what does the term hail mary mean in football
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 Godfather Part 2 fan which the character Fredo popularized the phrase the previous year in 1974) said about his game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson, widely believed to have pushed off, "I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary."