Celebrating 40 Years Since The Immaculate Reception

Very true. On The Catch, I think Freddie Solomon fell and Montana launched it at Clark. Sam Wyche says he and Clark would always practice a certain route over and over again the week before a game. For whatever reason, they chose that route that week.

And JD, I am stealing that idea for a book...it is pretty cool.

 

There's no disputing the point you both make, but I think the Immaculate Reception came to have such great significance because of what occurred over the next few years after that.

If memory serves, that Immaculate Reception game was the first time the Steelers had been in the playoffs in about a decade. In the franchise's first 40 years from 1933-73, I think they only had 11 or 12 seasons of .500 or better.

The franchise was a laughingstock, and then came the 1970s teams. And those four Super Bowl wins happened right at the same time the steel industry -- the backbone of the region's economy -- was dying. So Pittsburghers latched onto the Steelers because their success gave everyone a distraction to rally around while so many other things in western Pennsylvania were going wrong. The passion that Steelers fans have -- that understandably annoys so many people -- was forged at that crossroads of events ... and the Immaculate Reception is thought of as the symbolic beginning of all of that. That's why it's such a monumental thing for Steelers fans.

 

Of course, under today's rules, there'd have been no controversy

 

And as I alluded to earlier, Tatum would have been flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit. At worst, the Steelers would have gotten 15 yards and another play.

 

I grew up in Pittsburgh so I know all about it. But the Steelers won those championships because they had an outstanding coach and a ton of Hall of Famers on the roster, not due to some fluky play that earned them the right to lose the next week.

 

I had one of those quickly-made Flutie books when I was a kid. I seem to recall it was Steve Strachan, the fullback, who was supposed to stay in and block, not Phelan. Phelan was a wide receiver. Strachan said he was supposed to pick up any linemen, but figured the team needed as many receivers down there at the goal line, so he went down there.

Which may also have led to Flutie scrambling around a little. If Strachan stays in to block, who knows?

 

Yes. That's it. I remembered it wrong. Fascinating stuff. Thanks for straightening out my crooked line, or crookeding (?) out my straight line.

Oh, and it seems like there was more, like perhaps Strachan affected the crush of bodies at the goal line that, in domino fashion, worked against the defensive effort on the play. I'm going to have to watch that play again and refresh my memory. Cobwebs, you know.

 

The pic I took there recently was much worse than this. If I could figure out how to get a pic from my non-so-smart phone to SJ I'd prove it.

 

Can you email it to yourself?

 

That's Milton Steele, a high school friend of mine, and me, sitting in the first row as Franco is running toward us. We took a PAT bus to the game, armed with a couple of 99-cent subs from the G.C. Murphy store next to the bus stop. With all the players in the middle of the field as the play is unfolding, we basically have no idea what's happening until Franco is at about the 20-yard line. As best as I can remember, there were no in-stadium replays, just a lot of standing around until a decision was made. Wish I'd kept that ticket stub.

 

its locked away with the grassy knoll footage and Hillary Clinton's wardrobe malfunction at the 2nd inaugural ball

 

A friend of mine was a reserve offensive lineman for the Raiders who played in that game. He said officials did look at a replay but decided to rule TD for fear of their own safety.