I was there. It was the day after my 7th birthday. My dad was a season-ticket holder, but he only had one seat. The playoff game against Oakland wasn't a sellout until the day of the game. My dad was able to get a ticket for me the day before. It was going to be one of my birthday presents. I remember going with him to the ticket office at Three Rivers the morning of the game. It was a Saturday. After we picked up the ticket, we had a few hours to kill before game time. Although Dad might have wanted to spend it at a local watering hole like the 120 Bar, given my age, he had the wisdom to take me to a library at Allegheny Center Mall instead. We arrive at the game. My seat was nowhere near his. Even in 1972, there was no way he was going to plunk me down in my seat and then proceed to his own. So he improvised. I sat on my dad's lap for the game. As a just barely 7-year old, my understanding of the nuances of football and the NFL were, shall we say, quite limited. When the play occurred, we were out of our seats in Section 648 (peanut heaven) and in the aisleway. I remember three things about the play - two of which were sounds. The first sound was a whack, which was when Tatum crashed into the Count Fuqua to give Frenchy something to remember going into the off-season. About two seconds later, I heard a roar from the crowd. The last thing was seeing Franco Harris running down the sideline to score. Even to my novice football smarts, I knew something good indeed had happened. In the 48-plus years since, a lot has happened in Stillerz history, the world has turned over several times and many of the things I have held precious and dear have passed - including my beloved dad and mom (who both shuttled off this mortal coil in 2019 well into their 80's, in vastly diminished health and where their quality of life was zip, and who had the impeccable sense of timing to get out of Dodge before COVID-19 hit). No parent-child relationship is a perfect one without its bumps in the road along the way. My dad sometimes had to lay down the law and chew my rear out, but I realized many years ago that he wouldn't have done so if I weren't such a complete immature jagoff who richly deserved to get chewed out. I needed the discipline and am better for it. For the physical pain my dad had to endure from a lifetime of rheumatoid arthritis - including the ten final very difficult years where the condition completely took over his body - and where he still persevered to raise a family, have a successful career and set the best example on how to treat others, he was and is a hero in every sense of the word.
awesome man, from this Raider fan who was 10 at the time watching the game 3000 miles away from where you were, and just crushed after my idol the Snake made the improbable 30 yard run to seemingly win the first playoff game I ever watched, but then to have it suddenly snatched away by the hands of fate (Franco's hands). Happy this video brought back a special time with your dad. Sounds like he was a great guy.
RIP Franco. Amazing how he passed exactly on the 50th anniversary of this play- just as he was about to be honored with his number retired and all his teammates and opponents set to honor him-- and now will mourn him.
I was 14 years old watching this game on a black and white TV, i will always have the memory of my Mom - jumping off the couch and cheering Franco into the end zone .There isn't a stronger force on this planet than a determined Italian American mom.
The AFC dominated in the 70’s. It was the combination of the Steelers, Dolphins and Raiders that dominated the AFC and the league. The only team on the NFC who was comparable was the Cowboys. Those teams ruled the 70’s - Steelers, Cowboys, Raiders and Dolphins. Everyone else was second-tier. Great that they all had memorable games with each other. The only dream matchup that didn’t happen at the playoff leve was Dallas-Oakland. Now that would have been a cool Super Bowl!
Yes. The Dolphins set the pace with 3 straight AFC Championships, the undefeated season and back to back Supper Bowl wins. Then handed it off to the Steelers who ran the table the rest of the decade.
Raiders should've been there for Super Bowl XII but lost in Denver after that non-call of the Denver fumble near the endzone. And Dallas should've been there for Super Bowl XV but lost in Philly on a terrible turf at the vet.
Joe Smith True, but if you extend it just a few years you get a clearer picture of the three dominant AFC teams. SB records from ‘67 - ‘84: Steelers 4-0. Raiders 3-1. Dolphins 2-3. The Dolphin’s SB record doesn’t reflect their early to mid ‘70s greatness.
That’s why the Steelers of the 70’s were the greatest dynasty by far. They had to beat so many great teams that stayed together.....Raiders, Dolphins, Oilers, Cowboys, etc.... Free agency has turned it into a soft, QB driven league. All u need is a great coach and a great QB and you can win. Joke-
I’m not a Raider fan , but I think that Ken Stabler was of one the most underrated Quarterbacks, I don’t know if he is in the Hall of Fame, if he’s not , he should be.
I was for the Raiders in this game. I never questioned the legality of the catch. I was mad at Tatum for trying to decapitate Fuqua instead of just letting him catch it and make the tackle. There's no way Pittsburgh would have had time for another play.
So true. Instead of just letting Fuqua catch the ball and wrap him up, Tatum had to do his "Assassin" act and try to take Fuqua's head off and as a result cost the Raiders the game. Plus there would be no debate over whether the ball ricocheted off of Tatum or Fuqua, or both.
@@jscottrockford - we New England fans have never forgiven Tatum for that unnecessary head shot he delivered to Darryl Stingley that left him paralyzed.
I agree. Replaying this broadcast, on both 1st and 3rd downs, Tatum did go for the ball and broke up each pass as they fell incomplete. On 4th down, if Tatum does that one more time, the Raiders win. Instead, he goes for the big hit on Fuqua instead of playing the ball like he did on the previous downs. He lost that game for the Raiders by trying to be the Assassin and was responsible for the Immaculate Reception.
I'd have to say it was James Harrison's interception return of over 100 yards as the half was about to expire in their Superbowl victory of the Cardinals
@@ronniepest3932 Plenty of guys can run one back the length of the field. The odds of the Immaculate Reception happening are mind-boggling. Nothing compares to the Immaculate Reception. Only the the Tyree helmet catch is even close.
James Harrison broke and eluded 11 tackles, Franco kind of sort of broke one tackle if you can call it that. The '72 Steelers lost the next week, Harrison's Steelers won the Super Bowl. The Immaculate Reception was an amazing and memorable play, but given the context of it not leading to a championship or even a Super Bowl appearance it is a bit OVERRATED .
Of all the Immaculate Reception videos on here, I'd say this one is the best, despite the stretches where it's only audio. The biggest reason is the extended period of celebration at the end. Watching Bradshaw and Harris and the rest of them in ecstasy with the fans, with the roar of the crowd washing over the scene, never gets old.
Ken Stabler visited Pittsburgh long after he retired. Needless to say the media interviewed him, took him over to Three Rivers Stadium to talk and have dinner. During the interview he reminiscent some games played there. But he clamed the Stadium looked different while walking on the field. When they got to midfield, He layed down on the 50 yard line, looking up at the sky threw the circle the Stadium structure makes. He said " OH YA...ITS ALL COMING BACK NOW , I REMEMBER THIS STADIUM QUITE WELL. FROM THIS VIEW." What a great left handed quarterback he was. Great personality also . He gave Pittsburgh some great games. Back then. We HATED the Oakland Raders. But always GREAT GAMES !!!
I watched it with my father and brothers. I recall how saddened I was when Bradshaw first ducked and scrambled because I thought he was sacked. The catch was unbelievable. A miracle.
Franco gets a lot of the focus, as he should, but if Bradshaw had not kept the play alive with his scrambling (and he said Franco was supposed to be blocking 🙂) there would have been no reception.
Listened to this game on the radio in PGH. Game was blacked out. Had to wait til 6 oclock news on WTAE to watch this play and have Myron Cope make sense of it. By 11PM news, Myron had coined the term, the "Immaculate Reception" as recommended to him by someone who called into the news room.
It was because of this famous play that I always had little respect for Raider safety Jack Tatum. Tatum may have been a great player and arguably the hardest hitting guy to play in the NFL, but the immaculate reception was his fault. Rather than use finese and play the ball like any savvy safety would do in this situation, he instead tried to levy Fuqa. If he was to play the ball like he was supposed to in such a situation, he could have made an easy interception. It was that "try-to-kill a receiver" mentality that spawned the Darryl Stingley tragedy several years later.
joe jones EXACTLY. I've been saying this all along. It's why I consider the "who did the ball hit first Jack or Frenchy" controversy irrelevant. Bradshaw was desperate, presumably didn't even see Tatum and threw the ball right at him. All Jack had to do was intercept the ball and go down, boom, Raiders win. instead he had to go for the cheap shot like he always did, and we all know the rest. Talk about instant karma!
joe jones It's the law of physics: any object traveling through the air that strikes another object going in the same direction will nust fall to the ground....but should the same object strike another object traveling in the opposite direction, the object will travel backwards in direction it came from
Joe, I'm 60 and a lifelong Raiders fan. I am also a realist, and do not follow my team with blinders on like a lots of fans that have come and gone over the years. You have given the most honest assessment of what really happened, both on that play and the Stingley play, which was totally unnecessary in both instances. I remember 2 things, and the fact that a lot of the film of the play has been remastered ( which, let's be honest, means it's been doctored ) doesn't help my case here. The question of whether Fuqua touched has always been debated, but where is the side angle shot of Harris' entire left foot out of bounds at the 2 ? Someone blocks the camera's view of Harris going down the sideline, so they switch shots. It isn't even close, it's his entire left foot. Granted, if they get that right, the Steelers Kick a 9 yard field goal and win with no beef from Raiders fans. But that's my point, with no beef from Raiders fans. but Fuqua touched it. Just by the way the ball went into him, and the way it came back out
I had not realized that Stabler was the Crimson Tide QB in the Cotton Bowl in which Bear Bryant was beaten by a coach that was one of his Junction Boys back in 1954. Stabler had two TD runs in that game for Alabama.
Yuckity Yucks a Real fan/Raider fan could only be sickened an Repulsed to the Fullest extent when their team is bein Robbed as I've seen Witnessed my Raiders gettin Robbed so manny times over the years!!! For bein the Raider that I am these events/injustices sicken me beyond words!!!!!! An now my Raiders have been Robbed away again!!! Not gonna get into that!!!!🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🐘🐼🐬🐳🐕🐅🐻🐖🐄
@@Italianoboy1gmail - Oh puh-leeeze. Get over yourself. The Raiders were not robbed on this play in any way, shape or form. But myopic fanboys like you are unreasonable and unobjective. So are you ready to give back the Holy Roller game to the Chargers? How about vacating the Raiders Super Bowl XI victory and giving it to New England, since Sugar Bear Hamilton didn't "rough the passer" and Oakland should have lost (again) in '76 to the Patriots. This was an epic game, culminating with THE greatest play in NFL history. The OP can appreciate that. As can any rational football fan. This, coming from a Bengals fan.
It is like the 8th day of Genesis. Being born in Pa. and growing up with the black and gold. The local high school team wore the black and gold. A lot of black and gold in them thar parts. The years following this watershed moment are some of the most proud and glorious moments of my youth. Laying the groundwork for the STEELER WING of the Hall of Fame.
not only did the referees give the Steeler fans an Immaculate Christmas Present, but gave you 25 cents....lol. I'm a Raider fan who was crushed after watching this game live.
From all of the replays from different angles that I have seen, Tatum is the one that deflected the ball backwards, Franco caught it before it hit the ground. Legal play. And I'm not a fan of either team. NFL Films has a dvd set out, A Football Life that has this game in it. Explains the rivalry, the controversy and the whining of the Raiders. lol
There are no clear views of Franco catching it cleanly. NFL films version shows only part of the football and the NBC version shown here, only the slo mo replay shows Franco and the ball in the same frame and the goal post blocks the view as he is catching it. Franco and Frenchy Fuqua have never said the play was clean although they claim they do that just to keep the play a mystery. here's a video of them talking about the play ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NHAlfl9b3Bw.html
One key that I believe proves more than likely he caught it, is how far Franco bends over to grab the ball. In this footage, he just slightly bends over, catching it about knee level. If the ball was touching the ground, he would need arms a lot longer or have to be bent over more. The shot at about the 8:15 mark is the best shot, imo. I laugh at one of the Raider defenders raising his arms in jubilation on the last two plays, then having to chase down Franco. Priceless
Catching the ball near knee level is maybe a good point but it still looks like he caught the ball below the knee with the tip of the ball pointing down where it could have touched the ground. The 8:15 mark you mention the goal post still obstructs the view. At 8:29 there's another view of him grabbing the ball near knee level but again the view is blocked by a Raider player to be conclusive. I read one comment of someone who met the Raider LB who was covering Franco and he said the ball never hit the ground but that is hearsay. Only Franco knows and he's not saying one way or the other. So the mystery will live on forever which is cool. I'm a longtime Raider fan and watched this play live as a young kid. I remember that there was discussion from the referees and a long delay before they called the play a TD. The ref had gone in and watched the NBC replay and since it didn't show a conclusive TD they went with what they had seen on the field. Probably the first time instant replay was used.
Bradshaw was still new, maybe his 3rd season, he and the Steelers hadnt fully become a dynasty, YET! 4 Superbowls wins from '75-'80, yeah, let THAT sink in.
This WAS Bradshaw's 3rd season. But it was the first GOOD season for the Steelers in decades. And it was the beginning of the 1970s Steelers Dynasty - the "Steel Curtain" as they would soon be called, would win the Super Bowl in the 1974, 75, 78, and 1979 seasons.
@@johnmongani5223 There was a lot of emotion build up for this moment by the fans. Looks like it would have been an incredible feeling to be in that stadium as a Steelers' fan that day!
It was more a game back then and less a business. I remember when pro football and baseball players had to get regular jobs during their off seasons. AND they lived in regular neighborhoods, next to the people who watched them play.
What a rivalry this game started between Oakland and Pittsburgh throughout the '70s and early '80s, I'd love to see them go at it in the playoffs again since it's been 35 years since these two met in the postseason, 1983.
I'm from Los Angeles and a die hard Steelers fan but back in those days it was dangerous to walk alone in Steelers gear.....the Raider fans absolutely loathed Steelers fans back in the 70s and 80s....when yhe Raiders were in Los Angeles they gangbangers were loving it
TexasRocks HillCounrty What is more remarkable for me is that by the time I started watching him, Stabler could never run like that no matter against what defense. His knees were too messed up. One of the very few times I ever saw him scramble was the naked bootleg with 10 seconds left that beat the Patriots in that controversial 1976 divisional playoff. But that was only for one yard. It worked because the Patriots never expected it.
it was, but Stabler had made many runs like that in College at Alabama so he had a lot of experience making plays like that. His knees got damaged early in his pro career and the Raiders didn't want a running QB, just one that dropped back and threw the deep ball.
I am a Raider fan, but this sums up the difference between the Steeler and Raiders of this era. The Steelers were slightly better. I still think the ball bounced off the turf, but the Dolphins probably would have beat the Raiders this year anyway. Tatum’s machismo backfired. He should of just batted it down. It was actually an awesome hit, but somebody like Ronnie Lott would have batted it down or intercepted it, in the interest of winning the game.
John Madden saw the whole play and said Franco Harris caught it cleanly, but hated the fact that no refs were in position to have seen it actually take place
You “think the ball bounced off the turf”? What are you talking about? I’ve seen replays from numerous angles, many times, and it is clear beyond any reasonable doubt that Harris caught it well off the turf - probably a foot in the air. (See here, e.g., at 8:14 and 8:29; also, look at the B&W wide-angle “all-22” footage that has recently resurfaced, and is readily accessible on youtube.) The only plausible question about the play’s legitimacy was whether the pass had bounced off Pittsburgh’s Fuqua directly to Harris, without contact by a defender. Under the rules at the time, it was illegal for an offensive player to receive a pass that had been touched immediately before by another offensive player - UNLESS a defender had contacted the ball before the second offensive player. (NFL Rule 7, sect. 5, art. 2, item 1 - rescinded 1978.) On that point, this play •was• close, and it happened fast. But I have never seen an angle in which it looks •more• likely that Fuqua alone touched the ball, than that Tatum alone touched the ball. It is quite plausible that •both• of them touched the ball - and if that is the case, then it was legal for Harris to make the catch (whether Tatum touched the ball after, or before, or simultaneously with, Fuqua). And I can’t shake the subjective impression that, from the point of impact, the ball shot back too far and too fast to Harris, for it to have been merely bouncing off Fuqua, who was running perpendicular to the path of the ball (or even slightly away from Bradshaw and the point of the throw). The velocity of the ball, rebounding back up field, looks far more likely to have been imparted by hitting Tatum, who would have met the ball flying from precisely the opposite direction to the path of the pass. And beyond how it looks to my eye, that impression has more recently been corroborated by physicists’ analysis of the game film, and their field experiments, showing that it’s highly unlikely that the ball would have rebounded as far as it did from Tatum-Fuqua to Harris - 24 to 27 feet - merely by striking a solid but inertially passive surface (like Fuqua), as opposed to having been knocked back by an object (like Tatum) moving forcefully in the opposite direction to the ball’s original motion. We should note, by the way, that even though Tatum at first denied that he had touched the ball, when he published his memoirs seven years later, in 1979, he said he could not be sure whether or not the ball had hit him.
Correct me if I am wrong but the Raiders claimed the officials never signaled a touchdown on the play. At 8:26 the official trailing Franco clearly signaled it was a TD.
Raiders had several different spins on the play that being one of them. True the ref signals TD as Franco is crossing the goal line but the refs did huddle after the play and discuss the rule that says two offensive players cannot touch the ball on the same play with a deflection. And there was a long delay that might of been from a ref going into the TV booth and watching a replay. Probably the first time replay was used even though there was no rule for it at the time. Another spin the Raiders had was that after the ref watched a replay and concluded the play was illegal he asked the police how many cops were available for crowd control when he announced no TD. The cops said they only had 6 police to protect the refs so the ref said, "well in that case it's 6 for Pittsburgh!!" lol.
@@johnmongani5223 Thanks for the detailed explanation. I have seen the replay countless times down through the years. I never paid attention to the trailing official until recently.
That's exactly why John Madden's claim that a touchdown was never called is nonsense. It's also silly to complain about the officials conferring to verify the legality of the play. You can bet that if NO conferring had taken place, the Raiders and their fans would have been apoplectic.
The play was illegal. The rules back then were that the ball could not deflect from one offensive player to another offensive player. The steeler guy (Fuqua I think) touched it first then it fell in Harris’ hands.
But that rule (rescinded five years later, in 1978), also provided that if, in addition to contacting an offensive player, the passed ball was also touched by a defensive player before the second offensive player caught it, then the reception was legal. Thus, whether or not Fuqua touched the ball, if Tatum touched it before Harris caught it, then Harris was eligible to make a legal reception. And to be clear, under the old rule, if both Fuqua and Tatum •did• touch the ball before Harris caught it, it did not matter whether Tatum contacted the ball before, or after, Fuqua touched it (or if they touched the ball simultaneously).
yep that was it. both Bay Area teams suffered brutal late game losses in the first round of the 1972 playoffs. 49ers ran the opening kickoff back for a TD and were up 28-13 in the 4th but lost 30-28. here's a video of the Niner Cowboy game in 1972 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MYjdFQFdkBs.html
@@johnmongani5223 And there was more in that round of the playoffs. The Dolphins, who were undefeated on the season, trailed the Browns late at home 21-20 before scoring the lead touchdown. Mike Phipps led the Browns back towards the end of the game, but threw his fifth interception of the game to seal the win for the Dolphins. The Dolphins would go on to win the Super Bowl.
so true. unfortunately at the expense of my Raiders in the 70's. But got some payback in 1980 with a big win on MNF and 1983 in the first round playoffs both of which led to Super Bowl titles.
@@Rex-gu1bu I think I meant that the Raiders got payback by ending the Steeler dynasty with those 1980's wins. But yep the two big wins in 76 and the early season win in Pittsburgh 1977 was 3 wins in a row by the Raiders over the Steel Curtain, something the Steelers never did to the Raiders at that time. And after that 16-7 1977 win over the Steelers, Madden said that his team was at their peak. But unfortunately, the Raiders had several injuries in that game and were never the same, being dethroned by the Broncos later that year.
@@johnmongani5223 The Raiders really put all their eggs in one basket for their regular season game against Pittsburgh in 1977. All off-season, the Steelers and their fans kept claiming that had Rocky Blier and Franco Harris not been injured and played they would've beaten the Raiders in the AFC Championship game. So, the Raiders felt they had something to prove. They played that regular season game at Pittsburgh like it was Super Bowl 11 1/2. They wound up dominating the Steelers with a 16-7 win and both Blier and Harris played. In fact, Joe Greene said after that game,"They kicked our butts.".Madden said, "That is the best we've ever been." Unfortunately, as you said, going full tilt and treating that game like the Super Bowl, they did suffer several key injuries and would never play at that high level again that year. However, the Raiders still would've gone to the Super Bowl that year had it not been for the horrible non-call by the refs where Rob Lytle fumbled. Super Bowl 12 should've been the Raiders vs the Cowboys. The Raiders matched up much better than the Broncos did and would have given them a much better game and could very well have won. The Raiders loss to the Broncos in that AFC Championship game hurt more, for me, than the Immaculate Reception. They should've had the chance to repeat.
Was lucky enough to be at the game as my late dad was qb coach of the Steelers from '71-'73 at the age of 12.Even though there was a measure of luck involved;he called the play but didn't get much credit for it.Was a great game on a cloudy dreary day.
wow so cool. Any memories you can share after the play happened? Were you on the sidelines or in the stands? I was here in Oakland age 10 watching in disbelief. Always thought the play was improvised with Frenchy Fuqua, a RB, so far downfield which you never see these days. RB's running deep patterns was more common in the 70's and 80's so not surprised to find out your dad had Fuqua going deep. Raiders did it a lot as well at that time. RB Charlie Smith caught a long Stabler TD vs the Dolphins in the Sea of Hands game and then RB's Kenny King and Arthur Whittington caught long TD passes during the Raiders 1980 Super Bowl playoff run.
guy pulled my mom's hair and said"You have a nice mother."Rode on the plane back home to Massachusetts across from the late Curt Gowdy.@@johnmongani5223
yep you are correct. The head referee who was on the field went into the dugout and called a senior official who no doubt watched the NBC replay. Although the two views NBC had did not clearly show if the ball hit Fuqua or the ground when Franco grabbed it. But that's how the rule is today, if the replay does not show clear evidence of the call being reversed, the call on the field stands. Problem is that the refs didn't signal touchdown when Franco crossed the goal line so there was no call on the field. That was always John Madden's main complaint. He always said regarding the play that in the history of football, when a player crosses the goal line it's either a touchdown or it's not. This longest version of the play shows the head referee calling the senior official. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZMsgfbGjq9M.html
When Stabler scored that 30 yard touchdown I remember going crazy 7-6 then the BS 💩 happened at the end 👎🏿 they should have had real instant video replay 🏈
ok your family were obviously Steeler fans and cheering for Franco Harris who caught the ball and scored the winning TD. I was 10 and a heartbroken Raider fan probably crying for 15 minutes....:(@@victorianidetch
@@johnmongani5223 From my 11 year old self to your 10, I am sorry you were crying and would have offered my moms home made perogies as a peace offering.
i was only 11 years old when this happened and I still remember it 50 years later what a catch I saw something where someone said he trapped it bull that was a great catch by frano may he rip.
Tatum went for the INT, he wasn't even thinking about Fuqua. Watch the Endzone view again... I don't even think Jack knew Frenchy was there, when they collided. It's easy to think that Tatum was trying to level Fuqua, considering he made a name for himself doing so. But if you look at his hands as the ball arrived, he was going to catch it, had Frenchy not ran into him. Frenchy wasn't paying attention at the time and ran his route right into Tatum, and Bradshaw put the ball right where it was supposed to be for Frenchy to catch it. But Tatum got there just before Frenchy did. Tatum touched the ball first. Had Frenchy not ran into him, that was an INT. It was a great read by Tatum, however. This Endzone view ends the discussion, as far as I'm concern. What made this play truly special was the quick thinking of Franco, to try and catch the ball, and the moment of the situation. Franco never stop playing and he got there in time before the ball touched the ground. You see guys, even today, the ball isn't in their area, they stop moving their feet or not going towards the ball. Franco's ethics as a player, kept that play alive when everyone else thought it was dead.
Until today, I've never watched this play with that perspective. Tatum certainly looked like he was preparing to catch the throw. Thanks for pointing this out.
A pitchure is worth a thousand words.....real football. "The game belongs to the ones that hit the hardest...everyone else needs to go home"-Jack Lambert.
Hello John. I really like how you did this. The radio broadcast combined with some game footage, pics and trading cards. I am a 47-year old Chiefs fan. As a kid I fell in love with NFL Films, but was disappointed that for years the only footage of the I.C. was the initial collision followed by the end zone shot of Harris scooping-up the ball. Thank you and Happy New Year.
sure Dr. Hook, HNY to you as well. I have several NFL films versions of the 1972 Raiders Steelers playoff and combined them all into this vid with the national radio broadcast I found on the internet. I'm a longtime Raiders fan although not anymore after they announced they were moving again. 1972 was the first year I watched Raiders football and it ended with a magical game and heartbreaking loss. Win or lose the 70's Raiders played in some of the most historic NFL games ever played.
Actually Franco was kind of loafing on the play. If you watch the entire video , he blocks a guy then stands at the line of scrimmage for a second or two. Then, trailing the play he's a good 15 yards from the collision between Tatum and Frenchy. That enabled him to pick the ball off his shoe tops and the rest is history
He was, I said the same thing. He wasn't focused, just loafing around. An accidental goof or by chance catch that led to one of the greatest plays in NFL history is immaculate all in itself. The entire team was great, but Franco was my favorite.
That is Bob Reynolds doing the color and Van Patrick with the play by play on the radio feed nationwide. These two men were the Detroit Lions Broadcasters of my youth in the late 50s the 60s and into the 70s. Van Patrick died in 1974 and Reynolds took over for the next 10 years or so but it was not the same. Van Patrick was one of the best and was Nationally known for his calls on the Notre Dame Radio network as well that he did nationally on Saturdays. Bob Reynolds for years did the play by play for Michigan State on Saturdays. Van Patrick was the Detroit Tiger announcer as well for 9 or 10 years in the decade of the 50s.
All that celebration for that one game and it never resulted in them winning a championship that year. I will argue the fact that the mile high miracle caught by Jacoby Jones was a better postseason play
I have to apologize to Neal Colzie, I've said on several RU-vid channels it wasColzie who Franco outran to the end zone when in fact it was Jimmy Warren. My sincere Apologies to Colzie
I recall my dad and older brother watching this game and all of sudden I hear them yelling in the living room and I go running in there trying to figure out what in hell happened. All I could see was Bradshaw and those fans hugging and going nuts.
I was 12 years old when we watched this game. My Dad was a die hard Raider guy but he was a father first. On game day , he would make open face tuna sandwiches with onions for crunch, dill for flavor and at the time, little known chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with a squirt of lemon juice, course ground pepper. Also, he would give my brothers and I one Mickey big mouth each. That’s malt liquor in case you didn’t know. A ( hand grenade ). Times were different. We acquired a taste for it over time. My dad would take us on his janitorial jobs and we were at a Aircraft themed restaurant which served German food that nobody seem to like because they would use their dinner plate like an ashtray and put thier cigarettes out in the food. It was called THE GRAF ZEPPELIN Downtown San Francisco.Himmmmmmmmm? We were done with the work , the building was empty they had a bar and a big TV and that’s where we watched this magnificent game. It was a great loss for the Raiders but my dad said “ that’s football boys.The Raiders played a good game. “ He taught us not to be fanatics over anything. He taught us not to make drinking amateur night as we got older. He taught us how to be responsible men. My older brother turned out to be an ASSHOLE but that’s on him. If you’ve done the math yes, I’m sixty now. I still have a grenade from time to time, I still listen to Led Zeppelin, I still watch Raider football 🏈, still make open face tuna sandwiches the way he did . People are amazed by how wonderful these sandwiches taste, YOU GOT THE Recipe now so enjoy! Old school baby. My Dad was so good to us , I miss him dearly ,cancer got him at 52. “ The spirt is willing, but the flesh is weak. Cancer is cruel.............. Las Vegas? ............................. also cruel.
Had the Raiders won, they would've hosted the Dolphins in the 1972 AFC Championship Game. From 1970 thru 1974, the playoff seedings were set on a rotational basis. Each year, the winner of the division that was given the #1 seeding hosted the winner of the division designated as the #3 seed. The #2 seed came from the remaining division and got to host the Wild Card team. The winner of the #1 vs #3 game was guaranteed to host the Conference Championship Game. The winner of the #2 vs WC game was forced to play the CCG on the road. (this guaranteed that no Wild Card team would somehow get a home playoff game; it also was the price a division winner paid for getting to play the theoretically-easier opponent in the opening round) When the WC team came from the division that was designated as the #2 seed, then the #1 and #2 seeds switched positions, and the #1 seed hosted the Wild Card team, with the prospect of playing on the road in the title game, while the #2 seed hosted the #3 seed, with the winner hosting the title game. In 1972, the AFC Central (Steelers) was the #1 seed. The AFC East (Dolphins) was the #2. And the AFC West (Raiders) was the #3. Since the Wild Card team (Browns) was from the Central, they faced Miami in Miami, as per the normal arrangment, with the winner of that game required to play on the road vs the winner of the #1 Steelers vs the #3 Raiders. Here's how each AFC playoff picture was formed for 1970-74: 1970 #1 AFC East (11-2-1 Colts) #2 AFC West (8-4-2 Raiders) #3 AFC Central (8-6 Bengals) Wild Card (10-4 Dolphins) #1 Colts hosted #3 Bengals, then hosted the winner of WC Dolphins @ #2 Raiders. 1971 #1 AFC West (10-3-1 Chiefs) #2 AFC Central (9-5 Browns) #3 AFC East (10-3-1 Dolphins) Wild Card (10-4 Colts) #1 Chiefs hosted the #3 Dolphins, who then hosted the WC Colts after they won in Cleveland. 1972 #1 AFC Central (11-3 Steelers) #2 AFC East (14-0 Dolphins) #3 AFC West (10-3-1 Raiders) Wild Card (10-4 Browns) #1 Steelers hosted #3 Raiders, and then hosted the winner of WC Browns @ #2 Dolphins. 1973 #1 AFC East (12-2 Dolphins) #2 AFC West (9-4-1 Raiders) #3 AFC Central (10-4 Bengals) Wild Card (10-4 Steelers) #1 Dolphins hosted #3 Bengals, and then hosted the winner of the WC Steelers @ #2 Raiders. 1974 #1 AFC West (12-2 Raiders) #2 AFC Central (10-3-1 Steelers) #3 AFC East (11-3 Dolphins) Wild Card (9-5 Bills) #1 Raiders hosted #3 Dolphins, and then hosted the winner of the WC Bills @ #2 Steelers. Only the NFC had to flip seeds to avoid having the Wild Card team play their own division winner. In 1970 the #1 Cowboys switched with the #2 Vikings, since the Lions were the Wild Card team, otherwise Dallas would've hosted #3 San Francisco in the opening round. And in 1972, the #1 49ers switched with the #2 Redskins, since the Cowboys were the Wild Card team, otherwise San Francisco would've hosted #3 Green Bay in the opening round.
@@smokesletsgo8180 It's also pretty dumb; they were undefeated & deserved to host the darn thing. Bet Miami fans would've been out for blood had they lost to the Steelers in Pittsburgh. I'm sure they were already bummed out they couldn't experience the game at home.
@@JoeVideoed Yes and I say that's one thing that's overlooked in evaluating their perfect season is that they had to win the AFC Champ in Pit a week after the Immaculate Reception.
I HATED Oakland !! ( I was 9 on this day) Jack Tatum blew it ! He always was a head hunter and could have picked that ball of easy, GAME OVER ! He was a great player at Ohio St. and with the Raiders ( like a LB playing FS ! ) ...but I believe his style of play has kept him out of the NFL Hall of Fame . Today's game in 2019 he'd be fined and suspended every season !!
He is in the Hall in People's Hallow heads he takes alot Space up when they play Akinson and Tatum...Grogen Threw a pass over Stingleys head over the middle.in Oakland in a Pre-season game and the man Never moved nothing below the waist ever again and His legs was a Wheelchair..
I’ve always wondered who Madden would have started against Miami in the AFL championship game the next week Daryl (always chokes on the big one) Lamonica or Ken Stabler
actually this is a national broadcast on Armed Forces radio and the announcers were Van Patrick and Bob Reynolds. I got the audio from a collector and he didn't have the Steelers or Raiders broadcast.
@@henk6344 wow so cool. He and Cope saw some amazing games between the Steelers and the Raiders in the early to mid 70's, as did I living near Oakland as a youth at that time. Raider broadcaster Bill King is a legend out here. Both teams had the greats calling their games.
yep as a Raider fan myself this game was brutal but it's also history. Win or lose the Raiders played in so many of these close historic games in the 70's.
there was no NFL films footage for those plays so I did the best I could to fill in those spots with pictures of the players involved in those plays. I know it sucks but NFL films never releases their films of entire games with every play.
John Mongani yes it is pretty inconclusive but I really think for sure now it was a catch.At least now that I seen this video my eyes seemed to be telling me that.I'm 48 from Pittsburgh and don't believe I ever saw that back view original broadcast reply.
HEY, wait a minute! Looks like there would have been about 8 seconds left!! (0:22 when the play started, and the play took 14 seconds till he crossed the goal line; and the clock doesn't run during an extra point.) Anyone know if anything was ever made of that? I've never heard anything....
there was 5 seconds left after the Pittsburgh touchdown. Steeler's kicked the ball out of the end zone on the kickoff. Raiders ran one play ( incomplete pass) and the game was over.
Because the game was not a sellout until game day it was blacked out in Pgh for TV coverage.........if you weren't among the 250,000 people who claimed they were at Three Rivers stadium that day you had to turn on the AM radio and listen to it.........For the butt of all jokes the Pgh Steelers had never been in a playoff game in their history of over 30 plus yeaer....so this was the first ever and comming off a Pgh Pirate world series win in the Summer..........of course if you had a good pair of rabbit ear antennas on your TV set in Pgh you might have been able to get in the Johnstown TV station WJAC TV to watch the broadcast through all the grainy snow on the TV reception but for the majority of us it was sitting at home with a radio on like people did before the TV was invented.........as the game got to the last minute and the Steelers looked to be mired in not being able to move the ball I decided it was over and like many people turned off the radio and went about other business...........in my case it was to order a pizza in my depression of the loss for comfort food, so I decided to drive up to our local business area where a pizza shop was................I didn't even bother turning the radio on in my car.....just drove a few minutes until I got to the business area where it was stark from everyone still inside listening to the game..........when all of a sudden I saw everyone come bursting out of shops and buildings like they were on fire and going crazy in the street...............I stopped rolled down my window and asked what happened?..............."We Won!!"..........that's all they were screaming......................well I ordered my now celebration pizza and saw the final drama of the play on the local news that evening........Art Rooney the founder/owner of the Steelers also missed the play as he took to the elevator at Three Rivers from his box to go thank the players for a good year despite the loss only to realize when the door opened a different world greeted him than the one when he pressed the button to open the elevator door to go down to the locker room a few seconds before......... ....days later Myron Cope the color announcer for Steeler radio had a sports call in show where a person called in from a catholic school and said the play was a miracle like the immaculate conception of Christ to which Cope immediately thought reception instead..............hence the tagline of the legendary play.
Dracbrewer let me tell you rightnow!!!! Theirs nothin priceless about seein ya Team get point blank Robbed Jack!!!! As now what's happened again my Raiders bein Robbed away!!!!🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🐘🐼🐬🐳🐕🐅🐻🐖🐄
RU-vidr "Vintage Pro Football", who has put up some really interesting Dolphins radio-video merges, briefly had one for this game up until the NFL Nazis took it down. Too bad, because it was very well done, and the closest thing anyone is ever going to get to an actual NBC telecast.
No clear view exists of Franco catching the ball above the ground. Back then not many cameras were used so the views that are shown in this video are the only view's that exist. 2 views from NBC's original telecast and 2 views from NFL films. There's also no photo's of Franco clearly catching the ball above the ground.
r.i.p. to football immortal Franco Harris. on the play though theres no way the ball didnt touch Fuqua exen as JT was going full tilt soul patrol on him
I purchased a DVD on the History of the Steelers and concerning this play Coach Madden went to the officials to protest the play and the officials refuse to listen to him
actually the officials told Madden the play was illegal and should be ruled incomplete but since there was only six policeman available for crowd control they said "Six for Pittsburgh!!!!!" lol.
@@robertyglesias9673 that's true but even though there was no rule at the time for replay, the refs actually did go into the NBC TV booth and review the play, probably the first time replay was used to help make a call. And since the 2 camera angles that NBC had were not conclusive the refs did what they do today in that situation and go with the call on the field.
