Monday, February 04, 2008

The "Hail Mary" Pass--Origin of the Phrase

Heh. It's a Catholic thing, folks.

Staubach’s Catholic faith was evident in one of the best highlight-reel plays in NFL history. In a 1975 playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, he threw a 50-yard bomb to receiver Drew Pearson in the final seconds to win the game, 17-14. Interviewed after the game, Staubach joked that he had said a Hail Mary just before he threw the ball.

From that point onward, any long desperation pass in an attempt to score in a game’s final seconds would commonly be referred to as a “Hail Mary pass.”

Lots more intereseting info about RC pro footballers (Ditka, Shula, Griese, Favre, and others) here.

And who could forget Vince Lombardi? Or that the NYGiants' owner-family is RC?

HT: MWBH

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