations and there are many formations in both categories.-Offense:...
or with four or five wide receivers in the standard or shotgun formation
Shotgun formation
The shotgun formation is a formation used by the offensive team in American and Canadian football. This formation is used mainly for passing plays, although some teams use it as their base formation. In the shotgun, instead of the quarterback receiving the snap from center at the line of scrimmage,...
. Generally, three or more eligible receivers
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
are lined up on the short side of the field and all run a fly pattern. The running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
s, if in the play, may be kept in to block. Sometimes the team running a post will not even have a running back in the backfield, instead choosing to use every possible eligible receiver (five of them) to run a pass route, hoping to spread out the defense and give the quarterback more passing options. The quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
throws towards a receiver, making the decision as to which one within 2 - 2.5 seconds of getting the snap. The Hail Mary pass does not always need to be completed to move the ball for the offense. It may succeed in drawing a pass interference
Pass interference
In American and Canadian gridiron football, pass interference is a penalty that occurs when a player interferes with an eligible receiver's ability to make a fair attempt to catch a forward pass. Pass interference may include tripping, pushing, pulling, or cutting in front of the receiver or...
penalty on the defense (a strong possibility with so many receivers running deep routes for the defense to cover), which gives the offense the ability to run another play with better field position in all situations (since the game cannot end on a defensive penalty, even if there is no time left on the clock). In college it may not help much as pass interference is only a spot foul up to 15 yards, while in the NFL, it is a spot foul no matter where it occurs, with the ball placed at the 1 yard line if the infraction occurs in the end zone.
Defense
The standard defense against the Hail Mary pass is the prevent defensePrevent defense
Prevent defense is an American football defensive alignment that uses seven or more defensive backs or players in a defensive back role, the goal of which is to prevent the opposing offense from completing a long pass...
.
The first priority is to ensure the defensive backs are in zone coverage
Zone defense
Zone defense is a type of defense, used in team sports, which is the alternative to man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area known as a "zone" to cover....
, and that they keep the receivers well in front of them until the ball is thrown. Second, generally no more than four defensive linemen rush the quarterback, with all the linebackers dropping back to prevent a shorter pass. In many cases, the defense will remove some of its linebackers and linemen and replace them with extra defensive backs, in order to help compensate when the opposing team brings in extra receivers, leading to there being five or six defensive backs on the field instead of the usual four, generally known as the nickel and dime packages, respectively. Once the ball gets down field, the primary role of the defensive back is to knock the ball to the ground, thus ending the play, and preventing something such as an offensive player stripping the ball, a tipped pass resulting in a reception, or a fumble that could happen if the defensive player intercepted the ball.
Occasionally, especially in college football, offensive players (usually wide receivers) will be put in on defense to defend a Hail Mary. Hail Mary passes are most successful when the defense is in the wrong alignment. If the defense is in man-to-man coverage, and a receiver manages to break coverage by getting further down field than the nearest defensive back, the chance of success is greatly improved.
Examples
In the 1980 Holiday Bowl, BYU was down 45-25 with 4 minutes left in the game. Quarterback Jim McMahon (a Catholic) spearheaded a last-gasp come-from-behind victory, capping the comeback with a successful Hail Mary pass to tight end Clay Brown as time expired that tied the game; Kurt Gunther's extra pointExtra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
gave BYU its first-ever bowl win, defeating SMU 46-45. This game is known among BYU fans as the "Miracle Bowl".
Another Hail Mary pass came in a 1984 game between Boston College
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. The women's crew team competes in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing...
and Miami (FL)
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
. With just 6 seconds left on the clock, Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
threw what was by then commonly called a Hail Mary pass, which succeeded primarily because Miami's secondary stood on the goal line to keep the receivers in front of them, and failed to cover a post route being run by Gerard Phelan
Gerard Phelan
Gerard Phelan is a former college football player, who lined up at wide receiver for Boston College.-Early years:Phelan played football for Archbishop John Carroll Catholic High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and graduated in 1981....
. Miami's defense was based on the assumption that Flutie wasn't able to throw the ball as far as the end zone, but Flutie hit Phelan in stride against a flatfooted defense a yard
Yard
A yard is a unit of length in several different systems including English units, Imperial units and United States customary units. It is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches...
deep in the end zone.
A connecting road in Natick
Natick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
, where Flutie played for the high school
Natick High School
Natick High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9-12 in Natick, Massachusetts. The school is located on the banks of Lake Cochituate. It enrolled 1189 students as of the 2005-06 school year. Rose Bertucci is currently the interim principal after the retirement of former...
, has been named "Flutie Pass".
Another example was the Bluegrass Miracle
Bluegrass Miracle
The "Bluegrass Miracle" refers to one of the most improbable finishes in NCAA college football history. It was a 74-yard game-winning touchdown pass by the #14 LSU Tigers with no time left on the clock against the Kentucky Wildcats on November 9, 2002 at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington,...
, a Hail Mary pass by Tigers QB Marcus Randall with 2 seconds to go in the Kentucky-LSU game on 9 November 2002.
In other fields
The term "Hail Mary pass" has become generalized to refer to any last ditch effort with little chance of success.In basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, A "Hail Mary shot" or "Hail Mary throw" is a shot thrown from a place far away from the basket (e.g. behind the half court line.)
There are similar usages in other fields, such as a "Hail Mary shot" in photography where the photographer holds the view finder of an SLR
Single-lens reflex camera
A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly...
camera far from his eye (so unable to compose the picture), usually high above his head, and takes a shot. This is often used in crowded situations
In 1991, Norman Schwarzkopf (Desert Storm commander) likened his strategy of flanking Iraqi defenders (by sending his forces in a westward direction to get behind them) to a Hail Mary play.
During the 2008 United States presidential election, Senator Chuck Schumer criticized John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
's vice presidential pick
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, by calling it a "Hail Mary pass". The term was also applied to his decision to suspend his campaign, and later, to his attempt to win Pennsylvania and "toss-up" states in order to win the election.
In the 1996 movie Executive Decision
Executive Decision
Executive Decision is a 1996 action film, directed by Stuart Baird and starring Kurt Russell, Halle Berry and Steven Seagal. The original music was composed by Jerry Goldsmith...
commander in charge Lieutenant Colonel Austin Travis (Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
) describes the severity of a possible mission to Pentagon officials as 'Hail Mary'. This phrase eventually employed as the code name of the mission, denoting to its last-chance nature.
In the 2010 movie Extraordinary Measures
Extraordinary Measures
Extraordinary Measures is a 2010 medical drama film starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, and Keri Russell. It is distributed by CBS Films and was released on January 22, 2010. It is about parents who form a biotechnology company to develop a drug to save the lives of their children, who have a...
Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
) uses the phrase during his conversation with John Crowley (Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
) referring to chance of approval for sibling trial (a clinical trial
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
) of an enzyme developed for treatment of Pompe; John Crowley's two kids are suffering from Pompe.
See also
- Hail Mary – WiktionaryWiktionaryWiktionary is a multilingual, web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in 158 languages...
definition - National Football League loreNational Football League loreNational Football League lore is a collection of information that NFL fans retain and share.Since the NFL was founded in 1920, it has grown from an informal network of teams based mostly in small towns and cities into the most popular and successful sports league in the United States...
- NFL playoffs, 1975-76NFL playoffs, 1975-76The NFL playoffs following the 1975 NFL season led up to Super Bowl X. This was the first season in which the league used a seeding system in the playoffs. Thus, the surviving clubs with the higher seeds were made the home teams for each playoff round...