The rivalry began December 23, 1972, in the AFC divisional playoff game at Three Rivers Stadium. What happened that day is NFL lore.
The Oakland Raiders joined the American Football League in 1960 and sputtered. The team notched only three winning seasons in its first seven years. That direction changed in 1967 when the Raiders went 14-1 before losing to the Packers in Superbowl II.
Daryle Lamonica (3) was the starting QB for the 1972 Oakland Raiders (photo by Tony Tomsic/Getty Images)
Oakland continued winning over the next three seasons, but each time the team finished one game short of reaching the Super Bowl. Things got worse in 1971 when the team failed to reach the playoffs, but 1972 was a turnaround year. 10-3-1 Oakland was back in the playoffs. They’d play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Those Steelers weren’t much of a story until 1972. The longtime NFL member (from 1933) was a mediocre (at best) franchise. From 1933-1971, Pittsburgh reached the playoffs only once–in 1947.
Fortunes began to change in 1969 when the Steelers hired Chuck Noll as head coach. Noll built a foundation for winning, but it took time. In his first three seasons at the helm, Noll only went 12-30.
Steelers’ fans had hope, though, mainly because of the players Noll was bringing to Pittsburgh. Among them were D-linemen Joe Greene and LC Greenwood, along with O-lineman Jon Kolb–all of whom were drafted in 1969. 1970 brought cornerback Mel Blount and quarterback Terry Bradshaw. In 1971, D-lineman Dwight White and linebacker Jack Ham joined the team. In 1972, running back Franco Harris became a Steeler.
Fans thought it would only be a matter of time before the Steelers’ draft picks would pay off. They were right. The payoff came in 1972 when Pittsburgh finished the season 11-3 and made the playoffs. The Raiders awaited.
It was a hard-hitting defensive battle, too. The Steelers led 3-0 after three-quarters. In the 4th, Pittsburgh added another field goal to take a 6-0 lead.
Raiders’ coach John Madden knew he had to do something to shake up his moribund offense. The solution was to bring in QB Ken Stabler and sit starter Daryle Lamonica. Madden’s strategy worked. Stabler ran 30 yards for a touchdown with just minutes remaining. With a successful PAT, the Raiders led, 7-6.
The Steelers got the ball with just over a minute to play. On fourth down–and with only 22 seconds remaining in the game–Terry Bradshaw had perhaps one last chance. He dropped back to pass and was immediately under heavy pressure by the Raiders’ pass rush. Bradshaw ran to his right and threw the ball over the middle to running back John Fuqua.
What happened next will forever be a matter of dispute.
The ball may have bounced off Fuqua’s hands or perhaps it got batted away by safety Jack Tatum. Either way, it looked like an incomplete pass. But just as the ball was about to hit the ground, running back Franco Harris scooped it up and ran. He ran, and he ran. TD Steelers!
But wait! The referees hadn’t signaled a touchdown. Had the ball hit the ground before Harris scooped it up? If so, it was an incomplete pass. Had the ball bounced off Fuqua? If so, the rule at the time was that a ball could not be touched by two players on the same team–unless a player on the opposing team had also touched the ball.
After a long delay, which included a phone call to the league office, the referee finally signaled touchdown.
It was called, “The Immaculate Reception.” Steelers won. A rivalry was born.
