San Francisco 49ers, NFC Championship Game, January 10, 1982 He lives outside Nashville with his wife and three children. Josh Tinley is the author of ' Kneeling in the End Zone: Spiritual Lessons From the World of Sports' and a curriculum editor for Abingdon Press. But like the transcendent moments we read about in our sacred texts, these incredible moments on the gridiron have given people hope and have shown that 'improbable' is not synonymous with 'impossible.' Such miracles remind fans that no lead is too big to overcome, that one play is all it takes to score a touchdown, and that no game is truly over until the clock reads 00:00. Unlike the miracles chronicled in the Tanakh, the New Testament, and the Quran, the following 15 football miracles did not defy the laws of nature (even if some of them appeared to) and were not (as far as we know) the product of divine intervention. Using the word 'miracle' to describe athletes throwing, catching, and running with a ball may seem trite. Football writers and broadcasters don't shy away from using religious language to describe the game's most memorable moments. The play that made the real referees return and my personal favorite.The Hail Mary. Remember Hakeem Nicks and happier times, Giants fans. Legendary quarterback Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson.

Thirty-five yards is pretty short for a Hail Mary, but this is my list so deal with it. Naaman Roosevelt hauled in a 35-yard pass from Drew Willy for the victory. Zero accomplished that goal and Cal would go on to win in overtime. Not one, not two, but three Huskies defenders had a chance to knock this down. People in Minnesota were probably pretty polite about the whole thing. Zak Kustok hit Sam Simmons at the Metrodome. Big Ben is what this play was called, if you believe Wikipedia. Mormons got SO sober that night, let me tell you.īrett Favre’s legend began here, with a miracle 79-yard job to Darryl Tillman.īig Ben Roethlisberger dominated the MAC. Jim Fucking McMahon, who is more man than you’ll ever be, found Clay Brown in the end zone to win the Holiday Bowl. It’s hard to imagine, but Jacksonville once fielded a team capable of winning games. The touchdown was awarded after a lengthy review to give it a nice Hollywood touch. Kirk Cousins’ last-ditch effort found Keith Nichol, who fought his way into the end zone. Plucky underdog Doug Flutie lofted a 47-yard toss to the waiting arms of Gerard Phelan. If that wasn’t bad enough, Kentucky had already doused coach Guy Morriss with Gatorade. Tigers quarterback Marcus Randall’s heave bounded off a Wildcats defender into the hands of a streaking Devery Henderson, who took it to the house for a 75-yard stunner. My neighbor, a huge Wolverines fan, destroyed his television and stepped outside for six consecutive cigarettes. Kordell Stewart threw a football farther than anyone had ever thrown a football and Michael Westbrook caught the deflection.

Best hail mary football play diagramed