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The following week, the Steelers lost to the undefeated Miami Dolphins in the American Football Conference championship game in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh radio play-by-play broadcaster Jack Fleming's call of the play became famous: "Bradshaw's running out of the pocket, looking for somebody to throw to, fires downfield, and there's a collision! And it's caught out of the air! The ball is pulled in by Franco Harris! Harris is going for a touchdown for Pittsburgh!″ The play remains controversial-if the ball had hit Fuqua last, the touchdown would have been declared an incomplete pass according to NFL rules at the time. The miraculous score touched off a wild celebration by Steelers fans. After a review, officials kept the original touchdown call.
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Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum crashed into Fuqua, apparently hitting the football, which ricocheted toward Harris, who caught it inches off the turf and ran down the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown. On 4th-and-10 from his 40-yard line with 22 seconds left and no timeouts, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, under pressure, threw a pass toward Frenchy Fuqua at Oakland's 35-yard line. But with less than two minutes left, Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler scored on a 30-yard scramble. In 1972, the Steelers put together a rare winner, finishing the regular season with an 11-3 won-loss record and winning the AFC Central division to set up the playoff showdown with the Raiders in Pittsburgh.Īfter a scoreless first half, the Steelers built a 6-0 lead on field goals by Roy Gerela. Final: Steelers 26, Browns 14 11:35 p.m.: INTERCEPTION STEELERS. On December 23, 1972, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders, 13-7, on rookie running back Franco Harris' "Immaculate Reception" touchdown in the waning seconds of a playoff game-one of the greatest plays in NFL history.īetween 19, the Steelers were lovable losers, playing in only one postseason game-a 21-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1947 Eastern Division playoffs.
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