Red Barber, who broadcast the game on radio, later called it 'the greatest college football game I ever called.' Radio announcer Tom Manning added, 'I always said Shakespeare had a pair of rosary beads and a bottle of holy water in his back pocket.' The media picked up stories of the Catholic faithful praying for Notre Dame as they listened to the game on the radio. Shakespeare threw a pass into the end zone, which was caught by Wayne Millner on his knees for an 18–13 win.

With the clock running out, the ball was snapped to the fullback who handed it to Shakespeare on what appeared to be a reverse. William Shakespeare (nicknamed the 'Merchant of Menace') replaced Pilney. Pilney was injured and had to be carried off the field on a stretcher. With less than a minute left in the game, Notre Dame quarterback Andy Pilney ran 30 yards to the Ohio State 19-yard line. Notre Dame scored two touchdowns to cut Ohio State's lead to 13–12. 1935 - On November 2, 1935, Notre Dame faced an undefeated Ohio State team and trailed 13–0 at the start of the fourth quarter.He turned to one of his teammates and said, 'Boy that Hail Mary is a _ of a play.' In between halves this same lad was chuckling to himself. On the next play Stuhldreher tossed a 25 yard pass to Layden for a score. Some time later Notre Dame was again stopped and again this non-Catholic called on the boys for a Hail Mary. In the huddle the boys were surprised to hear the non-Catholic say: 'C'mon fellows let's have a 'Hail Mary.' The boys said the quick prayer and on the next play Jimmy Crowley dashed 30 yards for a touchdown. After the game, Kizer said, 'Say, that Hail Mary is the best play we've got.' An account written in 1935 presented a variation on the 1922 'Hail Mary' play as follows: On the next possession, Kizer said, 'Let's have another Hail Mary,' and Layden scored another touchdown. Noble Kizer, the one Presbyterian player on the Notre Dame team, stopped play and said to his teammates, 'Boys, let's have a Hail Mary.' They all prayed, and Elmer Layden scored a touchdown. Notre Dame trailed 3–0 in the second half and had been unable to move the ball effectively. 1922 - On October 28, 1922, the term 'Hail Mary play' was used by Knute Rockne's Notre Dame in a victory over Georgia Tech.4 List of passes often mistakenly referred to as a 'Hail Mary'.

Hail mary football