The Hail Mary Pass

(Joe Skipper/AP)

I am going to date myself here. I love a good Hail Mary, and the one that always comes to mind is Doug Flutie against the Miami Hurricanes in 1984. Flutie went on to win the Heisman Trophy, and if you Google Doug Flutie and Hail Mary it will be the first thing you see. It may date me, but it is still one of the most famous passes ever thrown.

We all love a Hail Mary, but no team starts a game hoping they will need one to win. Flutie became famous for that throw, yet no coach wants a season to depend on a last-second heave.

Here is the deal. Sometimes cities act like a Hail Mary will save them. In tourism and economic development they chase that one big win that will fix everything, set things right, and finally get the community moving in the right direction.

How many projects have been pitched as Hail Mary's for a community? Even worse, how many public dollars have been spent on the hope that one investment would save the day?

In my experience, too many places want the Hail Mary instead of the steady, focused work it takes to build a community worth investing in. The shiny new project can look easier, but in the end it often costs more.

When I worked in western Colorado, more than a few questionable characters came through town with the latest supposed savior. A water park. A hotel and convention center. Big promises, big headlines, then silence. Each one was sold as the Hail Mary the city needed.

Stop looking for the Hail Mary. It makes for great memories, not sustainable growth. Stop looking for the one project to save the day. Do the small things. Invest in the improvements that are not flashy but make your community more attractive for residents, visitors, businesses, and investment. Find the financing and do the work. I will never forget Flutie’s pass, but I could not tell you Boston College’s full season record that year. I do not remember the wins and losses or how they performed the year before or after. Sustainable, healthy growth depends on consistent effort. Stack small wins and build on them.

My second favorite catch is not officially a Hail Mary, but they call it the Immaculate Reception. I am really dating myself, but there is nothing better than Franco Harris pulling a deflection and certain defeat out of the air (some would say it touched the ground) and running into the end zone at Three Rivers Stadium in the early seventies. I am not claiming I watched it live, but if you grew up in the seventies you knew the Steelers and you knew the story. And who does not like to see the Raiders lose?