Hail Mary Pass - Staubach To Pearson, 1975

Staubach To Pearson, 1975

The term "Hail Mary pass" was introduced into the modern day lexicon by the sporting press to characterize the famous Staubach to Pearson pass. It stemmed from a post-game interview with Staubach who described his desperation by referencing the term from his Catholic faith.

The Cowboys started the game-winning drive with the ball on their own 15-yard line, trailing 14-10 with 1:50 left in the game. After a spectacular catch by Pearson on fourth and 17 brought the Cowboys to midfield with just 37 seconds left, Staubach then tried to hit running back Preston Pearson (no relation to Drew) with a short pass over the middle, but the ball fell incomplete. Then, with 32 seconds remaining Staubach again lined up in the shotgun formation, took the snap, pump-faked left, then turned to his right and unloaded a desperation pass to Drew Pearson who was being covered by All-Pro cornerback Nate Wright. Wright fell down, allowing Pearson to make the catch by trapping the ball against his right hip at the 5-yard line with his back to the end zone. He then turned and scored standing up with 24 seconds left. Pearson said later that he thought he had dropped the ball only to find it pinned against his hip and then "I just waltzed right into the end zone." With the extra point, Dallas went up by a field goal - 17-14, which was the final score. In response to Wright's claim that he was pushed, Pearson said, "I used that swim move that receivers use to get inside position on defensive backs. There was contact with Nate Wright, but there was no deliberate push."