A Football Life - The Immaculate Reception

We know about the tuck rule and how they screwed the Raiders in 2001. We know about the folded piece of paper thing in 2017. How many of you have heard of the Immaculate Reception? In the thirteenth and final episode of season 2 of A Football Life this amazing catch was profiled.

One of the funnest parts about being Raider Nation is learning about the history of the team. I grew up with the Raiders but only out of the corner of my eye. While I rooted for them and had some swag I never really got into it until a few years ago. I love learning about the Raiders v Steelers rivalry that was going on in the 1970s.

In the Pittsburgh Airport there are two statues: one of George Washington; the other of Franco Harris, a Steelers' first round draft pick in 1972.

The game? AFC divisional playoff, Dec. 23, 1972. It happened so fast and so long ago that it's hard to tell what really happened. It took the refs 15 minutes to make their call. It was a tight game. The Raiders were winning in Pittsburgh 7-6. Then the play happened. The throw was to Fuqua who was violently knocked off the ball by the Raiders' Tatum. It bounced off Fuqua going back towards the Steelers line really quickly. The next thing you know Harris catches it and runs it in for a game winning touchdown.

There's a couple things wrong here. To this day we don't know who the ref was talking to on the phone. If it was to commissioner Pete Rozelle of course he was going to rule against Al Davis. Secondly, the rule book stated the first receiver to touch the ball was the only receiver eligible, iow, no bouncies. So if it did hit Fuqua first, Harris' catch would not be a completion. Third, there is no clear image showing Harris didn't catch that ball off the ground. When Harris is asked whether the ball hit the ground he claims he doesn't know.

Now, there are times in sports where there are rules of play and then rules of reviewing plays afterwards that might not seem fair. An example, when the NHL reviews a goal, they have to have a clear view of the whole puck past the goal line, they must be able to see the white of the ice between the puck and the line. Well, a hockey goal can be a chaotic place so it is very possible that goals are ruled non goals just because the review didn't show proof. IOW, the puck was across the line but a suitable image of the event simply wasn't captured.

So, what ended up happening was a sad day for sports. You know, Fuqua, or Frenchie as he was known, said out loud that the ball hit him. He said it several times to several people after the game. The limitations of the tools at hand and lack of strong evidence when the decision had to be made gave the game to the Steelers that day. Its significance can't be downplayed because their success as a team changed that day. It was their first playoff win in history. They went on to win 4 Superbowls in 6 years later that decade. On the flip side it motivated the raiders as well. They had the most wins over the following 10 years and snuck in a Superbowl in 1977.

Add to the three discrepancies above there is the question of an illegal block, or clip, that prevented the Raiders from tackling Harris.

What's the conclusion from all this? Luckily I wasn't born yet so it doesn't piss me off too much. But there is a right way to win a game and a wrong way to win a game. This was the wrong way. Something similar happened to me in high school soccer. The ball bounced off the cross bar and a foot race started between me and the guy guarding me. At full speed, from mid air, I fire balled that puppy into the bottom right corner from outside the box. The goalie had no chance, it was a wicked goal, we were celebrating. Only to have the goal cancelled because the ref said the ball did not bounce off the soccer cross bar but rather the field goal cross bar behind it, which means it was out. What?! That happened to me, people. To us, rather.

Part of what sports teaches us is how to deal with unfair situations. At this stage of professional sports most of these teams are pretty even on any given day. And a ball can bounce this way or that way. Sometimes your way, sometimes their way. You know going in that if the lucky bounce is for you, be grateful. If it is against you, use it for motivation. There was a time when the ref had final say without any video review at all. As kids we had to figure it out on our own in the pick up games. Best not to dwell. Life is about looking through the windshield, not the rear view mirror. Time to get on with it and punch Roethlisberger right in the face this December.

Incoming.

Collision.

Outgoing.