The Conspiracies Behind The Immaculate Reception | A Football Life 

RIP Franco, from Raider Nation.

One thing people seem to wrongly assume is that this was the AFC Championship, and the winner (Pittsburgh) won the Super Bowl. But it wasn't. This was a divisional game, and Pittsburgh went on next week to face the unbeaten Dolphins, and lost. Even being a Raider fan, I don't think the Raiders could have beaten Miami either. But what makes this game, this play, so great, is that it started a rivalry that lasted years. Two working class cities, two tough teams. Legendary. Terry Bradshaw once stated people think they had a rivalry with the Cowboys, because they played in the Super Bowl. But in the 4 times the Steelers and Cowboys met in this era, the Steelers won all four times. The Raiders were the true rival to Pittsburgh then.

There's an overhead camera view of the play and to me that angle sealed it for me. It was a catch. It never bounced off of fuqua. It didnt hit the ground

If anyone wants to claim the ball hit the ground, the tip of the ball visible was at Francis knee or just below, that would mean the football is roughly 24 inches long

There ARE more angles of Franco’s catch than the NFL Films one. There’s a clear as day coaches’ booth video of it, and you can zoom in and slow it down and see that not only did it not touch the ground, but it was higher off the ground than you would ever have expected

This one play cemented one of the best rivalries in sports history. I'm grateful it happened if for only that reason.

This game was the butterfly effect. What happened here forever changed the NFL and the 2 teams years later

If the raider's defense didn't give up on the play they might have gotten a better angle on franco as he ran towards the sideline. They literally stood there and did not move as the ball is coming down into franco's hands. Never stop playing until the ball is completely dead.

Great catch by a great man. RIP Franco, from a Steelers fan in Rhode Island

I was 8 years old. I was watching and heard my dad scream....."He caught that ball, he caught that ball, run Franco run!!!!!!"

I’m from Mt. Holly NJ, where I still live this day. Franco Harris went to school here at Rancocas Valley High School and lived in the house next to the high school. God Bless Franco Harris.

They didn't go into detail on the Fuqua theory. Back then in the NFL, it was a rule that if a pass touched or glanced off a receiver's hands, another offensive person could not catch the ball. It had to be touched by a defensive player first. Looking at the film, it looks as if it is simultaneous touching of the ball therefore a legal catch by Harris.

I love it that this haunts these Raiders 50 years on, the gift that keeps on giving!!

Great video, have always known there’s more to life than meets the eye, I feel like in this life i am supposed to be doing more than i am doing for the people i love. been seeking for an eye opening enlightenment, a way to be more influential, powerful and protected~

Jack Tatum had a excellent chance at an interception or surely batting it away if he hadn't been so focused on decapitating Fuqua, but that was Tatum's style of football. I'm glad he was more brawn than brains. It lit the fuse for a great football dynasty. As a teenager growing up in Pittsburgh in the late 70s it was an amazing time.

A bird's eye angle of this exact play can be found on RU-vid which was FINALLY released to the public a year or two ago for the first time (obviously Raiders were hanging on to that one for as long as possible lol) - Franco undoubtedly catches the football perfectly in stride above his ankles. It without question never hit the ground. As for who it hit - between Tatum or Fuqua, it really seems like it hit them both at the same time which nullifies any ruling on another offensive player touching it first and it does look like Tatum gets the most of the ball itself. You have to love the intrigue, but if there was a year to put it to rest and appreciate the significance of not only how lucky, but how head's up of a play it was - it's this year with Franco's passing. It's almost morbid to say because we love the guy, but he couldn't have picked a better time to bow out gracefully - they'll be honoring his jersey retirement this weekend as well as the 50th Ann of this play itself. Go Franco and Go Steelers!

Rip you will be missed ❤❤❤❤

The thing that nobody mentions when talking about the Immaculate Reception is that Jimmy Warren, #20 for the Raiders, was celebrating when the pass was deflected off of Jack Tatum. If he didn't do that, then chances are he would've made the tackle around the five, maybe even earlier. But who knows, what happened happened, and here we are today. RIP to Franco Harris, a true Pittsburgh icon. Edit: ball was deflected off of Tatum, not Fiqua.

Tatum definitely hits it. The aerial footage shows it as a catch. RIP #32

50 years ago today December 23, 1972, ....I was decorating our fake christmas tree and watching on the then HUGE 25" Quasar TV we had as Curt Gowdy lost track of the ball momentarily and then ....the raiders were defeated. I'm sorry franco passed this week. And Ray Guy earlier this year. It was a great era.

Literally putting this video on .25 shows it bounced off Tatum, I’m a Raiders fan but we just couldn’t stop that

The Immaculate reception happened before my time, but know this: I would have been so ecstatic to see this play live. RIP Franco Harris. Your legacy will live on.

Thanks alot again Franco! RIP 🙏!

Nothing but respect to the Steelers. But, this was a stake into a young boy's heart who loved the Raiders for Blanda and many others. Yes, I am one of those Raider fans who literally could not believe it. RIP, Franco!

Gotta love this documentary. 👏

Stop the film between 2:04 and 2:05. The ball is clearly passed Fuqua and hits off the defenders chest/facemask. Now on to the "trapping of the ball. At it's lowest point (between 3:43 and 3:44) the top tip of the ball is at Franco's knee. Franco is 6'2" tall (I'm 6'2" tall) and from the knee cap to the ground is roughly 22" to 24" in length. An NFL football is 11" to 11.25" long. Do the math. There is no way the tip hit the ground causing a "trapping" of the ball. Even when his leg is at a slight (70°) angle. And then there is the "clip block". Play the film at .25 speed. McMakin's head hits off of the front of Villapiano's bicep as well as McMakin's left are hit's off of Villapiano's right thigh causing an effect of McMakin's body to spin in a clockwise motion. It's all there.

I was 10 years old watching this live and remember it like yesterday. What people don't talk about was the game before that play happened. The whole game was close. The Raiders just scored on a RARE Ken Stabler TD run to put the Raiders up 7 to 6 with under a min to play. The Raiders D force a 4th and play. Yes the Immaculate Reception was a 4th down play and the rest is history.

I hate the Steelers, but I don't see how anyone can think differently. It's clear as day that it hit the Raider player first, and Franco obviously caught it. Look at the close up and the way the ball is falling, he wouldn't have caught it cleanly if the tip would have touched the ground. It's easy to see

I’m a raiders fan and it was a clean but bad luck play.

I've always thought The Immaculate Reception was a legit play. But now that Hayden agrees with me... I'm doubting myself.

Gerber 325... more Infamous than Zapruder 313.

NFL record 354 rushing in SB's .. dies 354 day of year

2:53 That's as straight and honest an answer as you'll ever hear. He said he doesn't know.

That one still hurts. I'm starting to think it always will...

There might be conspiracies around the immaculate reception, but none around the Aiyuk-Kidding Me💯💍

Doesn’t appear a clip as helmet just visible (block was behind the runner as well). Both the PBP Announcer and Franco reacted without hesitation that the ball was live. The year before I made a tipped catch, my only catch of consequence my senior high school season. The 4th down ball was batted by a Defensive Back, and it seemed like as I was set to head for the sidelines about 5 seconds later I see the ball spinning from Heaven downward. I stretched out and caught it and the official called reception. The game was radio broadcast and the WSB announcer dropped his microphone behind the table and had to fish it out. Point being it was surreal slow motion I didn’t know where the ball came from or how I caught it.

This is a cool video! Anymore like this from NFL Films?

Hit off defender, clean catch, good block. Play Stands "The Immaculate Reception" RIP Franco

I love listening to Phil talk but no way he's catching franco who was already in full stride. The remaining db's at the end of the run didn't catch hin in time and neither was phil

We could argue this till the end of time but the play still stands as called.

The Next 17 has a new wave with some excellent retro versions of several cantina denizens. Saving up my allowance for those…

I watched this game. It was crazy

The play was made so history was made!

Bradshaw has the most accurate and informative. ....The Ricochet is the result of the of hitting a broad section of Jack Tatums body. No angle of Frenchy's hands or forearms could cause a Ricochet.

LEGEND ✨

The all-22 was recently released, and it clearly shows that Harris catches the ball about shin-high. The only element of the play that is even somewhat controversial is whether Villapiano was clipped. I don't think he was, it looks like a block from the side, but it's close.

I agree with the riot theory. Pittsburgh fans at Three Rivers Stadium were savage! They were the extra man not on the field. Rival teams hated playing at Three Rivers. Also the game was very important. For 40 years the Steelers never won a post season game. This was the first. To take that away would have been awful. Winning this game gave new hope to the Steelers and they ended up ruling the 1970s .If the touchdown was reversed, Franco's Itialian Army would have murdered those officals. Frank Sinatra himself would've had them killed. (He was a member of the Itialian Army.) Franco Harris was the savior of the Steelers. RIP

RIP Franco.

A sports writer said of this play, “ 50,000 Steelers fans witnessed this play, but nobody saw it.”

1:01, at least he's honest!

Even as a Cowboys fan, the call stands. Touchdown!!

I never understood why people think the ball hit the ground. Yeah, you can't see the bottom half of the ball, but you don't need to. Franco caught the ball at knee level. I don't know how long Franco's shins are, but I do know they're longer than half a football.

To Shawn McClurg, I agree. Never noticed that. Had he stayed alert he would have at least pushed Franco out of bounds. So many freak things happened on this play. Once in a lifetime.

Raider fan, but I never gelt outraged over the play. Just a fluke, but nothing underhanded, and although I don't know where the championship game would have been played, the Dolphins almost surely would have won. Now, the championship game in 1974 . . . sorry, my tears still haven't dried. Hated the Steelers, but I sure appreciate them now. Wish you were still with us, Franco.

RIP Franco Harris #32 2:50

wow they really roasted John mcmakin for his OBVIOUS clip and the best part is that have that dunce explain it saying “my helmet is clearly visible” but you can’t see it at all as it’s going into Villapiano

Heck of catch Franco Harris and finally saw a definite video him catching the ball before it hit the ground. But sorry that was a clip form the back and the head and shoulders appearance was due to the camera angle.

Franco scooped it out of the air and was galloping like a horse he still galloping in heaven God bless his soul

Is there a reason the original NBC footage and replay can’t be used?

Frenchie's head went back and to the left. Back and to the left.

Magnificent Obstruction 😭😭😭😭

Regardless, all of these guys are legitimate bad ass football players… The old-school type… The type that don’t exist anymore…

R.I.P Franco

RIP Franco

I just want to see video that shows the entire football when he caught it. That's my only beef with this play. Other than that, rest in peace, Franco. You were a great player and man.

Art was a savage.

Weird fact: Stabler's 30 yard yard scramble a few plays before, that gave the Raiders the lead (7-6) was the longest run of his career (by 12 yards) and if it would have counted towards his overall rushing yards (it was a playoff game, so it did not,) it would have accounted for about a quarter of all his rushing yards in the NFL.

Who needs an investigator when we all have eyes? Lol

Miami was an up and coming dynasty, although a brief one. The following week they would beat Pittsburgh. The following year they hammered the Raiders in the AFC Championship on way to theri 3rd straight SB, 2nd c/s title. The merged league was young here, only a few years in. Miami owned the AFC from 1971-1974, Pittsburgh took over and ruled from 1975-1980. Oakland won the most games in the 70s. What an era.

And don’t forget about Bigfoot being on the 48 yard line. (On the Steelers side, not Raiders. That would be silly).

I watched this over and over on .25 speed, and I still can't tell! I paused it. I don't know.

It is the greatest play in the history of the NFL

Love they way Frenchy answers this question.

Whether Fuqua touched the ball or not, I think we can all agree its a stupid rule and happy it no longer exists

As long as Tatum hits the ball, it doesn't matter if the ball touches Fuqua.

I just saw an angle of that play on a RU-vid short…..the ball never came close to touching the ground

I'm a 70's Raiders fan. I still appreciate them, but their mystique is pretty diminished at this point. As for the conspiracies: The ricochet is obviously off of (mostly) Tatum, otherwise, it doesn't sail ten yards away. That isn't to say that Frenchy didn't touch it but Tatum definitely hit it, which is all that matters. A semi-aerial view shows Franco clearly catching it just below the knees. That's obviously a catch. While Phil DID get hit in the back, the rule is that if your head "stays in front," it's a clean block. In other words, if you can see his head, it's not a clip. You can see his head. It's a clean block. Does Phil make the play without the hit? Possibly. Phil Villapiano was actually a fairly fast dude and a sure tackler, but he got blocked and that was that. That was a touchdown. 100% and it's not even questionable. That said, screw the Tuck Rule. I understand that it was called "correctly," but that was the dumbest rule since offensive players bouncing balls to other offensive players. Neither exist anymore.

If someone hit Frenchie into the ball that's pass interference anyway so...

The tip of the ball is about at Franco's knee when he catches it - so the ball would have to be 3 times as long as a normal football to be touching the the ground.

R.I.P Franco Harris!😔

RIP Franco you left us too early ...

(4:47) "you never actually see a touchdown sign". That's incorrect. The side judge #63 on the left trailing the play, signals touchdown. This is clearly visible from the camera angle behind the play.

If there was replay at the time, they'd probably still be reviewing it.

8:04 This frame should settle in anyone's mind whether or not the play that was called (touchdown) was correct or not. As per the rule at the time, Tatum merely needed to touch the ball (either before or after it contacted Fuqua) for it to still be a live ball for Franco Harris to catch. There is no way the ball, as shown in the frame at 8:04, did not contact Tatum, given the velocity of the ricochet back to Harris. If the ball hit nothing but Fuqua's hand(s), it either drops straight down to the ground or is deflected up. Tatum was coming fast from the left. The ball changed direction 180 degrees and exited the point of contact between Tatum & Fuqua at nearly the same velocity with which it arrived. The only thing that can account for that is Tatum redirecting the ball. As the frame above clearly shows, the ball did not hit Fuqua's shoulder pads or helmet. All that leaves is Tatum to account for the ricochet.

Definitely a clip.

It's like today's game and replays....would there have been enough clear evidence to overturn the play??? Although close, I'd say probably not.

The ball hit Tatum. The dead giveaway was that he had the greatest effect on the ball's reaction after the collision. The energy of the ball was traveling downfield. Fuqua'a energy was going cross field and Tatum's energy was going directly toward the ball. The energy it would take for a ball to stop its course abruptly and careen directly back in the direction from which it came would take a lot of force. The film proved it didn't hit Fuqua in the helmet or the back. If it had hit Fuqua in the hands the ball wouldn't have bounced back 10-15 yards backward, it would have fallen to the ground right there. Case closed. As far as the Franco catch...you can see the moment he grabbed the ball and had possession, the top (tip) of the ball was level with his knee. The distance of Franco's leg from his knee to the ground is a lot longer than the length of the football even with the leg being bent. Come on Raiders....a blind man and a three-year-old can see and figure this one out!!!!

I just watched the play on slow mo several times from different footage and was convinced Tatum hit the ball until I watch this 1:10

Why does it matter which player the ball hit first? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen end-of-game Hail Mary’s, where the ball is touched by more than one player before being finally caught for a touchdown.

Why in the world did it take so long for the Steelers to retire Franco's jersey?

nice to see these guys aged well

What is is. 50 years later, it stands. Touchdown Steelers !!!

The top of the ball is about even with his knee when he catches it. His leg is probably 30 inches long and the ballnis about 16 inches long

Just let it go. Even if there was instant replay back then for the officials, with today's HD technology, the play probably would still have stood. Of course, John Madden couldn't let this go until the day he died.

With Fuqua saying, "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't." about touching the ball, and Franco saying he didn't know if the ball touched the ground says everything to me. They both should have given definite yes or no answers and not be wishy washy. But that doesn't say this is a conspiracy. It just says Fuqua and Harris were smart enough to let things play out with the refs because they didn't have a clue what happened. It was this play and the 'no catch' play with Renfro and the Oilers that helped usher in the replay rules because it was apparent that the refs can't see everything that happens in real time. Bradshaw can't say anything because he was on his back when the play occurred. The people in the stands saw it better than him.

Rip Franco

The NFL didn't like The Raiders because of their reputation. Tom Brady fumbled the ball.

Nota fan of either team that was a clear catch

True you can’t see the ground, but you can see his legs, chest, all that and it doesn’t look like it came close (within 5 inches) to the ground

Here's a fun fact back in the 1970's there was no Red Challenge Flags in those times