AFC Divisional Playoff - "The Immaculate Reception"
AFC Divisional Playoff - "The Immaculate Reception"
1972 - Raiders vs. Steelers

AFC Divisional Playoff - "The Immaculate Reception"

"The Steelers are part of the lifeblood in Pittsburgh." - Billy Gardell

Fans of football history are well familiar with “The Immaculate Reception,” the decisive play in the 1972 AFC Divisional playoff game between the Raiders and Steelers and maybe the most famous NFL moment of all-time. But for nearly 60 minutes proceeding it, the two teams had been engaged in a defensive battle at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on December 23, 1972. After a scoreless first half, the Steelers’ Roy Gerela kicked a field goal in both the third and fourth quarters to put Pittsburgh up 6-0. But Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler responded with a 30-yard touchdown run that pulled Oakland ahead, 7-6. The Steelers, aiming for their first-ever playoff win, had one final chance. But that appeared to evaporate when, with 22 seconds left and facing 4th-and-10, Terry Bradshaw escaped a pass rush and threw a pass that was broken up. But Steelers running back Franco Harris, in perfect position and stride, made a shoestring catch off the deflection and ran into the end zone for a 60-yard TD and an incredible Pittsburgh victory. The Steelers lost their next game, but over a 6-season span in the 1970s, they captured four Super Bowl titles.