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This story, by correspondent Pat Livingston, first appeared within the Jan. 6, 1973, challenge of The Sporting Information below the headline, “Steelers Strut With Angels in Their Backfield”, recounting what got here to be generally known as “the Immaculate Reception.”
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Hustling Franco Harris, snatching a ricocheting ball off his shoelaces, raced 42 yards down the sideline for the game-winning landing because the Pittsburgh Steelers’ miracle end edged the Oakland Raiders, 13-7, at Three Rivers Stadium December 23.
The sensational landing by the 230-pound rookie from Penn State turned what appeared to make certain defeat for the Steelers right into a triumph that plummeted them into the American Convention championship towards the Miami Dolphins.
Solely a minute earlier, the Raiders, completely dominated for 57 minutes by the aggressive Pittsburgh protection, had gone into the lead, 7-6, when Ken Stabler, a back-up quarterback, took them 80 yards in a 12-play sequence. Stabler culminated the drive himself, sprinting away from his pocket on the Steeler 30 and racing untouched into the tip zone.
Stabler’s run, which burned a security blitz by the Steelers, ought to have been sufficient to demoralize the younger Steelers, and a 12 months in the past maybe it could have. However the 1972 Steelers have been preventing adversity all season, and the Oakland sport was scarcely an exception.
ALTHOUGH REQUIRING a miracle play to win, the Steelers did not suppose a lot was anticipated of them.
“I assumed we might win with a area objective,” mentioned quarterback Terry Bradshaw, explaining what he had thought as he led the Pittsburgh offensive unit onto the sector for the race towards the clock. “I knew if we might join with three or 4 passes, we might get inside vary.”
Just one:13 was left because the Steelers put the ball in play on the 20 after Jerry DePoyster’s kickoff had hit the objective posts. Bradshaw handed for 9 yards to Frenchy Fuqua, and he adopted that up with an 11-yard move to Harris which introduced the ball to the Pittsburgh 40.
However three successive passes fell incomplete, two of them batted down by Jack Tatum, who had been making huge performs for the Raiders all afternoon. Tatum’s greatest play earlier got here when he crammed a gap on fourth-and-one on the Raiders’ 30, stopping Fuqua chilly and foiling a first-down bid by the Steelers.
That play was to determine later within the post-game second-guessing.
All 12 months, Chuck Noel, coach of the Steelers, commonly has gone for the factors when confronted with comparable alternate options.
“We had solely a yard to go,” defined the Steeler coach. “I although we might make it.”
“I DON’T THINK you may see me determine that approach once more,” he conceded. There have been 22 seconds on the clock when Bradshaw squatted behind the middle, fourth down and 10 yards to go, and defeat staring the Steelers squarely within the face. At the moment, Noll’s first-quarter choice loomed larger and larger within the questioning minds of the 50,350 who had crammed each out there seat in Three Rivers Stadium.
The Raiders bought a penetrating rush as Bradshaw dropped again, and because the stress mounted to his left, the Steeler quarterback sprinted proper. Simply earlier than he was decked, Bradshaw spied Fuqua breaking his curl sample and streaking downfield. Bradshaw rifled the ball to the working again.
The ball and Tatum reached Fuqua at exactly the identical prompt, however Tatum bought a fist in entrance of the throw and knocked the ball backward.
Simply earlier than the ricocheting pigskin hit the bottom, the rushing Harris pulled it in and headed for the sideline.
As a few Raiders congratulated Tatum, patting him on the again, Harris sailed by and encountered no opposition till Jimmy Warren, one other Oakland security man, angled him towards the sideline on the 10. Warren shoved the flying fullback, however did not even gradual Franco’s cost. Franco went into the tip zone standing up with the clock displaying 5 seconds left within the sport.
THE RAIDERS argued furiously that the ball had bounced off Fuqua’s shoulder pads, however referee Fred Swearingen, after consulting with Artwork McNally, supervisor of officers for the American Convention, dominated Tatum additionally had touched it. Except Tatum bought a hand on the ball, it could have been an incomplete move for 2 offensive males can’t contact a move till a defensive participant touches it, too.
Swearingen left the sector and went to the baseball dugout the place he used a press telephone to speak with McNally. After returning to the sector, Swearingen lifted his arms, signaling a landing.
Whereas the Bradshaw-to-Harris play was a heartbreaker for Oakland, it could have been equally heartbreaking had the Raiders received on Stabler’s run. Till that point, the Steelers had performed a near-perfect defensive sport.
Till he was changed by Stabler within the fourth quarter, Daryle Lamonica, the Oakland quarterback, was harassed mercilessly by the Steeler line of L.C. Greenwood, Joe Inexperienced, Ernie Holmes, Ben McGee and Dwight White, who performed virtually all the sport on a pair of frightfully banged-up knees. Beneath excessive stress all day — 4 of his passes had been batted down by linemen — Lamonica linked on solely six of 18 makes an attempt for a paltry 45 yards. In the meantime, Marv Hubbard, the Raiders’ 1,000-yard runner, confronted comparable stress.
HUBBARD, WHO gained 23 yards in a game-opening drive that carried to the Steeler 48, was virtually blanked the remainder of the day. The previous Colgate star completed up with 44 yards in 14 makes an attempt. And with Lamonica and Hubbard blanketed, the Raiders did not see Steeler territory once more till Stabler led them on the late-game TD drive.
In fact, the Steelers weren’t faring a lot better towards Oakland’s lightning-quick line. They did get shut sufficient for a pair of area targets by Roy Gerela — the primary from the 18 within the third interval and the second from the 29 within the fourth.
The Steelers felt they need to have received, 6-0.
“It was an inexpensive landing,” mentioned quarterback Terry Hanratty of the late-game pyrotechnics. “I am glad we bought the final one.”
Bradshaw admitted later that he hadn’t seen the move completion. Sacked as he launched the ball, Bradshaw bought again to his ft in time to see Harris darting throughout the objective line.
“I noticed Frenchy on their own down there,” mentioned Bradshaw, “and I threw the ball. The following factor I noticed was Franco working with it. Man, I assumed I had hit him proper on the numbers.”
THE FIRST HALF ended scoreless, marking the twelfth time in 15 video games that the Steelers’ protection had blanked an opponent earlier than intermission. Stabler’s landing ended a Steeler string of 17 quarters with out yielding a landing.
Tatum, in fact, insisted he by no means touched the ball, that it had bounced off Fuqua.
“I did not hit the ball,” he mentioned. “I used to be masking the tight finish on the play, however I pulled again after I noticed their man slicing throughout the center.
“He minimize in entrance of me,” continued the Oakland security man. “I assumed I may need an opportunity for the ball till he bought in entrance of me. Then I simply went for the person.”
John Madden, the Raider coach, was surprised each by the end result and Swearingen’s ruling.
“It appears unfair,” mentioned Madden, shaking his head. “That is a kind of issues you must address. You possibly can’t make excuses.
“If the officers actually knew what occurred, they’d have known as it immediately. However first they went right into a huddle. This has to imply they did not know,” reasoned Madden.
The story of the sport, although, was the Steelers’ protection. Figuring out White, the Steelers’ sophomore defensive finish, was harm, the Raiders examined him early and vigorously. “We knew White was harm,” mentioned Madden, “and we needed to see how he was feeling.”
WHITE WASN’T feeling too unhealthy, contemplating the stress he exerted on Lamonica. Fred Biletnikoff and Mike Siani, Oakland’s huge receivers, caught 4 passes between them for 35 yards.
“Their safeties had been taking part in to this point again,” mentioned Siani, “that we could not get behind them. Their backfield has improved for the reason that starting of the 12 months. They actually shut us off.”
Chuck Noll, coach of the Steelers, was characteristically uncommunicative. “Our protection was simply nice and we pressured them,” mentioned Noll, declaring that the Raiders had handed for under 78 yards.
As to Franco Harris’ huge play within the clutch, Noll grinned broadly. “Franco had been blocking on the play after which went out,” he mentioned. “He was hustling — and good issues occur to individuals who hustle.”
Franco himself was extra communicative.
“I assumed I might sneak out and be a security valve,” he mentioned, explaining what he had accomplished when he noticed the stress increase round Bradshaw. Franco noticed the move because it headed towards Fuqua after which he noticed it bounce into the air.
“I mentioned, “Oh, no,'” mentioned Harris. “However then I noticed the ball coming towards me, and I figured we’re not out of this but.”
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