Trade arrival from XERXES, #40 of 137

Krusin

retired hippie
Trade from XERXES, Drew "Hail Mary" Pearson

Very nice 99 SP Sig. Drew Pearson I got in a trade with member XERXES, aka Mike, Rex, Vos and more ;).

Thanks, very nice card & gets me to an even 40 I think (at least I have 40 in one stack now, every now and then I'll find a card stashed away somewhere I least expect).

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Bet ya didn't know this about him.

In American football, The Hail Mary refers to a play that resulted in the winning score in the 1975 NFC Divisional Playoff Game between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, played on December 28, 1975 at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota. It is also notable for being the first time that a last-second desperation pass was referred to as a "Hail Mary".

The Dallas Cowboys started with the ball on its own 15-yard line, losing 14-10, with one minute and fifty-one seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach managed a nine play drive to midfield against the Minnesota Vikings defense. From midfield, with 24 seconds now remaining, Staubach lined up in the shotgun formation, took the snap, pump-faked left, then turned to his right and threw a desperation pass to wide receiver Drew Pearson, who was being covered by Minnesota Vikings cornerback Nate Wright. As the two players were running side by side downfield, it appeared that Pearson may have pushed off on Wright to gain an unfair position advantage to catch the ball, which is offensive pass interference—a violation of the rules. As the ball decended downward, Pearson caught the ball by trapping it against his right hip at the 5-yard line and ran into the end zone to make the score 16-14 in favor of Dallas, and what would eventually be the winning touchdown. Wright was unable to defend the pass, as he had tripped over Pearson's leg just as the ball came down.

The term "Hail Mary pass" is believed to been used for the first time by Roger Staubach following the game in a post-game interview. Previous to this play, a last-second desperation pass had been called several names, most notably the "Alley-Oop". As Staubach, who had been hit immediately after throwing the ball and didn't see its ending, was asked about the play and he said, "You mean [Pearson] caught the ball and ran in for the touchdown? It was just a Hail Mary pass; a very, very lucky play." Staubach told reporters that he closed his eyes, threw the ball as hard as he could, and said a Hail Mary prayer.
 
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