On December 28, 1975, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger
Staubach (above) threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew
Pearson in the waning seconds to beat the Minnesota Vikings
in a playoff game, 17-14.

Afterward, Staubach calls the miraculous touchdown a "Hail
Mary," thus cementing the term for a  desperation pass in the
sports lexicon.

"It was a play you hit one in a hundred times if you’re lucky,”
Staubach told reporters after the game in Bloomington,
Minnesota. "I guess it’s a Hail Mary pass. You throw it up and
pray he catches it."

Said Dallas coach Tom Landry: "Our only hope was to throw
and hope for a miracle."

Wide receiver Drew Pearson catches the ball.