List of successful Hail Marys in American football

Here is a list, ordered by year, of famous Hail Mary plays from collegiate and professional football in the United States.

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

College football

Early use of the term "Hail Mary Pass"

• 1922 — On October 28, 1922, the term "Hail Mary play" was used by Knute Rockne's Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a victory over Georgia Tech. Notre Dame trailed 3-0 in the second half and had been unable to move the ball effectively. Noble Kizer, the one Presbyterian player on the Notre Dame team, stopped play and said to his teammates, "Boys, let's have a Hail Mary." They all prayed, and Elmer Layden scored a touchdown. On the next possession, Kizer said, "Let's have another Hail Mary," and Layden scored another touchdown. After the game, Kizer said, "Say, that Hail Mary is the best play we've got."^[1] An account written in 1935 presented a variation on the 1922 "Hail Mary" play as follows:

  "In the huddle the boys were surprised to hear the non-Catholic say: 'C'mon fellows let's have a 'Hail Mary.' The boys said the quick prayer and on the next play Jimmy Crowley dashed 30 yards for a touchdown. Some time later Notre Dame was again stopped and again this non-Catholic called on the boys for a Hail Mary. On the next play Stuhldreher tossed a 25 yard pass to Layden for a score. In between halves this same lad was chuckling to himself. He turned to one of his teammates and said, 'Boy that Hail Mary is a ________ of a play.'"^[2]

• 1935 — On November 2, 1935, Notre Dame faced an undefeated Ohio State team and trailed 13–0 at the start of the fourth quarter. Notre Dame scored two touchdowns to cut Ohio State's lead to 13–12. With less than a minute left in the game, Notre Dame quarterback Andy Pilney ran 30 yards to the Ohio State 19-yard line. Pilney was injured and had to be carried off the field on a stretcher. William Shakespeare (nicknamed the "Merchant of Menace") replaced Pilney. With the clock running out, the ball was snapped to the fullback who handed it to Shakespeare on what appeared to be a reverse. Shakespeare threw a pass into the endzone, which was caught by Wayne Millner on his knees for an 18–13 win. Red Barber, who broadcast the game on radio, later called it "the greatest college football game I ever called."^[3] Radio announcer Tom Manning added, "I always said Shakespeare had a pair of rosary beads and a bottle of holy water in his back pocket."^[4] The media picked up stories of the Catholic faithful praying for Notre Dame as they listened to the game on the radio. One nun told a reporter of overhearing a colleague in her convent "gamefully bargaining" and eventually "threatening" the Poor Souls and saints for another Notre Dame touchdown.^[3] Shakespeare's game-winning pass became known as the "Hail Mary pass."^[5] In 1969, the game was selected in a poll by the Associated Press as the "game of the century", the best game in the first 100 years of college football.^[6][7]
• 1940 — In 1940, the Georgetown Hoyas football team and quarterback Joe McFadden used a play referred to as the "'Hail Mary' pass." An Associated Press article published in December 1940 noted: "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."^[8]

Contemporary use of the term "Hail Mary Pass"

• 1980 — Holiday Bowl — Brigham Young vs. SMU: BYU quarterback Jim McMahon completed a 41-yard Hail Mary to Clay Brown on the game's final play for a 46-45 win. The game is known as the "Miracle Bowl" because the Cougars overcame SMU's 45-25 lead with four minutes left in the game, sealing the victory with a touchdown and PAT kick after time expired. Brown's catch remains one of the most spectacular Hail Mary receptions in football history. He was completely surrounded by SMU defenders in the end zone, but he out-jumped all of them and somehow managed to hold on to the ball during the subsequent pileup.
• 1983 — LSU vs. Florida State: LSU completed a last-minute Hail Mary pass against Florida State but still fell short, 40-35.
• 1984 — Boston College vs. Miami: BC quarterback Doug Flutie threw a 48-yard Hail Mary to Gerard Phelan for the 47-45 victory. The play is known as "Hail Flutie" and is generally credited with winning Flutie the Heisman Trophy later that season.
• 1989 — Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville: In October, with USM on its own 21 yard line and only six seconds remaining, Brett Favre heaved a pass that bounced off of the helmet of the Eagles' Michael Jackson and over to wide receiver Darryl Tillman. Tillman scored as time expired, breaking a 10-10 deadlock. At 79 yards, the throw was probably the longest Hail Mary pass ever completed and was later voted on as one of the "Top 5 Memorable Moments" in college football history during an ESPN.com online vote.
• 1994 — Colorado vs. Michigan: Down by 5 points, with 6 seconds to play, #7 Colorado lined up in a formation called 'Jets' - 4-wideouts with Trips left. Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart had good protection, dropped back to the CU 27, scrambled a bit, and heaved the ball 73 yards in the air down to the opposing 1-yard line. The play, known as 'Rocket Left', called for Michael Westbrook to tip the ball into the end zone for backup wideout Blake Anderson, but it was in fact Anderson in the middle of a cluster of players who tipped it to Westbrook for a 64-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the game. Colorado won 27-26, and the play (which Colorado had also run at the end of the first half, resulting in #4 Michigan intercepting it) became known as “The Miracle at Michigan” and took home an ESPY for College Football Play of the Year.^[9]
• 2000 — Northwestern vs. Minnesota: Northwestern quarterback Zak Kustok completed a 45-yard Hail Mary to wide receiver Sam Simmons. The touchdown gave Northwestern a 41-35 victory as the Wildcats rallied from a 35-14 deficit. The play (a volleyball-style tip to the trailing wide receiver) was named "Victory Right."
• 2001 — Miami (Ohio) vs. Akron: Future Super Bowl-winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a 70-yard tipped pass to Eddie Tillitz to defeat Akron 30-27 on the last play. The play was dubbed "Big Ben" (an old Atlanta Falcon name for the Hail Mary pass) and helped Roethlisberger earn the nickname that he would later be known by.
• 2002 — LSU vs. Kentucky: This game ended in a 75-yard Hail Mary pass, thrown by LSU QB Marcus Randall, deflected by Kentucky into the hands of LSU receiver Devery Henderson. Before the play, Kentucky players gave a "Gatorade bath" to the head coach thinking they would surely win. After the play, fireworks were then fired into the air over the stadium and Kentucky fans rushed onto the field and even started tearing down the goal posts in the opposite end zone, not knowing that they had lost. LSU won the game 33-30. The play is known as the “Bluegrass Miracle”.^[10]
• 2003 — Tennessee vs. Florida: Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to James Banks on the final play of the first half. The play gave Tennessee a 7-3 lead and they went on to win 24-10.^[11]
• 2004 — Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State: DeQwan Mobley caught a long Hail Mary pass just before halftime.
• 2005 — Washington vs. Arizona: During the closing seconds of the first half, Washington quarterback Isaiah Stanback heaved a pass 69 yards to Craig Chambers to tie the game at 14. Washington would eventually win 38-14.^[12]
• 2006
  • NC State vs. Boston College: A 34-yard Hail Mary from NC State quarterback Daniel Evans to wideout John Dunlap with 8 seconds left gave NC State a 17-15 victory.^[13]
  • Arkansas State vs. Memphis: A 53-yard Hail Mary from quarterback Corey Leonard to wide receiver Patrick Higgins with 6 seconds left gave ASU a 26-23 victory.^[14]
  • Washington vs. Cal: In his third career start, quarterback Carl Bonnell threw a 40-yard Hail Mary that was tipped by three Cal defenders at the goal line and caught by Marlon Wood at the two yard line with no time left. He dove into the endzone to tie the game at 24-24. Cal would win in overtime.^[15]
• 2007
  • Iowa vs. Indiana: On September 29, trailing 21-0 with five seconds left in the first half, Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen's took the snap and made a 33-yard desperation heave into the end zone that was deflected by a group of three Hoosier defensive backs before being caught by receiver Trey Stross. Iowa went on to lose the game.
  • Army vs. Tulane: In October, on his first Army touchdown pass, quarterback Kevin Dunn threw a 36-yard Hail Mary that was tipped by two Tulane defenders and a diving catch was made by Mike Wright to tie the game at 17-17. Army was down 17-7 with just 4 minutes left, and went on to win the game in overtime 20-17 after the Hail Mary tied the game as time expired.^[16][17]
• 2008
  • Middle Tennessee vs. Florida Atlantic: MT quarterback Joe Craddock threw a touchdown pass to Malcolm Beyah as time expired to beat the Owls 14-13. The Blue Raiders had been in a similar situation earlier in the season against Kentucky, but the Wildcats' Robbie McAtee made a game-saving tackle at the 1-yard line after the Raiders gained 61 yards on the play (see more about the first Hail Mary attempt below).^[18][19]
  • Buffalo vs. Temple: Flanker Naaman Roosevelt hauled in a 35-yard Hail Mary pass from quarterback Drew Willy to stun Temple and turn UB Stadium on its ear with bedlam. The play capped a remarkable final three minutes that saw the lead change hands three times. The Bulls won with a final score of 30-28.
  • UC Davis vs. Northern Colorado: After an illegal procedure penalty, UC Davis was moved out of field goal range to the 38 yard line, down 30-28 with two seconds remaining on the clock. Quarterback Greg Denham completed a Hail Mary pass to wide receiver Bakari Grant as time expired to win the game 34-30.
• 2010
  • East Carolina vs. Tulsa: ECU defeated Tulsa 51-49 with a Hail Mary pass on its final play. The pass was thrown by Dominque Davis and caught by Justin Jones.
  • UAB vs. Troy: Bryan Ellis of UAB threw a 44-yard pass to Jackie Williams as time expired to top Troy at Legion Field, 34-33.
  • SEC Championship Game, Auburn vs. South Carolina: Auburn's Cam Newton threw a Hail Mary pass downfield in the last few seconds of the first half, with Darvin Adams making the catch. Auburn crushed South Carolina 56–17 to capture the SEC title and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game, where they defeated the Oregon Ducks.
• 2011
  • Michigan State vs. Wisconsin: On the final play of the game, Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a pass into the end zone that was caught by Keith Nichol at the 1-yard line after being deflected off B. J. Cunningham's helmet. Nichol had to fight two Wisconsin defenders for the extra yard to reach the endzone. It was not ruled a touchdown on the field, however the call was overturned after video replays showed that the ball had crossed the plane, making the play a 44-yard touchdown pass, giving a 37-31 win to Michigan State. It was Nichol's only catch of the game.
  • Boise State vs. Wyoming: With 1 second to play before halftime, Boise State Quarterback Kellen Moore took the snap, rolled left as time expired, and heaved a 46-yard pass that Wyoming Cornerback Tashaun Gipson batted into the air. Wide Receiver Matt Miller, who had already fallen to the ground, caught the ball on his chest as it fell towards him, breaking a 7-7 deadlock. Boise State used the momentum going into halftime to further expand their lead in the second half and win by a significant margin.
  • 2012 Capital One Bowl - #9 South Carolina vs. #20 Nebraska: Down 13-9 at the end of the first half, South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw took the snap from South Carolina's own 49-yard line with 0:06 seconds remaining. With 0:02 remaining, Shaw heaved a Hail Mary pass, which was caught at the 4-yard line by 6'4" receiver Alshon Jeffery, who dove into the endzone for a touchdown as time expired. South Carolina went on to win 30-13, and Jeffrey was named MVP of the game.

Professional football

• 1975 — NFL playoffs, 1975-76#NFC: Dallas Cowboys 17, Minnesota Vikings 14|NFC Divisional Playoffs]] — Minnesota Vikings vs Dallas Cowboys: With 24 seconds left in the game, Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach threw the 50-yard winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson to defeat the Minnesota Vikings. Although this touchdown appears to be more of a traditional, scripted "bomb" pass play to a designated receiver, Pearson, Staubach's post-game comments about the play are thought to have popularized "Hail Mary" as a football term.
• 1978 — Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints: The Falcons beat the Saints 20-17 on a 57-yard Hail Mary pass from Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski to Alfred Jackson. The play was known as "Big Ben" and was practically repeated by the Falcons against the Saints only two weeks later in the "Big Ben II" game (see more about the "Big Ben II" attempt below).
• 1980 — Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns: Using a play from their playbook called "Squadron Right", Minnesota quarterback Tommy Kramer completed a Hail Mary pass to Ahmad Rashad as time expired resulting in a 28-23 victory for the Vikings. This pass is also known as the "Miracle Catch." Kramer passed for 456 yards in the game. As a result of the victory, the Vikings qualified for the playoffs.
• 1981 - Buffalo Bills vs. [[New England Patriots: Bills quarterbackJoe Ferguson threw a 36-yard pass that was tipped in the end zone, and caught for a touchdown by running back Roland Hooks to give Buffalo a 20-17 victory. The win secured Buffalo the last AFC playoff spot in 1981.^[20][21]
• 1983 — Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers: Falcons quarterbackSteve Bartkowski threw a Hail Mary pass 47 yards to Billy "White Shoes" Johnson on the final play of the game to give the Falcons a 28-24 win over the 49ers.^[22]
• 1984 — New Orleans Saints vs. Cincinnati Bengals: The Saints' Dave Wilson completed a 54-yard Hail Mary pass, deflected by Bengal safety Robert Jackson, to Hoby Brenner on the last play before halftime to take a 7-3 lead. Ken Anderson, who was recovering from a shoulder injury that he had received earlier in the season, replaced an ineffective Boomer Esiason and rallied the Bengals to a 24-21 victory.
• 1987 - San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Leading 26-20, with 0:06 remaining, Bengals coach Sam Wyche decided to run a play on 4th down from their own 25 yard line. The play failed, giving San Francisco possession of the ball with 0:02 remaining. On the game's final play, 49ers quarterback Joe Montana threw a touchdown pass to Jerry Rice as time expired, giving San Francisco a 27-26 win.^[23]
• 1987 (Playoffs) NFC Wild Card Playoffs — Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints: In the Saints' first-ever playoff game, they were victimized once again. The Vikings were ahead 24-10 near the end of the first half, when Wade Wilson completed a Hail Mary pass to Hassan Jones, to make the halftime score 31–10. The touchdown put the game basically out of reach, and the Vikings defeated the Saints 44-10^[24]
• 1991 — Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers: Billy Joe Tolliver found Michael Haynes for 44 yards with one second left to beat the 49ers, 17-14, in a key NFC West battle. The Falcons would go on to qualify for the playoffs, winning a tiebreaker over the 49ers as a result of this game^[25]
• 1991 — Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins: The Dallas Cowboys were playing the then undefeated Washington Redskins in 1991. With the Cowboys leading 10-7 in second quarter with time running out and a 4th down from Redskin 34 yard line, the Cowboys decided to go for it. Then Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman threw the Hail Mary in the right corner of the endzone where Alvin Harper cleanly caught the ball for a touchdown putting the Cowboys up 17-7. The Cowboys would end up winning 24-21 and ending Washington's 11-game winning streak^[26]
• 1996 — Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots: On September 22, Mark Brunell threw a 51-yard Hail Mary pass to Jimmy Smith to score a touchdown at the end of the first half, closing the gap with New England to 22-7. In the second half, Brunell also threw scoring strikes of 41 and 61 yards. The Patriots eventually won in overtime, 28-25. Amazingly, Brunell's Hail Mary attempt at the end of the second half was also completed, but the receiver was ruled down at the 1 yard line with no time left (see more about the second Hail Mary attempt below). [2]
• 1999 — New York Giants vs. New Orleans Saints: Just before halftime, Kent Graham of the Giants completed a 53-yard Hail Mary pass to Joe Jurevicius that had been tipped by teammate Amani Toomer and the Saints' Sammy Knight. The touchdown gave Jurevicius his first NFL touchdown and the Giants a 24-3 halftime lead. New York won the game, 31-3. The Saints gave up another Hail Mary the following week (see more about the second Hail Mary attempt below).
• 1999 — Cleveland Browns vs. New Orleans Saints: On Halloween, and only a week after the Giants had completed a similar pass play against the Saints before halftime, the Browns won their first game since coming back to the NFL against New Orleans as Tim Couch completed a 56-yard Hail Mary pass to Kevin Johnson as time expired for the stunning 21-16 victory. As in the week before, the Saints' Sammy Knight also batted this pass before it was caught (see more about the first Hail Mary attempt above).
• 2001 — Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns: Chicago tied the game on a 34-yard deflected Hail Mary from Shane Matthews to running back James Allen on a remarkable diving catch. The play capped off a 14-point comeback in the final 28 seconds of a game that Chicago won in overtime, 27-21, on an interception return by Mike Brown.
• 2002 — Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Cleveland won on a 50 yard Hail Mary pass from Tim Couch to Quincy Morgan against Jacksonville for a 21-20 shocker. It was Couch's second Hail Mary victory.^[27] Many fans refer to this as the "Hail Morgan" catch.
• 2006 — New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons: Drew Brees completed a Hail Mary pass to Terrance Cooper before halftime that helped the Saints cruise to a 31-13 victory over the team that had beat them twice in 1978 by using the "Big Ben" play.
• 2007 — Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers: Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner threw up a 48-yard toss to Larry Fitzgerald at the end of the first half of the game to take the lead against the shocked 49ers, 21-17. San Francisco, however, would win 37-31 in overtime at the end of the game on a Warner fumble recovered for a touchdown.^[28]
• 2010 — Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans: With the score tied 24-24 and 3 seconds left on the clock, the Jaguars had possession of the football on the 50 yard line. Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard attempted a Hail Mary pass to wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker. The ball was batted down at the goal line into the hands of Mike Thomas who stepped into the endzone with no time left to ensure a Jacksonville victory, 31-24.
• 2011 — Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears: With 2 seconds left in the first half, the Bears leading 3-0, Kansas City had the ball on Chicago's 38 yard line. Tyler Palko threw a Hail Mary into the end zone that was batted down by Chicago's Brian Urlacher and Chris Conte only to be caught after the deflection by Kansas City's Dexter McCluster. The pass was Tyler Palko's first career Touch Down pass and Dexter McCluster's first career Touch Down reception. The Chiefs went on to win the game 10-3.^[29]

List of notable unsuccessful Hail Marys

• 1978 — Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints: Just two weeks after the Falcons beat the Saints 20-17 on the "Big Ben" pass play, the Falcons beat them again by the same score on the final play of the game after an intercepted Hail Mary pass when Saint defensive back Mo Spencer was called for pass interference by side judge Grover Klemmer. The Falcons scored on a run from the 1 yard line on the next play. The play became known as "Big Ben II." The second game was one of the few times (if not the only time) that officials called defensive pass interference on the play, even though it could be argued that pass interference occurs often on Hail Mary passes. In this particular instance, the NFL later acknowledged that the interference call was the wrong call, and the case was cited by some as an early example for the need for football officiating crews to have access to instant replays. Though incomplete in this game, it should be noted that the pass play really began to be used by other teams significantly more often after this game, as a pass interference penalty that would move the ball to the 1 yard line was now viewed as a possible result from the play — if not an even more likely result than completing the pass itself. However, in the 1980s, pass interference rules were relaxed in cases where defenders made contact but were making an honest attempt for the ball (see more about the first "Big Ben" attempt above).
• 1990 — LSU vs. Vanderbilt: LSU completed a Hail Mary pass against Vanderbilt. It was perhaps the only time where offensive pass interference has reversed the outcome of the play, despite a traditional reluctance of officiating crews to call a penalty on any one player during a play consisting of a cluster of flailing players and so much on the line. With the touchdown called back, Vanderbilt won its only game of the season, 24-21. According to LSU Student Media, during a press conference in the week after the game, LSU's head coach, Mike Archer, showed reporters replays of the play, frame-by-frame, explaining why the penalty was a poor call. LSU later completed the season with a 5-6 record and Archer was pressured to resign, with the loss to the eventual 1-10 team often being cited as the likely primary reason for his dismissal.
• 1996 — Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots: On September 22, Mark Brunell threw a pass to Willie Jackson for 55 yards that appeared to win the game. The officials ruled Jackson down at the 1, though Jaguar fans insist that replays show that Jackson crossed the goal-line. The Patriots then prevailed 28-25 in overtime. Particularly notable about this play was the fact that Brunell also completed a 51-yard Hail Mary in the same game before halftime, as well as 41 and 61-yard touchdown passes in the second half, to erase the Patriots' 22-0 first-half lead (see more about the first Hail Mary attempt above).
• 1998 — Notre Dame vs. Navy: With three seconds remaining, Navy's Chris McCoy threw a pass from the Irish 29 that bounced off of the helmet of Irish player Deke Cooper and into the hands of Pat McGrew at the 18. McGrew was finally tackled by Allen Rossum when he had nearly reached the 1 yard line, allowing Notre Dame to hold on and win 21−17. Had McGrew scored, it would have ended the nation's all-time longest losing streak in an annual college football series. However, as a result of the loss, Navy continued its string of losses to the Fighting Irish — not finally ending it once and for all until 2007, at 43 games.
• 2008 — Kentucky vs. Middle Tennessee: Six years after Kentucky lost the Bluegrass Miracle game on a similar pass play, MT's Eldred King caught a tipped 61-yard throw from Joe Craddock on the game's final play. King was tackled on the 1 yard line to preserve a 20-14 UK victory and prevent a second Bluegrass Miracle from happening. It is noteworthy that MT did complete a similar pass play against Florida Atlantic later in the same season (see more about the second Hail Mary attempt above).
• 2009 — Magnolia Bowl — LSU vs. Mississippi: LSU's Jordan Jefferson, under a heavy pass rush, was forced to heave an under-thrown 43-yard Hail Mary pass that Terrance Toliver was able to catch with between two and three seconds remaining in regulation — but still 6 yards short of the endzone. After the completion the clock was not halted for the first down until one second remained, giving LSU too little time to set up and run a follow-up play. Ole Miss prevailed, 25-23. This play is notable in that it was a rare completed Hail Mary pass with time remaining, but was under-thrown and time ran out. The loss subsequently led to harsh criticism of LSU's Les Miles for his time management efforts — especially since it appeared that the team was going to try to spike the ball as time ran out — and led to a significant movement over the next year to remove him as head coach. He later signed a contract extension after a much more successful season the following year.

List of passes often mistakenly referred to as Hail Marys

• 1972 — AFC Divisional Playoffs — Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders: Pittsburgh trailed in this game 7-6 and faced fourth down and 10 from their own 40 with 22 seconds remaining. Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw threw to halfback Frenchy Fuqua but the Raiders' Jack Tatum collided with him and the ball was deflected towards the Steelers' Franco Harris, who then scored a controversial touchdown. This play has become known as the Immaculate Reception. The pass is usually not considered a "Hail Mary" pass in that it was a scripted play intended for a specific receiver and not thrown desperately "up for grabs" like Hail Marys usually are.
• 1974 — Thanksgiving Classic — Washington Redskins vs Dallas Cowboys: Dallas reserve quarterback and rookie Clint Longley, filling in for an injured Roger Staubach, threw two touchdown passes including the game winning 50-yarder to Drew Pearson to push the Cowboys to a 24-23 victory and to keep the Cowboys in the playoff hunt. This pass was more of a traditional, late-game "bomb" throw with a scripted post route for Pearson. 35 seconds remained when attempted.
• 1997 — Nebraska vs. Missouri: Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost's last-second pass to Shevin Wiggins was deflected, then before the ball touched the ground, Wiggins kicked the ball towards the back of the end zone where teammate Matt Davidson scoped the ball up just before it hit the ground. The touchdown sent the game into overtime, when the top ranked Cornhuskers won. Nebraska went on to share the national title that season. This play is also known as the Flea Kicker. It is generally not considered a Hail Mary pass as it was very short — attempted within the red zone — and was more of a traditional, scripted pass play that just ended up having an unusual result.
• 2003 — Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings: The Cardinals stunned the Vikings on a 28-yard touchdown pass as time expired from Josh McCown to Nate Poole to win 18-17. The pass, which was made in just McCown's third start, appears to have been intended for strictly for Poole. The loss was costly for the Vikings as they not only lost the game, but lost the NFC North title to the Packers and finish the season 9-7, knocking them out of playoff contention.^[30]
• 2005 — Capital One Bowl — Iowa vs. LSU: With 14 seconds left, Iowa quarterback Drew Tate completed a 56-yard touchdown pass to Warren Holloway, left open due to an LSU defensive breakdown, to give Iowa a 30-25 victory on the game's final play.^[31] This play is usually not considered a Hail Mary pass per se and varies from the traditional definition of one in that the throw was intended for a specific receiver and not tossed "up for grabs."
• 2009 — Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers were up 24-20 with 11 seconds left in the game. The Vikings had the ball at the 49ers' 32 yard line. Brett Favre, who had been criticized by many for going to the Vikings that year, rolled out right, and avoided a defender by using a pump fake. Then, he threw it from about the 39 yard line and connected to Greg Lewis in the very back of the endzone. Lewis just got both of his feet in, making a spectacular catch.

References