This is a list of notable Hail Mary passes from collegiate and professional football in the United States.
College football Early use of the term 1922 — On October 28, 1922, the term "Hail Mary play" was used by Knute Rockne's Notre Dame 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." 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.'
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 end zone, 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."("Bill Shakespeare was nicknamed 'The Merchant of Menace' and, according to classmates, did not do well in English.") 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." 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. Shakespeare's game-winning pass became known as the "Hail Mary pass." 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.The Fighting Irish Football Encyclopedia, p. 79. 1940 — In 1940, Georgetown 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."
Contemporary use of the term 1980 — Holiday Bowl — BYU 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 Southern Methodist's 45–25 lead with four minutes left in the game, sealing the victory with a touchdown and kick after time expired. Brown's catch remains one of the most spectacular Hail Mary receptions in football history. He was completely surrounded by Southern Methodist defenders in the end zone, but he outjumped all of them and managed to hold on to the ball during the subsequent pileup. 1984 — Boston College vs. Miami (FL): Boston College 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 Miss vs. Louisville: With Southern Mississippi 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 his 27-yard line, 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. 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 (OH) 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 Louisiana State quarterback Marcus Randall, deflected by Kentucky into the hands of Louisiana State receiver Devery Henderson. Before the play, Kentucky players gave a "Gatorade bath" to the head coach thinking they would 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. Louisiana State won the game 33–30. The play is known as the "Bluegrass Miracle".ESPN.com Deflected 'Hail Mary' wins game for LSU 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. 2004 — Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State: DeQwan Mobley of Texas A&M 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.ESPN.com Washington ends 14-game Pac-10 losing streak at Arizona 2005 — 2005 Capital One Bowl — #12 Iowa vs. #11 LSU: Iowa quarterback Drew Tate threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Warren Holloway on the game's final play to give the Hawkeyes a 30–25 victory. The game was coach Nick Saban's last at Louisiana State, as he was leaving to coach the Miami Dolphins. 2006 — NC State vs. Boston College: A 34-yard Hail Mary from North Carolina State quarterback Daniel Evans to wideout John Dunlap with 8 seconds left gave North Carolina State a 17–15 victory.ESPN.com NC State upsets No. 20 BC on Dunlap's TD with 8 seconds left 2006 — Arkansas State vs. Memphis: A 53-yard Hail Mary from quarterback Corey Leonard to wide receiver Patrick Higgins with 6 seconds left gave Arkansas State a 26–23 victory.ESPN.com Arkansas State 26, Memphis 23 2006 — Washington vs. California: 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 end zone to tie the game at 24–24. Cal would win in overtime, and the image of Marshawn Lynch driving the injury cart in celebration became the lasting image from the game, rather than the game-tying pass.ESPN.com 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. 2007 — Army vs. Tulane: Trailing 17–10, Army 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 went on to win the game in overtime, 20–17.ESPN.com ESPN.com Schlabach: On (and off) the Mark 2008 — Middle Tennessee vs. Florida Atlantic: Middle Tennessee quarterback Joe Craddock threw a touchdown pass to Malcolm Beyah as time expired to beat Florida Atlantic 14–13.ESPN.com Craddock's 32-yard TD pass as time expires lifts Middle TennesseeESPN.com Last-gasp effort just short, MTSU falls to Kentucky 2008 — Buffalo vs. Temple: Buffalo receiver Naaman Roosevelt hauled in a 35-yard Hail Mary pass from quarterback Drew Willy to stun Temple. The play capped a remarkable final three minutes that saw the lead change hands three times. The Bulls won by a final score of 30–28. 2008 — UC Davis vs. : 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. 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: East Carolina 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. 2010 — UAB vs. Troy: Quarterback Bryan Ellis of UAB threw a 44-yard pass to Jackie Williams as time expired to top Troy at Legion Field, 34–33. 2011 — Michigan State vs. Wisconsin: On the final play of the game with the score tied at 31, 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 fought two Wisconsin defenders for the extra yard to reach the end zone. 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. 2011 — Boise State vs. Wyoming: With 1 second to play before halftime, Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore threw 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 tie. Boise State used the momentum going into halftime to further expand their lead in the second half and win by a significant margin.