Top 15 Football Miracles

Famous Football Plays

By Josh Tinley

The Hail Mary. The Music City Miracle. The Miracle Bowl. The Immaculate Reception. Football writers and broadcasters don't shy away from using religious language to describe the game's most memorable moments.

Using the word "miracle" to describe athletes throwing, catching, and running with a ball may seem trite. 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. 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.

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. He lives outside Nashville with his wife and three children.

The Catch

Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers, NFC Championship Game, January 10, 1982

The NFC Championship Game following the 1981 season pit the Dallas Cowboys, the team that had dominated the NFC in the 1970s, against the San Francisco 49ers, the team that would dominate the conference in the 1980s. Trailing 27–21 in the game's final minute, San Francisco faced third down on the Dallas 6-yard line.

49ers quarterback Joe Montana called a play for wide receiver Freddie Solomon, a play that the team had run successfully in the first quarter. But the Cowboys were ready for it, and Solomon couldn't get open. Montana scrambled, looking for a way out. Under pressure with Cowboys defenders bearing down on him, Montana threw a high pass off of his back foot into the back of the end zone, almost as if he were throwing the ball away to avoid a sack. But receiver Dwight Clark was there and made a leaping catch, securing the ball above his head with the tips of his fingers to score the winning touchdown.

The Catch (Canadian Style)

Ottawa Rough Riders vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders, Grey Cup Championship, November 28, 1976

For football fans north of the 49^th parallel, "The Catch" happened more than five years before Joe Montana's famous pass to Dwight Clark.

The 1976 Grey Cup Final was the third to feature the Roughriders (one word) of Saskatchewan against the Rough Riders (two words) of Ottawa. And, by many accounts, it was one of the most enthralling Grey Cup games in Canadian football history.

A goal-line stand with two minutes remaining preserved Saskatchewan's four-point lead and kept Ottawa's offense from scoring its first touchdown. Saskatchewan took possession of the ball late in the game. But the Rough Riders (two words) defense held, and Ottawa got the ball back with little time remaining. With 20 seconds on the clock, Ottawa quarterback Tom Clements found receiver Tony Gabriel in the corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown.

The Miracle at Michigan

Colorado Buffaloes vs. Michigan Wolverines, September 24, 1994

September is a time when many college football powers pad their records by beating up on teams from lesser conferences and classifications. So this early autumn clash of top-ten teams was a treat for college football fans.

Colorado led the game at the half, but Michigan scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 26–14 lead. The Buffaloes scored a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining to cut the lead to five. After making a defensive stop, Colorado got the ball back in the game's final minute trailing by five. On the game's final play Buffaloes quarterback Kordell Stewart threw up a prayer from the Colorado 36-yard line. The ball traveled more than 70 yards before being tipped by receiver Blake Anderson into end zone and into the hands of receiver Michael Westbrook. Colorado won 27–26.

The Miracle at the Meadowlands

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants, November 19, 1978

Younger generations know Herman Edwards as the former New York Jets coach who once said emphatically and repeatedly during a postgame press conference, "You play to win the game!" But older football fans know Edwards as the Philadelphia Eagles cornerback whose heroics gave the 1978 Eagles a late-season win over the rival New York Giants.

The Giants took possession of the ball with 1:23 on the clock and a 17–12 lead. The Eagles had no timeouts, and the Giants could have run out the clock by taking a knee on every play. But on third down, the Giants ran a running play. Pisarcik bobbled the snap then tried to hand off the ball to fullback Larry Csonka. But Pisarcik's timing was off and the ball hit Csonka's hip then fell to the ground.

Edwards had his eye on the ball and scooped up the fumble on the first bounce. He ran the ball 26 yards into the end zone to score the winning touchdown. Giants fans attribute the Eagles' unlikely last-second victory to a coaching error, but if it weren't for Edwards' quick hands, the Giants might have preserved the victory.

The Miracle in Mississippi

Trinity Tigers vs. Millsaps Majors, October 27, 2007

Football fans usually don't pay attention to Division III college football unless they attend a school that competes in the Division III or unless something really spectacular happens. In 2007 the Tigers of little Trinity University pulled off a miraculous play that made the college-football-loving public take a break from watching Division I powers jockey for position in the BCS standings and pay attention to a game between a pair of small, private, liberal arts schools.

The late October game in Jackson, Mississippi between the host Millsaps Majors and the Trinity Tigers from San Antonio was critical for two teams vying for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and a spot in the Division III playoffs. While the first 59 minutes and 58 seconds of the game were no doubt compelling (for the students and other fans at the game), the final 2 seconds would be immortalized on YouTube and "SportsCenter."

Millsaps took possession with just over two minutes remaining and a two-point lead and hoped to run out the clock. On fourth down, with eight seconds remaining, Millsaps quarterback Burt Pereira scrambled, knowing that staying on his feet for eight seconds would clinch the game for the Majors. But Trinity tackled Pereira with two seconds on the clock and took over at their own 40-yard line. The Tigers had one play to score a touchdown. Trinity quarterback Blake Barmore took the snap and completed a 9-yard pass to receiver Shawn Thompson, who ran for a few yards before tossing the ball to another receiver. This pattern continued with Trinity players advancing the ball then tossing a lateral pass to a teammate, and, after a total of 15 laterals, Trinity receiver Riley Curry ran the ball into the end zone for the winning score.

The Drive

Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns, AFC Championship Game, January 11, 1987

"Miracle" might not be the best word to describe The Drive. "Near perfect" would be a more appropriate description. At the 5:32 mark, Denver took the ball at its 2-yard line trailing the Cleveland Browns by a touchdown. The Broncos, led by hall-of-fame quarterback John Elway, then drove the ball 98 yards to score the game-tying touchdown. Denver won the game with a field goal in overtime.

The Drive was remarkable not just because the Broncos moved the ball 98 yards but because the 15-play series took five minutes off the clock giving Cleveland very little time to answer. The Pro Football Hall of Fame website describes The Drive as "pro football's prototype performance in the clutch."

The Play

California Golden Bears vs. Stanford Cardinal, "The Big Game," November 20, 1982

"The band is on the field!"

These six words will forever take football fans back to Berkeley, California for the 1982 installment of The Big Game, the annual contest between Bay Area rivals California and Stanford.

At no point during the 1982 Big Game were the Cardinal or the Golden Bears able to take a convincing lead. But with four seconds remaining Stanford's Mark Harmon kicked a field goal, putting the Cardinal, led by John Elway, ahead 20-19 and seemingly clinching the victory. A win would send Stanford to Elway's first and only bowl game.

After a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration, Stanford kicked off from its 25-yard line. Harmon squibbed the kick to reduce the possibility of Cal returning the kick for a touchdown. The squib was not successful. After five laterals and a lot of scrambling, Cal's Kevin Moen ran the ball into the end zone for the winning touchdown. Moen ran into the Stanford Marching Band, who had assumed the game was over and had gathered in the end zone, and plowed through unsuspecting trombonist Gary Tyrell. The Bears' unlikely touchdown came to be known as The Play.

The Miracle Bowl

Brigham Young (BYU) Cougars vs. Southern Methodist (SMU) Mustangs, Holiday Bowl, December 19, 1980

Both BYU and SMU came into the 1980 Holiday Bowl ranked in the top 20 and boasting All-American talent (future Bears quarterback Jim McMahon played for the Cougars; future Pro-Bowl running backs Eric Dickerson and Craig James played for the Mustangs).

SMU controlled the game for the first three quarters and most of the fourth with James and Dickerson combining for over 300 yards. The Mustangs went up 45–25 with only four minutes remaining. But McMahon drove the Cougars down the field, hitting receiver Matt Braga for a touchdown with 2:33 on the clock. BYU then recovered an onside kick and scored another touchdown at the 1:58 mark. BYU attempted another onside kick, but SMU recovered. The Cougars' defense held the Mustangs then blocked an SMU punt. BYU took possession of the ball trailing by 6 with 13 seconds remaining. On third down McMahon completed a Hail Mary pass to Clay Brown. The extra point gave BYU a one-point victory.

The Helmet Catch

New York Giants vs. New England Patriots, Super Bowl XLII, February 3, 2008

What team was the greatest in NFL history? On the afternoon of February 3, 2008 many people would have answered, "The 2007–08 New England Patriots." The Pats went undefeated during the regular season, setting records along the way for most points (589) and most touchdowns (75) scored. New England was the overwhelming favorite to win Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots' opponent, the New York Giants, went 10–6 and didn't win their division, making the Playoffs as a Wild Card team.

With 1:15 on the clock and trailing 14–10, New York faced third down from its own 44-yard line. Giants quarterback Eli Manning took the snap and looked downfield, facing pressure from New England's formidable defensive line. Manning narrowly escaped being sacked by Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas and defensive end Richard Seymour. But he got free, scrambled back to the 34-yard line, and threw a bomb to receiver David Tyree. Tyree made a leaping grab at the New England 30-yard line, fighting Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, who was trying to knock the ball out of Tyree's hands. To secure the ball, Tyree pinned it against his helmet and fell to the ground with the ball still firmly pressed against his head. The now famous Helmet Catch kept the drive going and put the Giants in position to score the game-winning touchdown.

The Hail Mary

Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings, NFC Playoffs, December 28, 1975

"Hail Mary full of grace . . . ." For Roman Catholics the Hail Mary is an intercessory prayer to the Blessed Virgin. For football fans, the Hail Mary is a long pass thrown in desperation—usually in a game's final moments—with a low probability of being caught. The Hail Mary pass is the quintessential football miracle, and such plays have a special place in football lore.

Football fans owe this terminology to Roger Staubach, the all-time-great quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and a devout Catholic. In a 1975 playoff game against the Vikings, with Dallas trailing 14–10 and time running out, Staubach threw a desperation bomb from midfield to receiver Drew Pearson, who caught the ball on the 5-yard line and took it in for the winning touchdown.

When asked about the play after the game, Staubach told the press that he closed his eyes and said a Hail Mary. The press latched on to the term and has used it ever since.

Hail Flutie

Boston College Eagles vs. Miami Hurricanes, November 23, 1984

Doug Flutie had a lengthy career in the NFL and a hall-of-fame career in the Canadian Football League; he established a foundation and created a cereal (Flutie Flakes) to benefit kids with autism; and he plays drums in the Flutie Brothers Band. But for many football fans the name "Doug Flutie" is synonymous with a miraculous moment in the Miami Orange Bowl on November 23, 1984.

Flutie's highly ranked Boston College Eagles faced the defending champion Miami Hurricanes in the final game of the regular season. With 28 seconds remaining, Miami scored a touchdown to go ahead 45–41. Boston College got the ball back and ran a couple quick plays to move the ball to midfield. The Eagles had time for one final play. Flutie took the snap, scrambled to give his receivers time to run downfield, and threw a Hail Mary toward the end zone. The ball flew over the outstretched fingertips of two Miami defensive backs and into the hands of Boston College receiver Gerard Phelan. The Eagles won 47–45.

The Comeback

Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Oilers, AFC Playoffs, January 3, 1993

Frank Reich first made headlines when, as a quarterback for the University of Maryland in 1984, he and the Terrapins made what was at the time the biggest comeback in college football history. After trailing Miami 31–0 at the half, Reich and Maryland ended up winning 42–40.

Reich played professionally for the Buffalo Bills, backing up star quarterback Jim Kelly. When Kelly went down with a knee injury during the final game of the 1992–93 season, the Bills turned to Reich to lead the team into the playoffs. The Bills faced the Houston Oilers in the first round of the Playoffs. Houston had beaten Buffalo 27–3 a weak earlier and seemed poised to blow out the Bills for a second time. The Oilers took a 28–3 lead into halftime and went up 35–3 in the third quarter.

Then Reich went to work. The Bills miraculously scored 35 unanswered points—converting a difficult fourth down, recovering an onside kick, capitalizing on some untimely blunders by the Oilers—to take a 38–35 lead late in the fourth quarter. Houston hit a late field goal to send the game into overtime, but Buffalo carried its momentum into overtime and won the game on a 32-yard field goal. It was an appropriate distance since the Bills had erased a 32-point deficit, the largest comeback in NFL history.

The Music City Miracle

Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills, AFC Playoffs, January 8, 2000

In January 1993 the Buffalo Bills miraculously came back from 32 points down to knock the visiting Houston Oilers out of the playoffs. Seven years later, the Houston Oilers franchise would return the favor with a miracle of its own. But the Oilers were no longer the Oilers, and they weren't playing in Houston.

In the late 1990s the Oilers moved to Tennessee, where they would eventually become the Titans. Now in Nashville, the Titans hosted Buffalo in the first round of the AFC Playoffs. Tennessee had a 12–0 lead at the half, but the Bills (as they are wont to do) made big second half comeback and took a 16–15 lead with only seconds remaining.

But Tennessee wasn't finished. On the ensuing kickoff, Titans fullback Lorenzo Neal fielded the ball and handed off to tight end Frank Wycheck. As the Bills' coverage team converged on Wycheck, he threw a lateral pass across the field to receiver Kevin Dyson, who had a clear path to the end zone and ran 75 yards to score the winning touchdown.

2007 Fiesta Bowl

Boise State Broncos vs. Oklahoma Sooners, Fiesta Bowl, January 1, 2007

Unlike many of the football miracles on this list, the miracle of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl was not a single play. It was a series of unlikely and spectacular plays and an impressive show of hope and perseverance by a plucky underdog.

Prior to this Fiesta Bowl, the Boise State Broncos, who had only been playing in college football's highest classification (Division I-FCS) for ten years, had never played in a major bowl game. Heavily favored Oklahoma had won several titles and was a perennial BCS National Championship contender.

Boise State took an early lead but Oklahoma went on a run in the fourth quarter and scored two touchdowns in less than 30 seconds to take a seven-point lead with one minute remaining. On fourth down, with 18 seconds left on the clock, the Broncos ran a rare hook-and-lateral play and executed it perfectly to score a touchdown and send the game into overtime.

The Sooners easily scored a touchdown on their first overtime possession, taking a seven-point lead. But the Broncos answered by again scoring a touchdown on fourth down with an unconventional play, this time a pass thrown by a back-up wide receiver. Rather than kick the extra point to send the game into a second overtime, the Broncos attempted a two-point conversion and went for the win. They ran a trick play called the Statue of Liberty, and running back Ian Johnson easily ran into the end zone for the victory (then proposed to his girlfriend, a Boise State cheerleader, on the sideline).

The Immaculate Reception

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Oakland Raiders, AFC Playoffs, December 23, 1972

The Immaculate Conception is the Roman Catholic belief that the Virgin Mary was conceived without the taint of original sin. The Immaculate Reception was a miraculous, and controversial, game-winning play in an AFC Playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders.

With less than 30 seconds on the clock and trailing the visiting Raiders 7–6, the Steelers faced fourth down from their own 40-yard line. Under pressure, Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw scrambled and threw a long pass to receiver Frenchy Fuqua. The ball bounced off either Raiders defender Jack Tatum or Fuqua and into the hands of Steelers running back Franco Harris. If the ball had bounced off of Fuqua, the result would have been an illegal play (because of a now defunct rule that said that two offensive players could not touch a pass in succession). But officials ruled that the ball hit Tatum, and not Fuqua, before landing immaculately (without the taint of being touched by another offensive player) in Harris's hands.