What are the origins of football’s “Hail Mary “ pass?

This latest installment of my look back at YESTERDAY - a trip back in time to the late 1960s’, 70s’ and sometimes dipping into the early 80s’ - is a recollection of some of the more memorable New Year’s Eve-related sporting and pop culture events and memorabilia.

Growing up in the 70s, there are always two events that I fondly remember from my youth that were associated with around or on New Year’s Eve.

Being a quasi-Minnesota Vikings fan for a few years, I’ll always remember the “Hail Mary” game involving the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 28, 1975. The game helped shape part of the football landscape on all levels and initiated one of its most popular plays and phrases.

There was just something about watching the Vikings play a November/December game at home in old Metropolitan Stadium with snow-covered ground and temperatures always near or below freezing. Chuck Foreman will always be one of my favorite running backs.

Dalla was trailing 14-10 facing a second-and-10 with no timeouts and 32 seconds left to play at the 50-yard line.

Quarterback Roger Staubach dropped back into the pocket and heaved a bomb down the right sideline for Drew Pearson, who leadnd for the ball with cornerback Nate Wright at the Minnesota five-yard line. Wright fell down and Pearson walked into the end zone.

Staubach later told reporters that he was hit after he threw the pass and said a Hail Mary that Pearson would catch it. Wright claimed Pearson pushed off, but it was a close call.

Hence, a Hail Mary became part of the gridiron.

The Eagles Didn’t Land: The 1988 Fog Bowl? A blinding fog rolled in during the second quarter of the Chicago Bears’ 20-12 NFC semifinal victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Dec. 31 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The fog obscured the game from most of the 65,534 fans present and a national television audience that could watch only ground-level shots. This was a showdown between Buddy Ryan and Mike Ditka, and quarterback Randall Cunningham threw for 407 yards, but was intercepted three times. The Eagles outgained the Bears, but they literally couldn’t find the end zone.

I remember Channel 10’s Al Meltzer with cut-ins during the game, as he tried to describe some of the plays from the sidelines.

Dick Clark: It was Dec. 31.,. 1972, and I remember the night well. ABC wanted a counter to CBS’s legendary New Year’s broadcast with Guy Lombardo (Like me, I’m sure you all watched a few of those as a kid). Dick Clark, a Philadelphia guy and host of the legendary “American Bandstand” debut “Dick’s Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve” that debuted at 11:30 p.m.

This was a treat because my parents - like most parents in the 70s - were at a New Year’s Eve party, and now I had a reason to stay awake with my cousin as long as they were or even longer.

Clark was stationed in Times Square for the countdown, and Three Dog Night, my favorite band of all time that has played at Penn’s Peak, hosted the show from Los Angeles.

Helen Reddy, Al Green, and Blood, Sweat and Tears also performed from the Queen Mary off the coast.

George Carlin and Billy Preston highlighted the following year, and 60-70 icons The Doobie Brothers, Chicago and The Beach Boys brought in 1975 (That’s a triple-header!).

I couldn’t have asked for a better celebration with Three Dog Night. They released the album “Seven Separate Fools” in 1972 that included the pop hit “Black and White” as the mellow classic “Pieces of April.” Most of the bands’ original members performed their final concert together in 1976, and Danny Hutton is the lone original member left for the current band that is still active today.

From then on, I became a regular with the program, but was saddened with Clark’s passing in 2012. Ryan Seacrest has been the lead since 2007.

PSU, ND Also in the Act: Ironically on the same day in 1972, No. 5 Penn State lost 14-0 to No. 2 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. The 10-2 Nittany Lions were led by quarterback John Hufnagel and running back John Cappelletti, who would win the Heisman the following season. Oklahoma was led by future Brown Greg Pruitt on offense, and Lucius and Dewey Selmon on defense.

The Nittany Lions would return three years later on the same day as the 8th-ranked team against No. 4 Alabama, and they dropped a 13-6 decision to Richard Todd’s-led Crimson Tide. Chuck Fusina and Pen Argyl’s Woody Petchel paced the Nittany Lions that year.

Notre Dame’s most memorable appearance on New Year’s Eve was in the 1973 Sugar Bowl when they edged No. 1 Alabama, 24-23, behind Tom Clements and Dave Capser. The Irish finished the season 11-0 and won the national championship. It was one of the highest-rated, and most watched college football games of all time.

Year-end song memories: Billboard’s top three year-end songs of 1972 were “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” by Roberta Flack; “Alone Again, Naturally,” by Gilbert O’ Sullivan; and “American Pie,” by Don McLean. At least two of them should conjure a memory or two.

Sweet and Straight: Bottle Caps and Mentos were new candy products in 1972, and ABC’s “The Rookies” and “Kung Fu” and NBC’s “Sanford and Son” made TV splashes with pop culture.

Ups and Downs: One of my fond memories of 1972 was the release of “The Poseidon Adventure” on Dec. 15. I remember watching it at the old Whitehall theater off Grape Street. Anyone else remember the restaurant, “The Ground Round” a few blocks away?

Food for Thought: It was a tradition in my household to have Pork and Sauerkraut on New Year’s Day as a symbol for good luck in the upcoming year … In 1972, McDonald’s unveiled the Egg McMuffin at selected restaurants, and it soon became a staple on the menu. Think about how many you have eaten.

What’s in a Word: The early 70s was a time when the words “bummer,” “dude,” “dork,” “spaz,” and “rip off” initially emerged. And do you remember any “hobos” or “gypsies” in your area?

Happy New Year, and here’s to a great 2022!