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- The Hall of Fame in American Football, also known as the Pro Football Hall of Fame, serves as a prestigious institution that honors the greatest figures in the history of professional football.
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Jul 1, 2021 · Before the first ball is kicked in the 2021/22 NFL season traditionally there is first the Hall of Fame Game, played at the birthplace of professional football in Canton, Ohio.
- Overview
- Roger Staubach uses 'Hail Mary' at U.S. Naval Academy
- Pearson: 'It was unbelievable, tremendous, fantastic'
The miracle connection between the Dallas Cowboys' stars and Pro Football Hall of Famers stunned the Minnesota Vikings in a 1975 playoff game.
In 1975, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach popularized the term "Hail Mary" to describe his miracle, winning touchdown pass to fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Pearson in a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. Hail Mary thus became ingrained in the American sports lexicon, but the term was used decades earlier.
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In a game against Georgia Tech in 1922, Notre Dame players literally said a “Hail Mary” prayer in the huddle before scoring a 6-yard touchdown. It worked, so they did it again before scoring another 6-yard touchdown. Afterward, Notre Dame offensive lineman Noble Kizer declared: “Say, that Hail Mary play is the best play we’ve got!”
Perhaps the term would have vanished were it not for Elmer Layden, who played fullback in that 1922 game for The Fighting Irish and coached Notre Dame against Ohio State in 1935. With 32 seconds left, Notre Dame completed a 19-yard pass for the winning touchdown. Layden, recalling that victory against Georgia Tech, called it “a Hail Mary play.”
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While at the U.S. Naval Academy, Roger Staubach used the term "Hail Mary." He went on to star for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969-79.
On December 28, 1975, Staubach's Cowboys played against the Vikings in a divisional playoff game at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. With the Vikings ahead, 14-10, the Cowboys had the ball with just 24 seconds left at midfield. Their season appeared over.
Coach Tom Landry, another Pro Football Hall of Famer, called for a long pass. “The chances on a play like that,” Pearson told reporters after the game, “are slim and none.”
“It was a Hail Mary pass,” Staubach told reporters afterward. "I just threw it up there as far as I could."
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Staubach’s 50-yard prayer was answered, but not without a bit of deviltry. His high, arcing ball came down near the 5-yard-line. Pearson, sprinting toward the end zone, adjusted his route to account for the underthrown ball. No one told Minnesota cornerback Nate Wright and safety Paul Krause. When Wright moved toward the falling football, Pearson collided with him.
Dallas Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson, elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, never tires of talking about his Hail Mary reception.
Vikings fans, already celebrating an apparent victory, turned surly. One fan threw an empty whiskey bottle that struck field judge Armen Terzian in the forehead, causing a gash. For the Cowboys, the play was an instant classic.
"Our only hope was to throw and hope for a miracle," Landry told reporters afterward.
After Pearson’s catch answered Staubach’s prayer, the Hail Mary emerged from college football obscurity and found a place in standard football terminology.
Newspaper sports sections the next day focused on the controversy about whether pass interference should have been called on the play. But "Hail Mary" found its way into headlines in the Philadelphia Daily News ("'Hail Mary' Pass Blesses Dallas") and Miami News ("Cowboys had no prayer until 'Hail Mary' pass").
Most Hail Mary passes aren't completed because of the degree of difficulty, but scores of long heaves have been. In one of the most famous Hail Mary plays, Doug Flutie—who went on to win the Heisman Trophy—completed a 48-yard pass to Gerard Phelan in 1984 with seconds left to give Boston College a stunning victory over the University of Miami. Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers has three successful Hail Marys to his credit.
- Class of 1963. The first Pro Football Hall of Fame Class included icons from the early days of the league, including George Halas, Sammy Baugh and Bronko Nagurski.
- Class of 1964. Inductees: Jimmy Conzelman, Ed Healey, Clarke Hinkle, William Roy "Link" Lyman, Mike Michalske, Art Rooney, George Trafton. Spotlight: Rooney’s Steelers were still a decade from the beginning of their 1970s dynasty when the team owner got the Hall call.
- Class of 1971. Vince Lombardi, coaching the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II, died in 1970. He was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Class of 1972. Inductees: Lamar Hunt, Gino Marchetti, Ollie Matson, Clarence (Ace) Parker. Spotlight: It’s no exaggeration to say Hunt changed professional football forever.
Aug 3, 2023 · In two days, the NFL’s 104th season starts up early with an annual tradition in August: The Hall of Fame Game. The New York Jets take on the Cleveland Browns in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 3. But what is the history behind the game, and when did it start?
Learn about the history, hours, location, and more of the Pro Football Hall of Fame here from its opening in 1963 to the present.
Aug 4, 2022 · The history of the Hall of Fame Game dates back to 1962 when the Pro Football Hall of Fame was first established. However, the game has been around since the day work began on the Hall of Fame. Let’s examine the history of the Hall of Fame Game, the results, and where it takes place each year.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is an annual National Football League (NFL) preseason exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, held the weekend of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's induction ceremonies. The game is played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, part of Hall of Fame Village and located adjacent to the Hall of Fame building.
