Terminology... Hail Mary Pass

This is article #7 in a series covering the origins of football’s terminology. All are available under the Terminology tab above. My book, Hut! Hut! Hike! describes the emergence of more than 400 football terms.

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Among the more colorful terms for a pass play is the Hail Mary, which now describes a long, last-minute pass thrown by teams trailing on the scoreboard. But it was not always so, and if you believe the story, the original Hail Mary was not a pass play.

The legend of the Hail Mary play began in 1932 when one of Notre Dame’s Four Horsemen, Jim Crowley, spoke at the American Football Coaches Association banquet. Crowley told the crowd of Notre Dame’s come-from-behind victory over Georgia Tech in 1922. Georgia Tech twice fumbled deep, and when Notre Dame failed to move the ball, a lineman, who happened to be Presbyterian, suggested the team say a Hail Mary in the huddle before the fourth-down play. Notre Dame scored on a running play, and a legend was born. Of course, the legend may be only a legend since there was no public mention of the Hail Mary incident until Crowley's speech almost ten years later.

An action shot from the 1922 Notre Dame-Georgia Tech game which the Irish won 13-3. (1923 Notre Dame Dome)

The Hail Mary resurfaced in 1935 when Irish quarterback, William Shakespeare, threw long desperation passes to beat Ohio State and tie Army. It also popped up during the lead-up to Georgetown, another Catholic school, playing Mississippi State in the 1940 Orange Bowl.

In their victory at Ohio Stadium, Notre Dame's William Shakespeare punted, ran, and passed the ball. (1936 Ohio State Makio)