The Immaculate Reception on December 23, 1972

On December 23, 1972, one of the greatest and most memorable plays in NFL history took place. It was on this day that the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Oakland Raiders in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. The ending of the game is what was most memorable, yet controversial, too. However, the misfortunes of one franchise turned in their favor on this day.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were a franchise in search of their first ever playoff win. For over 40 years of existence, they had nine winning seasons and one playoff appearance in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1947. They were for all intensive purposes, the laughing stock of the league as they had hit rock bottom after a 1-13 season in 1969. They had the first pick in the 1970 NFL Draft, and took Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Head coach Chuck Noll took over in 1969, and the franchise began to turn it around.

The Oakland Raiders had enjoyed success despite only being a franchise since 1960. They played in Super Bowl II in a loss to the Green Bay Packers during the 1967 season. They would make the AFC Championship Game for two years in a row after that resulting in losses to the eventual Super Bowl champions(New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs). Then the Raiders hired John Madden to coach the team after the 1969 season and when the official NFL-AFL merger had taken place.

The opening half of the game seen both teams struggle to get anything going offensively. The defenses for both teams had dominated the game, and neither one scored by halftime.

Finally, the Steelers were able to score first on an 18-yard field goal by Roy Gerela. As the 4th quarter came around, the Steelers added to their 3-0 lead with a 29-yard field goal from Gerela.

The Raiders got the ball late in the game and advanced it to the Steelers 30-yard line. With 1:17 left in the game, Ken Stabler, who came into the game to replace starter Daryle Lamonica, rushed 30 yards to the end zone for a touchdown as the Raiders took the lead for the first time after the extra point 7-6.

The Steelers did have the ball in an attempt to win the game, but faced a 4th-and-10 from their own 40-yard line with 22 seconds left to play.

Noll called the 66 Circle Option play intended for rookie receiver Barry Pearson. Instead, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw the ball towards running back John Fuqua at the Raiders 35-yard line after the Raiders had brought immense pressure to sack him. But Raiders safety Jack Tatum hit Fuqua right when the ball arrived which resulted in the ball sailing backwards still in the air. Fullback Franco Harris, who came out of the backfield to give Bradshaw another eligible receiver, was able to catch the sailing ball before it hit the ground. Harris then raced past Raider defenders before he stiff-armed Raiders defensive back Jimmy Warren in route to the end zone for the game-winning 60-yard touchdown. The Three Rivers Stadium crowd cheered wildly and some came onto the field.

Because of league rules at the time, this play is controversial based on which player actually touched the ball first. If the ball touched Fuqua first before Harris caught it, then the play would be illegal. But if it bounced off Tatum first, or after Fuqua touched it, then it would be a legal play.

Back judge Adrian Burk initially ruled the play a touchdown when it happened, but the game officials still had to huddle up to discuss it. They ruled the play as a touchdown as fans once again charged the field. It took 15 minutes for security and game officials to clear the field for the Steelers to kick the extra point. The Steelers won 13-7 to advance to the AFC Championship Game.

To this day, players and personnel involved from the Raiders dispute the play. Tatum said after the game that the ball did not bounce off him, but has since stated that he doesn't know for sure. Raiders linebacker Phil Villapiano, who was covering Harris on the play, still insists that the ball was touched by Fuqua. Villapiano has also said that Steelers tight end John McKakin blocked him illegally on the play, too.

Madden has said he never got over the play, but it wasn't because of who touched the ball first as much as it was the signal for a touchdown that knocked the Raiders out of the playoffs.

The play was first called the Immaculate Reception by Myron Cope, a Pittsburgh sportscaster in obvious reference to the Immaculate Conception from the Roman Catholic Church. He was told by Sharon Levosky about the name, and Cope used it on television which now has stuck with the public.

What is often not talked about is that Pittsburgh only had 252 total yards which they wouldn't have had over 200 had it not been for that last minute play. The Raiders only had 216 total yards, and had four turnovers in the game, too.

In 1978, the NFL changed the rule of the ball touching two offensive players in succession before a defensive player touched it. Now anyone can touch it before an offensive player catches it as long as the offensive player that touched it first didn't go out of bounds on the play before doing so.

The win for the Steelers marked the turnaround for the franchise even though they would lose to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game, who had went on to finish undefeated when they won the Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh has now won the most Super Bowls with six, and have won the most AFC Championship Games with seven. They have the best winning percentage since that time, and haven't had three losing seasons in a row either. This game and play marked the beginning of dominance by the Steelers franchise. Also, they began a rivalry with Oakland because of this game, too.

Oakland would beat the Steelers in a 1973 Divisional game, but the Steelers beat them for the AFC Championship in 1974 and 1975 as they won their first Super Bowls. In 1976, the Raiders beat the Steelers 24-7 to end a three-peat bid as well as go on to win their first Super Bowl. They had met five times in a row in the playoffs beginning with this game. The last time they met in the playoffs was 1983 when the Raiders last won a Super Bowl. Oakland had moved to Los Angeles before returning to Oakland in 1995 under owner Al Davis, who has been associated with the team since their existence. The Raiders have only made one Super Bowl appearance since 1983 coming during the 2002 season.

In 1998, another view of the play was shown on NBC before the AFC Championship Game, that was different than the one seen on NFL Films, was shown. According to New York Daily News, they believe the ball hit only person first: Jack Tatum.

After viewing this many times on NFL Films and seeing the new shot view on YouTube, I think the play was a legal one. The trajectory of the ball gives the indication that Tatum touched it first because he was coming forward while the ball sailed backwards after he hit Fuqua. Even though there is a dispute if Harris actually caught the ball, the YouTube(NBC footage) video shows a referee near the play when it happened which likely meant he saw him catch it. Therefore in my opinion, I conclude that the play was legal and that the correct call was made.

No matter what side of this play you're on, one cannot deny that this is one of the most unforgettable and recognizable plays in NFL history. In fact, NFL Films chose the play as the most memorable in league history.

Here's the NBC video of the play as it happened during the game. Famous announcer Curt Gowdy called this game. Have a look:

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Posted in: college football, football, Franco Harris, Immaculate Reception, Jack Tatum, National Football League, NFL, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, pro football, Terry Bradshaw

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