1 draft pick in 1975, launched a pass down the left side to about the 5-yard line. Dec.

The "Hail Mary" pass: That last second, long shot attempt for a losing football team to come from behind and win the game. 28, 1975: Cowboys 17, Vikings 14
The NFL Hail Mary was born on this day, with Dallas' Roger Staubach finding Drew Pearson from 50 yards out on a … For years the Hail Mary was a hopeful heave into the end zone.

... former Browns quarterback Tim Couch and former Falcons star Steve Bartkowski for most Hail Mary touchdowns in … Quarterback Steve Bartkowski became the face of the franchise and would go on to set every passing record in Falcons history. Steve Bartkowski threw for 378 yards, and Ray Strong iced the game with a 21-yard touchdown in overtime. With the Falcons down 17–13 in a late-season match-up at the Superdome and only 0:19 left, Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski aired a Hail Mary pass (called in the playbook "Big Ben Right") down to the end zone; the ball was tipped by Falcons receiver Wallace Francis into the hands of his teammate Alfred Jackson, giving the Falcons a 20-17 victory.

6: Hail Mary pass known as'Big Ben II' Referring to a pass as a "Hail Mary," however, was generally restricted to desperate plays made by Catholic schools, like Notre Dame — until 1975, that is. A 1975 divisional playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Roger Staubach-led Dallas Cowboys saw the Cowboys down 14-10, 85 yards from the endzone, on 4th down and 16 with just 24 seconds left in the game.

What most people call a Hail Mary, the Falcons in those days called a Big Ben.Bartkowski, the NFL's No. ... No.