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The Hail Mary—not just any old play, but rather one that that tells a story of desperation and hope. The mere mention invokes a feeling like no other in sport. Doesn’t every school-aged child who loves football dream of throwing that last second miraculous pass to win the game for their team? The very nature of the play, one in which a team is behind on the scoreboard with precious little time remaining in the game (or half, I suppose), is dramatic. The play comes with poor odds — like hitting a full house on the river while your opponent had a flush. Usually the team is miles away from the end zone, the defense sitting back waiting with lips licked to swat the ball away. Oh, and all that with the ominous ticking of the clock.
Who invented the Hail Mary in football?
When the hail Mary became a part of sport’s vernacular was quite easy to research. Much has been written on the origins of the phrase. But let’s delve just a bit deeper to learn about the key figures surrounding the invention of the word (in a football sense).
In 1922 under the tutelage of legendary college football coach Knute Rockne, Notre Dame played a game against Georgia Tech when the Irish players began saying “Hail Mary’s” before each play. Whether they were just the better team or there were hints of divine intervention, Notre Dame left with a win. Years later, former Notre Dame halfback Jim Crowley reflected that it was Noble Kizer, offensive guard, who convinced the team to utter the prayers in the huddle just before half-time, deep in Yellow Jacket territory. What we know is that the origins date back to 1922, however, can we claim that was the exact moment in time that the Hail Mary play entered into football vernacular?
It wasn’t until a decade later when the aforementioned Crowley along with former team mate Elmer Layden (both of whom played for the fabled Four Horsemen of Notre Dame) used the term publicly as coaches. Perhaps it’s important to note that the phrase was in full force following the conclusion of the Game of the Century which pitted Ohio St against Notre Dame. With less than a minute left of the clock, Notre Dame’s Bill Shakespeare threw a touchdown to complete the come-from-behind victory. With national attention and more than 80,000 in the stands, coach Elmer Layden referred to the play as a “Hail Mary” pass.
As far as I can tell, the first time there is mention in print media is from December 31, 1940 in the Daytona Beach Morning Journal under the headline, “Orange Bowl: [Georgetown] Hoyas Put Faith in ‘Hail Mary’ Pass”. The article defines the Hail Mary as “…is one (a pass) that is thrown with a prayer because the odds against completion are big.”
Now that we know when the Hail Mary started, it’s important to understand who the characters involved were.
Noble Kizer
Noble Kizer, a Presbyterian studying and playing at the Catholic Notre Dame, was a two-sport athlete, excelling on the gridiron as well as the basketball court. Playing as one of the Seven Mules who blocked for the Four Horsemen, he was credited with originating the Hail Mary pass after he convinced his team mates to repeat the prayer late in the game, which led to a late touchdown. As the team sealed the victory, he was regarded by team mates as part of the reason for their success.
It’s interesting to note that Kizer never played football before joining Rockne’s team. Rockne spotted him working out at a gym, liked his power and offered him a spot on his team. He was such a well-rounded athlete that he easily took to basketball as well.
Kizer followed up his success at Notre Dame as a player with coaching and administrative roles at Purdue. He had great success, finishing with a career 42-13-3, and having won two Big-10 championships. Noble Kizer passed away at 40 years of age.
Jim Crowley
Jim Crowley was one of four who comprised the legendary Four Horsemen under Knute Rockne’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1922-1924, playing as a halfback. Following his collegiate career, Crowley played a few professional games, suiting up for the Green Bay Packers and Providence Steam Roller. His pro career didn’t pan out very well, and he only figured into three games.
Acknowledging his professional career was at a stalemate, he turned to coaching, assisting at Georgia before taking a head position two years later at Michigan State College and then the powerful Fordham University, where he coached Vince Lombardi. Crowley also has the claim as one of two coaches in the first televised football game in 1939.
As World War Two was in full swing after Pearl Harbor, Crowley joined the Navy, returning a year later to coach a North Carolina Pre-Flight team. In 1944, he left his job to become commissioner of the All-America Football Conference. He stepped down two years later to assume ownership, and eventually coaching, of the miserable Chicago Rockets.
Elmer Layden
Playing as a fullback under Knute Rockne, Layden had great success as a member of the Four Horsemen. Following his three-year collegiate career, he spent two seasons simultaneously playing professionally and coaching. He played for three teams over two years; the Hartford Blues, Brooklyn Horsemen and Rock Island Independents. He complemented his playing career with coaching, spending a season at Columbia and Duquesne.
Layden returned to his alma mater at Notre Dame, again in a dual role. He coached the team and was Athletic Director from 1934 to 1940. It was in 1935 following the Game of the Century that Notre Dame coach Elmer Layden described the late-game heroic pass as a Hail Mary.
Elmer Layden went on to become the commissioner of the NFL, serving in the role from 1941-1946 during the war era. He was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
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