Hail Mary pass Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass, also known as a shot play, is a very long forward pass in American football, made in desperation, with only a small chance of success and time running out on the clock. The term became widespread after a December 28, 1975 NFL playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings, when Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach (a Roman Catholic and fan of "The Godfather Part II" (1974), whose character Fredo had popularized the phrase) said about his game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson, "I closed my eyes and said a
Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here 1917. It was referenced in American newspapers as a familiar song as early as 1898, sung at political and other gatherings. A "Philadelphia Inquirer" news item from April 1, 1898, for example, stated that during a raucous meeting, members of the Philadelphia Common Council loudly sang, "Hail, hail, the gang's all here, what the h--- do we care! What the h--- do we care!" Likewise, a Delaware state legislature session in March 1901 was disrupted when Democratic members loudly sang the song. The title line of the song is also quoted in the closing measures of the 1915 song "Alabama