[Ads-l] Hail Mary pass/play/shot

Wed Jan 17 10:22:26 UTC 2018

Excellent work, Bill. Individuals interested in the evolution of "Hail
Mary pass" and "Hail Mary shot" may enjoy the citations below for
"prayer shot" which seems to be a precursor.

Date: December 26, 1916
Newspaper: The Scranton Republican
Newspaper Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Article: Local Quints Divide Honors
Quote Page 10, Column 6
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
Scranton was first to score in the nightcap, a foul goal by Long
making the totals 11 to 10. Muller followed with a prayer shot for a
deuce that sent Nanticoke ahead but Berger came through with a two
pointer that again changed the leadership.
[End excerpt]

Date: December 14, 1921
Newspaper: The New Castle Herald
Newspaper Location: New Castle, Pennsylvania
Article: Castles Take Wampum Over In Fast Game
Quote Page 13, Column 5
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
The third quarter Wampum made some "prayer" shots and were fighting
hard to win, but could not overcome the lead and the quarter ended
with the score at 30 to 21.
[End excerpt]

Date: January 3, 1922
Newspaper: The New Castle Herald
Newspaper Location: New Castle, Pennsylvania
Article: Castles Take Wampum Over In Fast Game
Quote Page 13, Column 5
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
At the beginning of the second extra period, Kraft put his team in the
lead with a field goal, but Bessemer plugged on and tossed in two
"prayer" shots winning out 24-22.
[End excerpt]

Date: December 12, 1929
Newspaper: Green Bay Press-Gazette
Newspaper Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Article: Fort Howard. Morley Cage Quintets Win
Quote Page 13, Column 5
Database: Newspapers.com
Note: The page image states year 1927, but the previous and next
images have 1929

[Begin excerpt]
Finding the Fort Howard defense invulnerable, the railroaders
abandoned their floor game early in the contest and took to the air
with long distant "prayer shots."
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Wed, Jan 17, 2018 at 3:24 AM, Bill Mullins <amcombill at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> From NPR yesterday:
>
> " You've heard of the Hail Mary pass, right? Well, you can think the Vikings for that. The phrase Hail Mary pass was first used in 1975 after the Dallas Cowboys' last-second miracle touchdown pass beat the Vikings."
>
> OED has 1972 for "Hail Mary play", 1982 for "Hail Mary touchdown pass", but nothing for specifically "Hail Mary pass".  In the ADS-L archives, Sam Clements found "Hail Mary pass plays" 8/29/1974; Ben Zimmer found "Hail Mary shot" 12/20/1965 (and clipped on Newspapers.com 12/17/1971 for "Hail Mary play").  Barry Popik has found "Hail Mary play" (with a literal Hail Mary) in 1939.
>
>
> Hail Mary play
>
> Monroe LA _Monroe News-Star_ 11/5/1934 p 5 col 5
>
> "Presbyterian Finds 'Hail Mary' Play Notre Dame's Best" [headline -- this is the same literal usage as Barry's 1939 cite.]
>
>
> _Philadelphia Daily News_ 11/8/1971 p 64 col 5
>
> "Another sideline discussion led to what the sandlotters call the 'Hail, Mary' play -- a long pass and a prayer."
>
>
> Hail Mary pass
>
> St. Petersburg FL _Tampa Bay Times_ 12/31/1940 p 11 col 6
>
> "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."
>
>
> _Hartford Courant_ 10/13/1959 p 19 col 1
>
> ""They call it their Martin Luther play," the Yale scout said. "The same thing at Notre Dame would be called the Hail Mary pass.""
>
>
> Hail Mary shot
>
> New Brunswick NJ _Central New Jersey Home News_ 3/4/1931 p 13 col 4
>
> "Sister Helen Rose, at St. Peter's High, calls Miss Virginia Bahash's shots, "Hail Mary shots."  You know the kind -- given 'em a fling and breathe a prayer."  [basketball]
>
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