On This Date in Sports December 23, 1972: Immaculate Reception
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers win their first playoff game, stunning the Oakland Raiders 13-7 at Three Rivers Stadium on a miracle catch by Franco Harris. Trailing 7-6 with 22 seconds with fourth and ten at their own 40, Terry Bradshaw attempted a pass to John Fuqua. The ball was deflected away by Jack Tatum, but Harris, out of nowhere, caught it before it hit the ground and ran it in for a touchdown called “The Immaculate Reception.”
Of the 14 NFL teams that existed before the start of the Super Bowl era in 1966, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the only team to have never won a playoff game. In their first 40 seasons, the Steelers were rarely in a position to contend for the NFL Championship, as they played in just one tiebreaker playoff, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 21-0 in 1947. The rest of the way, the Steelers were usually among the worst teams in the NFL from its founding in 1933.
Things began to turn around in 1970 when the Steelers were among three teams to switch to the AFC with the full merger completed. Slowly they began to assemble a core of talented players, despite early struggles from Terry Bradshaw, whom they took with the first overall pick in the 1970 draft. The Steelers had their first ten-win season in 1972, led by Coach Chuck Noll, posting a record of 11-3. The Oakland Raiders, led by John Madden, meanwhile posted a record of 9-4-1 in the regular season.
The game was a defense stalemate, as neither team scored in the first half. The Steelers finally put points on the board with an 18-yard field goal by Roy Garela in the third quarter. Garela added a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 6-0 in favor of Pittsburgh. Late in the fourth quarter, the Raiders finally broke through the Steelers' defense as Kenny Stabler gave Oakland a 7-6 lead with a 30-yard run with 1:17 left. Looking to quickly get them down the field to set up a game-winning field goal, the Steelers made it to their own 40-yard line before the drive stalled. Facing fourth down and ten with 22 seconds left, the Steelers had no timeouts and faced desperation. Initially looking for Barry Pearson, Terry Bradshaw, under heavy pressure from Tony Cline and Horace Jones, scrambled for a second option. Spotting John “Frenchy” Fuqua at the Oakland 35, Bradshaw threw up a prayer as he was knocked to the ground. The ball came to Fuqua at the same time as defender Jack Tatum who deflected the ball away. The ball went to Franco Harris, who caught it just before it hit the turf at the 42 and ran it in for a touchdown to give the Steelers a dramatic 13-7 win.
The catch was complicated and controversial at the time; a ball could not deflect from one teammate to another. Officials discussed for several minutes if the ball hit off Fuqua before getting to Harris. Meanwhile, the Raiders even disputed the ball and hit the ground before it was caught. As the officials huddled and called up to the press box, fans poured onto the field with no firm decision on whether the play would be called a touchdown or an incomplete pass. Finally, after talking to the director of NFL officiating, referee Fred Swearingen singled touchdown touching off a celebration in Pittsburgh.
The Raiders were steamed over the call, alleging that Swearingen was denied extra security and decided to call it a touchdown over fears of a riot. The Steelers would lose in the AFC Championship Game to the unbeaten Miami Dolphins a week later, 21-17. The Steelers, meanwhile, would forge one of the great rivalries of the 70s against the Raiders. Beginning with the Divisional Playoffs in 1972, the Raiders and Steelers would play five straight seasons in the postseason, including three consecutive years for the AFC Championship in 1974, 1975, and 1976. The winner of all three games would go on to win the Super Bowl.