Steelers Franco Harris, Tee-Shirts and the Immaculate Reception

December 23, 1972 in Three Rivers Stadium, a day and a play that will always be remembered by numerous football fans and mostly Steeler fans--The Immaculate Reception. On the 40th anniversary of what many Pittsburgh fans consider "the greatest play of all time" commemorative tee-shirts are available celebrating this catch by Franco Harris--one he doesn't even remember:

“I don’t remember anything except leaving the back field and running down the sidelines, in between all that, I don’t remember a thing,”

The game pitted the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Oakland Raiders in an American Football Conference Divisional playoff game. Bradshaw threw the ball 20 yards down-field to Fuqua. The ball and Raiders' defensive back Jack Tatum hit Fuqua at the same time. Fuqua fell to the ground, and the ball flew in the air backwards about 15 yards. Coming out of nowhere, Franco Harris caught the ball just off his shoestrings and raced down the field on his way to the end zone. It was an incredible 42-yard run that completed a 60-yard scoring play.

This was a turning point for the Steelers who after 4 decades had won their first play-off game and would win four Super Bowls by the end of the decade--truly a turning point!

A.J. Hunley--Senior Writer, AFC North
A.J. is Senior Writer and Editor for both the AFC North Report and the Cleveland Browns Report. He has been writing articles for several years, many of which have been featured on numerous high-profile websites. A.J. can be followed on Twitter, and you can join him on his Facebook Fan Page-- Cleveland Browns Report