I remember watching this game on Saturday and rooting for my Steelers. Bradshaw's last game, Steelers last win of the season, 34-7. It was also the last football game at Shea Stadium. The picture's crystal clear on this video, thank you so much for putting it up. Hard to believe that was 40 years ago later this year. 😳
I think this game, which I attended, may have been the most discouraging, painful, depressing experience, in my sports life. I had seen Joe Namath and the Super Bowl Jets play in person. As a young boy, I was fascinated by their dazzling success. Looking back, I think my early adolescent mind interpreted the Jets' victory as just another triumph of goodness over evil, just as the television programs of my youth always depicted. My room was a Jets shrine. But if I was overjoyed by the Jets' success in the late 60's, I was equally stunned and depressed by their colossal failure during the 1970's. The decade never seemed to end. Whether watching on television, or sitting in the crowd at Shea, I always had the feeling the Jets would lose. A 55-21 humiliation at the hands of the Patriots was particularly painful. When we visited New England the following year, hoping for revenge, we lost 56-3. The Jets were one of only three NFL teams to fail to make the playoffs during the entire decade of the 70's (the Giants and the Saints were the other two). But in 1981, things changed. After losing their first three games, New York caught fire, losing only twice over the final thirteen games, finishing 10-5-1. Their heartbreaking home loss to Buffalo in the AFC Wildcard Game (31-27), which was still the most exciting NFL contest I ever attended (and I have attended hundreds of NFL games), was a tough pill to swallow, but the future looked bright. The next year, during the strike-shortened 1982 season, the Jets made it to the AFC Championship Game, before falling victim to Don Shula's disgraceful rule-breaking antics (deliberately keeping the tarp off the field during a week of torrential rain in order to neutralize New York's advantages in speed and athleticism. The league itself acknowledged the wrong-doing, subsequently changing the rules regarding field maintenance for upcoming playoff games). But the magic was back! Shea Stadium was a lively, dynamic place again, and the Jets were widely considered one of the two or three most talented teams in the league. The nightmare was finally over! Incredibly, by the end of the 83' season, we were right back to the pits of hell. Not only were the Jets blown out in this game, but more than half the crowd was rooting for the visiting team. By the fourth-quarter, when dozens of thousands of Jets fans had departed, the crowd had to be 75-25 in favor of the Steelers. It was shocking to realize how quickly my sense of optimism had been smashed. Man, it was brutal.
Shea Stadium was a ugly, disjointed stadium, bad for baseball and even worse for football BUT it was the Jets only legitimate home field they ever had. How can a team in the biggest media market & wealthy cities in the world not be able to give one of their teams a home stadium? Always has baffled me
Well, the Steelers, like the Cowboys, always had hordes of fans wherever you went. My best friend in high school was a big Steelers fan, and he was there because his Dad had season Jets tickets. Seeing Bradshaw's last game and last TD passes, and a big Pittsburgh win, and the last game at Shea, was all a big thrill for him.
I dream about taking the 7 train to a Jets game mannnnn it would be fun and convenient of course 😂😂 Queens born and raised although my earliest Jets memories are of the Parcells era 😂🤷🏾♂️🥺
I was fascinated that the Jets had never won a division title since the merger. They finally did win one, but it was decades after everyone else had, even the Lions.
It’s brutal watching him on the sideline after the play. You can see from his body language and the look on his face that he knew he was done. He was probably reminiscing over his entire career. Crazy how it works like that sometimes
@@Ditka-89 Agree with you that Terry Bradshaw knew his NFL career was eventually over. He had missed the whole 1983 season until Week 15 when he came back and reinjured his elbow on which he had surgery on it in the Spring of 1983. The pain on his elbow was said to have been bothering him going back to training camp and the preseason before the 1982 NFL season in which he tried to deal with the pain and the fact that season was marred by the strike which wiped out 8 weeks of the season and hoped that time off would make his elbow feel better and lessen the pain.
This was the first NFL game I ever watched on tv. I was 7 years old, didn't watch the whole game through, but I remember this being Bradshaw's last game. I think I remember before the game, they showed Terry Bradshaw being pushed around in a wheelchair or shopping cart in the locker room. Been a Steelers fan ever since.
After 1983, Shea Stadium became a baseball-only stadium...the Mets played four games of the 1986 World Series there, including Bill Buckner's infamous Game 6 fielding error in the bottom of the 10th inning, allowing the Mets to win the game and tie the series at three games each! The Mets were 1986 World Champions afterward! BTW, Bob McElwee was the referee in this game!
'84 with Mark Malone tossing John Stallworth 1395 yards and 11TDs in Malone's 1st real year explain how those few years were wasted on Malone.. I could see how Mgmt. saw something promising.
I love the dunes Pittsburgh radio broadcast synced up to the NBC video. I have forgotten how unique Myron Cope made the broadcast. Pittsburgh had three wonderfully one of a kind sportscasters in Cope, Bob Prince and Mike Lange.
Lanny Fratarre and Jack Fleming also. Just distinctive voices that you remember. I used to take a walkman to Steeler games to listen to Fleming.. He was the reason I got into radio.
Donnie Shell #31 of the Pittsburgh Steelers Career Accomplishments Undrafted free agent in 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-87) 5x Pro Bowl selection 4x All-Pro selection 4x Super Bowl Champion His 51 interceptions were the most ever for a strong safety when he retired. 19 fumble recoveries Pro Football Hall of Fame selection Nicknamed "The Torpedo" due to his superior closing speed and eagerness to launch himself. Tony Dungy stated in his autobiography "Quiet Strength" that Shell was one of his closest friends on the team and a mentor on and off the field. While his stats match up with other great defensive backs in his or any era, numbers shouldn't define what made Shell unique. It was that fearlessness and effort that he played with on every snap. It was his peerless athleticism that enabled him to chase down the fastest of players. It was the leadership he displayed to his younger teammates, teaching them the Steeler Way of doing things.
if the jets never left shea stadium i honestly believe freeman mcneil would be in the hall of fame today that awful giants stadium turf banged him up for years
End of a great career. Clear issues that would take a few years to iron out (seniority dictating roster actions) and Bradshaw giving a little nod to fellow local phenom Archie re his 76 elbow situation (press guides were all go on Archie playing but surgery did not take that year). Y'all need to check Franco's conversion from power FB to scat back in '84 with SEA.❤
Wow… Myron calling a game in which his long time broadcast partner Tunch Iilkin was actually playing. Now they’re both gone, Tunch way too young. Feels bad, man.
Cliff Stoudt, David Woodley and Dieter Brock have to be the worst starting quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. Damn! The Steelers gave up on Dan Marino. 1983. How much experience and advice he could have gotten from Terry Bradshaw. R.I.P. Mike Webster.
I remember this game..I love Pittsburgh..I was 13 years old when I saw Terry Bradshrw last pass he threw in the N F L..sad day...For me and the fans..I went through hell for next 20 years watching Pittsburgh struggle..but it changed in mid 90 s..they got back to the Steelers way.. Bradshaw is the best ..I'll always love Bradshaw..4 rings baby..
@Snake Oiler You are kidding right? You want to talk about the History of the NFL.. and bad QB's none of those guys ... and I mean NONE of those you mentioned would even be on the top 100 of the worst. I'd like to talk about each of those you just mentioned. 1.Woodley WAS a good QB. He didn't have a lot of support from Coaches because he just wanted to go out and simply "play" without all the complexities of the game. He also ran into the misfortune of being on teams who was trying too hard to replace a known vet. Dolphins trying to replace the Griese era.. turned into the Marino era. Steelers trying to replace Bradshaw.. but could do no better than Brister, O'Donnell, Stewert....until finally getting Ben. He (David) did well enough with the Steelers.. but a combination of injuries and lack of chemistry with the team forced Noll's hand eventually. Malone had more pull with the Steelers' vets.. yet Woodley was brought in to compete with a chance to take control. He lost out to Malone due to the former reason. After football (which he loved with a passion) Woodley sank into a depression. Years later and drank himself to death and remains in an unmarked grave deep in a Lousianna swamp. 2. As far as Cliff Stoudt goes... Stoudt had good numbers but simply didn't have a huge amount of playing time to help build any kind of reputation. Going off to the USFL was his biggest crime. Otherwise, he was the better option at QB and did build that 9-2 record through 11 games with an aging Franco Harris. He did very well with what time he did have, considering the shadow he was in (Bradshaw's) and is severely underrated and unfairly judged. The comeback with the Cardinals he had years later after the USFL failed, wasn't so good so that rep hung over him. 3. Dieter Brock. Are you kidding? Bad? No way. This guy came into the NFL after 10 years in the CFL (setting some records... which were broken by Warren Moon who also came into the NFL from the CFL). The guy kicked butt and took a team he didn't have much time to prepare for to the Championship game ----- and then.. . never played again because the Rams drafted Jim Everitt. Here is the quote from the Wikipedia on this guy: "Brock led the team to a 7-0 start, a feat no other quarterback would accomplish in their first season with a team again until Alex Smith started 9-0 with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.[4] Brock led the team to a division title, the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs, and set team rookie records for passing yards (2,658), touchdown passes (16), and passer rating (81.8) (most of his rookie passing records have since been broken). Brock's final game was the 1985 NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears, where he only managed 66 yards passing and lost a fumble that Wilber Marshall returned for a touchdown to close out the scoring in a 24-0 game. In the 1986 preseason, Brock suffered an injury and was replaced by Jim Everett. This turned out to permanent as the team released Brock and he would never play another down in the NFL, instead choosing to move on to a coaching career. " Yeah... Brock did VERY Good. He had a sad ending in that final game ... but look who he was playing. '85 Bears were no joke and came full throttle on hm with Super Bowl drool pouring. NO ONE would have beaten the Bears on that day. Worst 3 in NFL History? Please rethink that.... It's sad Brock never got another chance to play for a team again. He could have been an earlier version of Kurt Warner had he done so. There are plenty of bad QB's in the NFL who sucked terribly. Curtis Painter, for example, on the Colts "Suck for Luck" season. Is a good example of a "bad QB". There are tons and tons of QB's who flowed into and out of the NFL who did absolutely zilcho to help their team. Remember Rob Johnson (who stole Flutie's job)? Guy sucked eggs. I can go on and and on and come up with a better list of terrible QB's. The three you chose weren't even close.. but it's my opinion I guess. I'm just a helpless donkey who has internet in his barn.
@@d0nKsTaH Damn good post! Reading it helps keep things in perspective in how a casual fan judges what a player did or didn't do for his particular team.
Cliff Stoudt could've been a Steve DeBerg/Ryan Fitzpatrick QB. Both Stoudt and Woodley were better than Richard Todd. Malone would've been better off convincing Tom Selleck that Magnum needs a brother.
The 3 loss streak they are referring to was very similar to how today's Steelers are. Remember when Cowher had that 3 or 4 game losing stream (year after the SB) late in the season that cost them a playoff spot? Then Tomlin has had a couple (or three) seasons just like it. In 1983.. it was a Viking loss, Seahawk loss... and that horrible 45-3 loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving. They were 9-2 before that... lost 3.. beat the Jets.. then lost to Cleveland 30-17 in the finale. They got obliterated by the eventual SB Champs the Raiders 38-10 after leading 3-0 in the divisionals (last time they'd play the Raiders in the postseason)
@@d0nKsTaH Steelers beat the Seahawks that year. This win over the Jets ended a 3 game losing streak and the losses were againt the Vikings, Lions, and Bengals.
@d0nKsTaH • Are you referring to Bill Cowher's 1998 season when the team started 7-4 and finished 7-9?...or Cowher's 1999 team who started 5-3 and then lost 7 of the team's final 8 games to finish 6-10? ...or Cowher's 2003 and 2006 teams where each started 2-6 and finished 6-10 and 8-8 Respectively
@@keithclark7266 Referring to that 3 game losing skid during Cowher's last season. If I remember correctly, it wasn't at the end of the year but early on. I believe they were like 2-3 or 2-4 maybe... Then they lost to Atlanta, Denver, and Oakland. I recall the OT game against the Falcons Then the loss to the Raiders featured that 90+ yard run by Terrell Pryor ...
Big time chief fan but I loved the Steelers back then because my chiefs sucked in the 80's. But by '88 Marty Schottenheimer and Carl Peterson came put KC back on the map then I had to let y'all go...
I know what you mean. Big time Viking fan, but I also loved the Steelers as a teen between 81 and 85 because the Vikings went into a rebuilding phase that saw the team hit what's still the all-time franchise low point with the 1984 season. True the Vikings did make the 82 playoffs and beat Atlanta, but I lost faith in them, especially in 1984, and rolled with Pittsburgh. It was the 1985 season when the Vikings upset the world champion 49ers in their opener and staged a monster late-season come back with QB Wade Wilson (RIP) over Philadelphia, that brought me home to the Purple to stay, from 86 to today. Yeah, the Vikings have given me plenty of heartache since then starting with the 1987 NFC championship loss to the Skins, but I never again wavered in supporting them and hope that as KC rewarded its fans, the Vikings will do so for theirs before we pass on. This game was one of my three favorite Steeler ones of that era since it was Bradshaw's last ride and he got the job done even though the Raiders destroyed them in the 1983 playoffs. The other two games were the revenge game at the end of the 84 regular season, where Pittsburgh beat the Raiders in LA to win the division crown over Cincy and the divisional round playoff upset against the Broncos in the 84 playoffs. I long since returned to Vikings fandom when the Steelers won Super Bowls again but I always respected the franchise and its fans and always wished them well. Thanks for providing a little refuge for a disillusioned Vikings fan until I found my way home. SKOL
Only if the Steelers didn't struggle down the stretch..esp that Thanksgiving Day game.. perhaps they get into the playoffs without him and he comes back for 1984..A full year of recovery.. Oh well...
@GB-fv4fb • Stoudt that year basically had no one to throw to....Stallworth and Greg Hawthorne each missed 10 games....Smith, Bell, Swann were gone....Stoudt had 3 rookies and a seldom used Sweeney. Steelers were banged up playing Detroit on Thanksgiving Day
