The name comes from the familiar prayer beginning with Hail Mary and alludes to the fact that the passer is, in effect, praying that his throw will succeed. Considered too short and without a strong enough arm to play quarterback, the 510' Natick resident became one of the gutsiest players in football.
This term originated in football, where it means a last-ditch attempt to score because time is running out. On this day in 1984, Doug Flutie threw a last-second 'Hail Mary' touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan in the end zone, giving Boston College a 47-45 win over the University of Miami.
Their goal is to get down to the end zone and attempt to catch the ball from the quarterback. The wide receivers do not have any kind of set routes. Once all the Receivers are in position, the only thing left for the Quarterback to do is throw the ball as high as he can right into the middle of the field and hope that one of his own players comes down with it. Hail Mary is a fitting name for this play because it is used as a last resort at the end of a football game. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. hail Mary pass A maneuver tried against heavy odds. This version of the Hail Mary play puts all your eggs in one basket by sending every Receiver to the middle of the field.