The Conspiracies Behind The Immaculate Reception | A Football Life
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One thing people seem to wrongly assume is that this was the AFC Championship, and the winner (Pittsburgh) won the Super Bowl. But it wasn't. This was a divisional game, and Pittsburgh went on next week to face the unbeaten Dolphins, and lost. Even being a Raider fan, I don't think the Raiders could have beaten Miami either.
But what makes this game, this play, so great, is that it started a rivalry that lasted years. Two working class cities, two tough teams. Legendary. Terry Bradshaw once stated people think they had a rivalry with the Cowboys, because they played in the Super Bowl. But in the 4 times the Steelers and Cowboys met in this era, the Steelers won all four times. The Raiders were the true rival to Pittsburgh then.
The Steelers had Miami Beat until the fake punt
RIP Franco, from Raider Nation.
Respect brother 💪🏿
Well said
Respect to Raider Nation.
Very gracious of you given that Franco rushed for a combined 190 yards and 3 touchdowns against The Mighty 70's Raiders in 74/75 AFC Championship games. Franco loved playing against the Mighty 70's Raiders.
On his deathbed he reached over to the Dr. and whispered "I trapped it" then passed. I thought he caught it but it seems no.
There's an overhead camera view of the play and to me that angle sealed it for me. It was a catch. It never bounced off of fuqua. It didnt hit the ground
I would like to see this overhead camera view. Got a link?
@@dougrigel1997 I guess it's this: ua-cam.com/video/W1grVgWug20/v-deo.html
Exactly! What is Bradshaw doing?
@@dougrigel1997 ua-cam.com/video/dHIXFKrrUhA/v-deo.html&ab_channel=SavageBrickArchive
@@dougrigel1997ua-cam.com/video/MjMsa5Yo6qQ/v-deo.htmlsi=B2-to5O8a4cCtzsy
The thing that nobody mentions when talking about the Immaculate Reception is that Jimmy Warren, #20 for the Raiders, was celebrating when the pass was deflected off of Jack Tatum. If he didn't do that, then chances are he would've made the tackle around the five, maybe even earlier. But who knows, what happened happened, and here we are today. RIP to Franco Harris, a true Pittsburgh icon.
Edit: ball was deflected off of Tatum, not Fiqua.
100% true. But they were only down by 1 with 5 seconds left. So they likely would've still won with a field goal
@@john-ic9vj I agree, but the Steelers kicker shanked the extra point after Franco’s touchdown. If you move the ball back ten or twenty yards, I don’t think he would make it. Again, this is just speculation, since Roy Gerala ended up a 2x Pro Bowler anyways.
Tatum nailed the ball. If he hadn't stopped, the chances are both he and Warren would have stopped Franco.
He is dead and took that lie to hell with him
Correct. Also Tatum s/have gone for knocking down the ball, rather than a vicious hit on Fuqua. What's the purpose of doing that on the last play? Doing so early in the game creates a mindset in the receiver of intimidation. He's looking for you the rest of the game and may drop a few easy catches. But on the LAST play? No reason, just knock the ball down.
This game was the butterfly effect. What happened here forever changed the NFL and the 2 teams years later
Nah. It didn't really matter either way as the Dolphins won the Super Bowl for the next two years in a row...
It started a Dynasty that would dominate the rest of the decade.
There ARE more angles of Franco’s catch than the NFL Films one. There’s a clear as day coaches’ booth video of it, and you can zoom in and slow it down and see that not only did it not touch the ground, but it was higher off the ground than you would ever have expected
and i don't think if they had the replay rule back then that they would've over turned it it just wasn't clear and obvious but it did look like tatum touched it rip franco my all time favorite football player.
You can use basic math too:
Average length for a human tibia: 15in
Length of a pro football: 11in
When he caught the ball the top point furthest from the ground was near or slightly above his knee. Accounting the thickness of his foot with cleats and you would still have 6-7 inches left from the ground. That ball was caught.
@3knw Correct.....but there's no way a raiders fan can keep up with basic math.
@@danielcorreard3746 You would hope, but these modern day NFL officials are very moody!!! LOL
@@MrBeyondbelief They would have to check with the "gaming industry" to see if it was a catch.
If anyone wants to claim the ball hit the ground, the tip of the ball visible was at Francis knee or just below, that would mean the football is roughly 24 inches long
Also Franco being unable to say if he trapped it proves nothing. There's many times in a game (football, baseball etc) where the person involved might NOT have the best vantage point, biases aside.
If the raider's defense didn't give up on the play they might have gotten a better angle on franco as he ran towards the sideline. They literally stood there and did not move as the ball is coming down into franco's hands. Never stop playing until the ball is completely dead.
I still think that was a clip and I don't care about either team
This one play cemented one of the best rivalries in sports history. I'm grateful it happened if for only that reason.
I’m from Mt. Holly NJ, where I still live this day. Franco Harris went to school here at Rancocas Valley High School and lived in the house next to the high school. God Bless Franco Harris.
Phil Villapiano of the Raiders was also from NJ. He grew up in Ocean Township near Asbury Park.
I grew up in Willingboro. About ten years younger than Franco. Always hated the Steelers though.
@@jrb2280 Villapiano, is so cool, he will talk and sign not a problem,
I was 8 years old. I was watching and heard my dad scream....."He caught that ball, he caught that ball, run Franco run!!!!!!"
damn unc
Jack Tatum had a excellent chance at an interception or surely batting it away if he hadn't been so focused on decapitating Fuqua, but that was Tatum's style of football. I'm glad he was more brawn than brains. It lit the fuse for a great football dynasty. As a teenager growing up in Pittsburgh in the late 70s it was an amazing time.
Every member of the Raiders secondary is equally culpable, they all just stood and idly watched thinking the play was over.
Great point, Tatum had the ball in his hands for a second but was more concerned about a violent & debilitating hit, than making a smart play.
I totally agree.
Yep, look at what he did to Darryl Stingley of the Patriots later that decade in an EXHIBITION GAME!!!
I used to think that, but after seeing angle from behind Bradshaw it appears that he’s going for the interception and it bounces off his chest. The collision is more incidental contact that likely causes him to miss ball. He does appear to give a “soupbone” shove after missing ball, but that’s relatively tame for Tatum.
Great catch by a great man. RIP Franco, from a Steelers fan in Rhode Island
I love it that this haunts these Raiders 50 years on, the gift that keeps on giving!!
Raider fans love blaming bad calls on their losses. “Franco trapped it, the tuck rule was BS(never mind that their defense could stop them on next drive), Tony Siragusa purposely fell on Rich Gannon, if our center didn’t go to TJ the night before the Super Bowl(Even though our new coach didn’t change a single play of the previous coach’s playbook, who happened to be on the other sideline having his defense call out EVERY PLAY🙄”
@@henrybarbosa9711 What fans of any team in any sport do you and I know that don't cry and obsess over devastating loses? It comes with the territory. It's not just a Raiders' fans "thing". Besides, the fact that the Raiders went on to win 3 Super Bowls and won a game on the miracle Holy Roller Play, made a lot of Raiders' fans (certainly, not all of them), feel like things finally evened out a little bit. The Football Gods giveth and the Football Gods taketh away.
@@henrybarbosa9711 Yeah, like the tuck rule. Right?
@@henrybarbosa9711 I’m not a raiders fan and the tuck rule was clearly a garbage call. that was the refs intervening and giving the patriots some help.
Amen.😅
Stop the film between 2:04 and 2:05. The ball is clearly passed Fuqua and hits off the defenders chest/facemask. Now on to the "trapping of the ball. At it's lowest point (between 3:43 and 3:44) the top tip of the ball is at Franco's knee. Franco is 6'2" tall (I'm 6'2" tall) and from the knee cap to the ground is roughly 22" to 24" in length. An NFL football is 11" to 11.25" long. Do the math. There is no way the tip hit the ground causing a "trapping" of the ball. Even when his leg is at a slight (70°) angle. And then there is the "clip block". Play the film at .25 speed. McMakin's head hits off of the front of Villapiano's bicep as well as McMakin's left are hit's off of Villapiano's right thigh causing an effect of McMakin's body to spin in a clockwise motion. It's all there.
That Franco wont deny it hit the ground should cause you to rethink that. Once he said something like only he and God know or close to that.
1:40 to me is the definitive shot that proves it went off Tatum. It may have hit Fuqua too, but mostly off Tatum, which negates any complications of it hitting Fuqua first because if Tatum touched any part, it would have been legal at that time for Harris to catch it.
I hate the Steelers, but I don't see how anyone can think differently. It's clear as day that it hit the Raider player first, and Franco obviously caught it. Look at the close up and the way the ball is falling, he wouldn't have caught it cleanly if the tip would have touched the ground. It's easy to see
That's cool because the ball was illegally touched before that anyways lol
Stfu rat NFL hates the Raiders
@@TheDreadedRaider How was it illegally touched when Tatum clearly touched it? Fuqua might have as well, but that doesn't matter.
@@TheDreadedRaider sour grapes make the best whine huh?
The only remotely questionable part of the play was whether the tip of the ball touched the ground at the same time Franco caught it. That's it. Everything else is definitively clear: Tatum touched the ball; there was no illegal block against Villapiano (that's just stupid -- the block was not only clearly from the side there was NO WAY Villapiano was ever going to catch Franco); and while Swearingen (sp??) shouldn't have gone into the dugout, the touchdown call was correct. I can't stand the Steelers and rooted for the Raiders in every game they played in this rivalry but unlike the Raiders players on here, I'm not going to be dishonest. Sorry, Raiders fans. You need to get over it.
A bird's eye angle of this exact play can be found on UA-cam which was FINALLY released to the public a year or two ago for the first time (obviously Raiders were hanging on to that one for as long as possible lol) - Franco undoubtedly catches the football perfectly in stride above his ankles. It without question never hit the ground. As for who it hit - between Tatum or Fuqua, it really seems like it hit them both at the same time which nullifies any ruling on another offensive player touching it first and it does look like Tatum gets the most of the ball itself. You have to love the intrigue, but if there was a year to put it to rest and appreciate the significance of not only how lucky, but how head's up of a play it was - it's this year with Franco's passing. It's almost morbid to say because we love the guy, but he couldn't have picked a better time to bow out gracefully - they'll be honoring his jersey retirement this weekend as well as the 50th Ann of this play itself. Go Franco and Go Steelers!
No the replay at the game from behind Pittsburgh showed Franco catching the ball. The announcers called it live, then called it again on replay. Really no conspiracy.
ua-cam.com/video/dHIXFKrrUhA/v-deo.html
Rip you will be missed ❤❤❤❤
They didn't go into detail on the Fuqua theory. Back then in the NFL, it was a rule that if a pass touched or glanced off a receiver's hands, another offensive person could not catch the ball. It had to be touched by a defensive player first. Looking at the film, it looks as if it is simultaneous touching of the ball therefore a legal catch by Harris.
Thanks for clearing that up. I assume it’s no longer a rule?
@@curiouscreativenottalented6259 No, no longer a rule. Changed in the 80s
The Immaculate reception happened before my time, but know this: I would have been so ecstatic to see this play live. RIP Franco Harris. Your legacy will live on.
Great video, have always known there’s more to life than meets the eye, I feel like in this life i am supposed to be doing more than i am doing for the people i love. been seeking for an eye opening enlightenment, a way to be more influential, powerful and protected~
oh well you can achieve that by being a part of the illuminatus brotherhood, i know it sounds like a mystery but there are ways you can actually get in contact with them
@@haynesatteh4463 Hi, isn't the brotherhood a myth?
@@bartholetbay412 Well it is not and you can't actually expect it to be open to everyone, but if you want to know more you can look up ANTHONY MARK SZYMON online you will find something interesting.
@@haynesatteh4463 oh really, i just saw his website, interesting.i will leave him a message.
yeah i kinda do feel that way too sometimes.
50 years ago today December 23, 1972, ....I was decorating our fake christmas tree and watching on the then HUGE 25" Quasar TV we had as Curt Gowdy lost track of the ball momentarily and then ....the raiders were defeated. I'm sorry franco passed this week. And Ray Guy earlier this year. It was a great era.
Quasar!!!! 🥳🥳🥳
I was 10 years old watching this live and remember it like yesterday. What people don't talk about was the game before that play happened. The whole game was close. The Raiders just scored on a RARE Ken Stabler TD run to put the Raiders up 7 to 6 with under a min to play. The Raiders D force a 4th and play. Yes the Immaculate Reception was a 4th down play and the rest is history.
It was pointless because Miami went undefeated that year and beat Pittsburgh the next week. The Raider fans seems to think they had a better shot to beat Miami, but they lost the AFC title game to Miami the following year. Stable wasn't even the starter he played behind Lamonica in 1972, he got the starting job in 1973
Remember watching it as well when it happened...was around 13 or 14 yrs old at the time...64 now. Hard to believe it's been 50 yrs ago.
@@pulsarlights2825 I do agree that Miami went undefeated but the Steelers almost and should have won against Miami. The Raider fans were a better team than the Steelers and probably would have beaten Miami the next week. This comes from a Steeler fan.
@@billw5823 The Steelers almost and should have won? Wasn't it 21-10 at one point after the Steelers scored on the first drive of the game? In other words, Miami outscored them 21-3 from midway through the first quarter. They pretty much dominated the game with the Steelers making a late push to make it close. The Steelers were a good young time with a big future ahead of them, but they weren't in Miami's class at that time.
@@pulsarlights2825 Let's say the Raiders won that game. Who would have been the starting quarterback the following week against Miami? Daryle Lamonica, who put the Raiders in the playoffs or Ken Stabler, who would have gotten them to the A.F.C. Championship Game? The Mad Bomber was ALWAYS an Al Davis guy while The Snake was a John Madden guy. My guess would have been The Snake.
NFL record 354 rushing in SB's .. dies 354 day of year
The immaculate reception happened in 72 dies at 72. The game happened on 2 days before Christmas he died 2 days before the anniversary.
@@BTLAGS watch Gematria Effect News 25 everyone
@@endtwozerouno I've watched it. I'm into numerology the ideas that numbers are code and predictions. Franco wore 32 the game happened on 23. What's crazy is Bradshaw wore 12 and stabler wore 12 prior to the immaculate reception stabler ran for touchdown.
@@BTLAGS Never ever watch the movie 23. It will ruin your life!
How does dying from the Jab figure into the numbers?
I love listening to Phil talk but no way he's catching franco who was already in full stride. The remaining db's at the end of the run didn't catch hin in time and neither was phil
Totally agree. Franco had already blown by Villapiano who had no chance of catching him. He was slightly clipped but he would not have made the play
Whether or not he would’ve made the play is irrelevant. If he was clipped, he was clipped and it’s a penalty. And he was clipped.
@@davidp3051 This is the best point.
Tatum definitely hits it. The aerial footage shows it as a catch. RIP #32
Yes
Was there a rule at that time that prevented Fuqua from touching it before Franco?
@@SocialAssasin
I believe the rule back then was the ball couldn't be touched by the same team twice in a row for a reception. The opposing team had to touch it.
So it's illegal: Fuqua, Harris.
But it's legal: Tatum, Harris OR Fuqua, Tatum, Harris.
I think. Not sure 100%
@@SocialAssasin Yes; if it went off of Fuqua then Harris catching it would be a penalty. I think it clearly went off of Tatum as Bradshaw said because it went a good 5 yards back off Tatum's shoulder. But I also think Harris trapped it and agree with Bradshaw on that also because if Harris caught it clean he would have simply said he caught it clean, but he always claimed he didn't know. As for Villapiano saying he was clipped or he would have made the tackle; he might have been slightly clipped but Franco had already blown by him and he had no shot to catch him.
Man times have changed. In a game played today New England scored on a Hail Mary where the New England receiver just straight away batted the ball to his teammate.
Literally putting this video on .25 shows it bounced off Tatum, I’m a Raiders fan but we just couldn’t stop that
It was really a bad play by Tatum, all he had to do was tie him up game over.
@@michaelf6705 yup sucks how things happen
I've always thought The Immaculate Reception was a legit play. But now that Hayden agrees with me... I'm doubting myself.
HAHA. So true. One of the many clowns who said Hunter's laptop was "Russian disinformation." I've lost so much respect for him and the Brennan's and all of these lifelong intel folks.
The video should not open and close with this ex-CIA chief. His opinion is the least relevant of everyone interviewed in this video. What I found most relevant are 2 things Bradshaw said.
He said it slammed off Tatum and went 5 yards back. And he said that if Franco caught it clean; that Franco would have said he caught it clean, but that he never ever said he caught it clean. Franco saying he doesn't know if he caught it is the red flag which the ex-Cia chief doesn't address. The CIA chief knows that is a red flag but says nothing about it
I wouldn’t trust that man with what he ate for breakfast. They live in a world of lies and deception, that they create.
LOL.....don't trust anything that comes out of the CIA or FBI's mouth..
@@888strummer Franco says he literally blacked out after running upfield, until after he caught the ball.
Nothing but respect to the Steelers. But, this was a stake into a young boy's heart who loved the Raiders for Blanda and many others. Yes, I am one of those Raider fans who literally could not believe it. RIP, Franco!
I’m a raiders fan and it was a clean but bad luck play.
Bradshaw has the most accurate and informative.
....The Ricochet is the result of the of hitting a broad section of Jack Tatums body. No angle of Frenchy's hands or forearms could cause a Ricochet.
A sports writer said of this
play, “ 50,000 Steelers fans witnessed this play, but nobody saw it.”
I never understood why people think the ball hit the ground. Yeah, you can't see the bottom half of the ball, but you don't need to. Franco caught the ball at knee level. I don't know how long Franco's shins are, but I do know they're longer than half a football.
Gerber 325... more Infamous than Zapruder 313.
Wouldn't go that far.
@@jaylucien669 I would
This reminds me of the Seinfeld "Keith Hernandez Spittle Incident" lol
The all-22 was recently released, and it clearly shows that Harris catches the ball about shin-high. The only element of the play that is even somewhat controversial is whether Villapiano was clipped. I don't think he was, it looks like a block from the side, but it's close.
I think this is one of the fairest takes I've seen. I agree 100%. I was a semi-Raiders fan back in those days and I was devastated by this outcome, but the way the Raiders have carried on complaining about this through the years leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It was a bizarre play but it was correctly called (although I'm not sure why they needed to make the phone call from the dugout since instant replay was not a thing back then.)
I agree with the riot theory. Pittsburgh fans at Three Rivers Stadium were savage! They were the extra man not on the field. Rival teams hated playing at Three Rivers. Also the game was very important. For 40 years the Steelers never won a post season game. This was the first. To take that away would have been awful. Winning this game gave new hope to the Steelers and they ended up ruling the 1970s .If the touchdown was reversed, Franco's Itialian Army would have murdered those officals. Frank Sinatra himself would've had them killed. (He was a member of the Itialian Army.) Franco Harris was the savior of the Steelers. RIP
Doesn’t appear a clip as helmet just visible (block was behind the runner as well). Both the PBP Announcer and Franco reacted without hesitation that the ball was live.
The year before I made a tipped catch, my only catch of consequence my senior high school season. The 4th down ball was batted by a Defensive Back, and it seemed like as I was set to head for the sidelines about 5 seconds later I see the ball spinning from Heaven downward. I stretched out and caught it and the official called reception. The game was radio broadcast and the WSB announcer dropped his microphone behind the table and had to fish it out.
Point being it was surreal slow motion I didn’t know where the ball came from or how I caught it.
I understand you sensed where the ball was and caught it. Great skill. I played soccer in England and scored a similar instinct play. Ball was visible, then not visible through a ruck of players but I stuck my leg out on the end and connected for the score. Its instinct and skill and a little luck 🍀
Hit off defender, clean catch, good block. Play Stands "The Immaculate Reception" RIP Franco
Yep, it's that simple, touchdown!👍✌️
There might be conspiracies around the immaculate reception, but none around the Aiyuk-Kidding Me💯💍
The NFL didn't like The Raiders because of their reputation.
Tom Brady fumbled the ball.
Back in 1972, maybe. But 40 years later, they haven't won anything. They got back there the year after the tuck rule, but somehow didn't change any of their offensive play book.
Lol!! The refs hated the Raiders back in the AFC championship game
with Rob Lytle's non-fumble at the goal line that would have gave the
ball to the Raiders, but refs ruled Lytle progress stopped. Denver
scored the 6 on a sweep, and went on to get whupped by the
Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl. That was the 1977 season BTW.
It's hard to say they were unlucky(Immaculate reception) or just plain
screwed over, (Lytle fumble, and Brady)
Great timing with the former head of CIA denouncing conspiracy theories, while simultaneously it’s been confirmed the CIA had heavy involvement in JFK’s assassination lmao
"confirmed"
Confirmed….. what a jacka$$.
LOL
It has been confirmed by your imagination
Exactly!!!
I just want to see video that shows the entire football when he caught it. That's my only beef with this play. Other than that, rest in peace, Franco. You were a great player and man.
ua-cam.com/video/dHIXFKrrUhA/v-deo.html
In the original NBC telecast with Curt Gowdy and Al Derogatis, look at the replay from behind. You can see the entire ball…he didn’t trap it. If I’m not mistaken, I believe that after seeing the NBC replay for the first time approximately 30 years later, John Madden admitted that Franco caught it cleanly. Not sure if he ever agreed that Tatum touched it, though.
If you watch the original NBC broadcast you can see the ball comes no where close to the ground on a replay.
True that. I was 10 years old watching this live and remember it like yesterday. EVERY replay of this play since 1972 until now you CAN NEVER SEE the tip of the football. And that's what MADDEN was upset about, that the ball touch the ground. Which would have made it a INCOMPLETE PASS.
@@ronaldredmond3308 Look at my comment above, and click on the link.
It's out there. Probably can find it here on UA-cam with a simple search. There's an angle from what I think is about where the all 22 film teams review for game prep that was released years ago showing the whole field and the blatantly obvious catch. I had to pause this video wondering when it was released.... thinking it might've been an OLD UA-cam video. I was shocked it is only a day old. I thought this "controversy" was pretty much dead and has been dead pretty much ever since the all 22 angle footage of the play was released.
I have no clue how the first theory listed in this video even matters. Whether it deflects off the receiver or defender it's still a live ball. So I fail to see the "conspiracy" aspect there.
That one still hurts. I'm starting to think it always will...
Thanks alot again Franco!
RIP 🙏!
Is there a reason the original NBC footage and replay can’t be used?
With Fuqua saying, "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't." about touching the ball, and Franco saying he didn't know if the ball touched the ground says everything to me. They both should have given definite yes or no answers and not be wishy washy. But that doesn't say this is a conspiracy. It just says Fuqua and Harris were smart enough to let things play out with the refs because they didn't have a clue what happened. It was this play and the 'no catch' play with Renfro and the Oilers that helped usher in the replay rules because it was apparent that the refs can't see everything that happens in real time. Bradshaw can't say anything because he was on his back when the play occurred. The people in the stands saw it better than him.
You can be mad at Franco, Fuqua probably still does not know what happened because of the concussion Tatum caused.
2:53 That's as straight and honest an answer as you'll ever hear. He said he doesn't know.
(4:47) "you never actually see a touchdown sign". That's incorrect. The side judge #63 on the left trailing the play, signals touchdown. This is clearly visible from the camera angle behind the play.
Even as a Cowboys fan, the call stands. Touchdown!!
Shut up
But you're team got screwed on the daz catch
@@stevengrvp agreed. Not sure what that has to do with this....lol
@@LoneRanger5150 teams getting screwed by bad calls didn't know it needed explanation
@@stevengrvp oh. Gotcha👍
If someone hit Frenchie into the ball that's pass interference anyway so...
If Tatum played the ball instead of trying to clean Fuqua's clock, maybe the Immaculate Reception doesn't happen.
@@djohns808 That's an excellent point.
Frenchie touched the ball and by the rules then Franco wouldn't be able to advance the ball.
@@jaylucien669 Not really an excellent point, because then it is 1st down at that point and the Steelers still have to score a touchdown with the remailing ~~10 seconds from 35 yards away. No way Gerela was making a 52 yard FG. he didn't have the leg. Also, and more importantly, the defender has a right to the ball, and was clearly looking in the direction of the ball, so, no PI could possibly ever have been called.
@@CowSaysMooMoo The goal posts were on the goal line in the NFL back then.
Whether Fuqua touched the ball or not, I think we can all agree its a stupid rule and happy it no longer exists
The video at 2:04 and at 2:20 shows the tip of the ball resting on Tatum's shoulder if you freeze the video. As for the catch, you can see at 2:50 that the top of the ball is level with the left knee when he catches it, and he lifts it straight up. A football is not big enough that the bottom would touch the ground if the top of the ball was at the knee. In fact, it's probably not even close to touching the ground. The Raiders, announcers and refs never even questioned the fact that Harris caught the ball at the time. That's because he caught it.
To Shawn McClurg, I agree. Never noticed that. Had he stayed alert he would have at least pushed Franco out of bounds. So many freak things happened on this play. Once in a lifetime.
Raider fan, but I never gelt outraged over the play. Just a fluke, but nothing underhanded, and although I don't know where the championship game would have been played, the Dolphins almost surely would have won. Now, the championship game in 1974 . . . sorry, my tears still haven't dried. Hated the Steelers, but I sure appreciate them now. Wish you were still with us, Franco.
Regardless, all of these guys are legitimate bad ass football players… The old-school type… The type that don’t exist anymore…
No way on God's green earth could Villapiano catch Franco even if he was blocked
Why in the world did it take so long for the Steelers to retire Franco's jersey?
They don't retire jerseys. His will only be the 3rd
They don't truly retire jerseys very often. He's only the 3rd true jersey to be retired with Mean Joe and Ernie Stautner being the other 2. They have many unofficial Jerseys of the legends retired
When you have 683 Hall of Famers, how do you decide whose # to retire?
@@Dr.Spatula The Steelers never had anyone good enough to retire their jersey, the Steelers sucked from 1933 until this game in 1972...39 years of shitty football....
@@robertsherman871 The Steelers have 23 players in the HOF (other teams have more). They should retire all of their numbers, IMO.
This is a cool video! Anymore like this from NFL Films?
I'm a 70's Raiders fan. I still appreciate them, but their mystique is pretty diminished at this point. As for the conspiracies:
The ricochet is obviously off of (mostly) Tatum, otherwise, it doesn't sail ten yards away. That isn't to say that Frenchy didn't touch it but Tatum definitely hit it, which is all that matters.
A semi-aerial view shows Franco clearly catching it just below the knees. That's obviously a catch.
While Phil DID get hit in the back, the rule is that if your head "stays in front," it's a clean block. In other words, if you can see his head, it's not a clip. You can see his head. It's a clean block. Does Phil make the play without the hit? Possibly. Phil Villapiano was actually a fairly fast dude and a sure tackler, but he got blocked and that was that.
That was a touchdown. 100% and it's not even questionable.
That said, screw the Tuck Rule. I understand that it was called "correctly," but that was the dumbest rule since offensive players bouncing balls to other offensive players. Neither exist anymore.
RIP Franco.
Weird fact:
Stabler's 30 yard yard scramble a few plays before, that gave the Raiders the lead (7-6) was the longest run of his career (by 12 yards) and if it would have counted towards his overall rushing yards (it was a playoff game, so it did not,) it would have accounted for about a quarter of all his rushing yards in the NFL.
8:04 This frame should settle in anyone's mind whether or not the play that was called (touchdown) was correct or not. As per the rule at the time, Tatum merely needed to touch the ball (either before or after it contacted Fuqua) for it to still be a live ball for Franco Harris to catch. There is no way the ball, as shown in the frame at 8:04, did not contact Tatum, given the velocity of the ricochet back to Harris. If the ball hit nothing but Fuqua's hand(s), it either drops straight down to the ground or is deflected up. Tatum was coming fast from the left. The ball changed direction 180 degrees and exited the point of contact between Tatum & Fuqua at nearly the same velocity with which it arrived. The only thing that can account for that is Tatum redirecting the ball. As the frame above clearly shows, the ball did not hit Fuqua's shoulder pads or helmet. All that leaves is Tatum to account for the ricochet.
As long as Tatum hits the ball, it doesn't matter if the ball touches Fuqua.
Just let it go. Even if there was instant replay back then for the officials, with today's HD technology, the play probably would still have stood. Of course, John Madden couldn't let this go until the day he died.
You can use basic math to solve if he caught it:
Average length for a human tibia: 15in (mind you Franco was 6'2" so far from average)
Length of a pro football: 11in
When he caught the ball the top point furthest from the ground was near or slightly above his knee. There would still be 4in left if he was barefoot and that's if he was a normal sized human. Even more, when accounting for the added thickness of his foot with cleats, you would have around 6-7 inches between the lowest point of the football and the ground. That ball was caught.
Also, that guy is delusional if he thinks he was going to tackle a full stride Franco Harris at that angle even before the block. That is prob the most debatable part but it for sure wasn't a block in the back and he is just enough in front that I think even in today's game, it would not be a penalty.
Immaculate Reception lives on. RIP Franco Harris.
The Next 17 has a new wave with some excellent retro versions of several cantina denizens. Saving up my allowance for those…
It's like today's game and replays....would there have been enough clear evidence to overturn the play??? Although close, I'd say probably not.
Frenchie's head went back and to the left. Back and to the left.
The raiders had every opportunity in 1) get Bradshaw before he threw...2) if the three raider''s weren't so damn busy celebrating prematurely, they would have been able to stop Number 32 before the TD and none of the immaculate reception would have happen. Someone needs to point this out to raiders
We could argue this till the end of time but the play still stands as called.
Miami was an up and coming dynasty, although a brief one. The following week they would beat Pittsburgh. The following year they hammered the Raiders in the AFC Championship on way to theri 3rd straight SB, 2nd c/s title. The merged league was young here, only a few years in. Miami owned the AFC from 1971-1974, Pittsburgh took over and ruled from 1975-1980. Oakland won the most games in the 70s. What an era.
These guys are perfect examples of Dont hold on to your past, youll carry that anger with you for the rest of your life
Who needs an investigator when we all have eyes? Lol
And don’t forget about Bigfoot being on the 48 yard line. (On the Steelers side, not Raiders. That would be silly).
Does it matter who hit it first? Was there a rule back then about defensive players hitting the ball first?
yes only one offensive player could touch the ball unless a defense i’ve player touched it after i think
Franco scooped it out of the air and was galloping like a horse he still galloping in heaven God bless his soul
Phil Villipiano doesn't catch Franco Colzie couldn't catch him Franco had speed for a big man
If a CIA official says it, then it must be true, because everything any federal government employee says is correct...
Gotta love this documentary. 👏
Whether Fuqua touched it or not, or whether Franco trapped it or not, or whether there was clip on the play, all of that is moot. There were no flags thrown before Franco crossed the goal line or after. The play has to stand, a ref can't just pull out a flag and toss it minutes after the play is dead and conjure up some reason for it. There was no replay back then to challenge the hit or the catch. It is what it is.
The immaculate reception is no different from the moon landing or roller disco, it never happened!
The tip of the ball is about at Franco's knee when he catches it - so the ball would have to be 3 times as long as a normal football to be touching the the ground.
Proverbs 16:19
Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
In my professional judgment, don't start any video with a CIA Director.
Obviously they didn't consider the official on the grassy knoll.
It doesn't matter if the ball touched Fuqua. If it touched Tatum before or after it touched Fuqua, it's legal, by rule. There's no way it only touched Fuqua and bounced back that solidly and that far.
It does matter but I don't think the refs could have changed the call. Back then a ball could not hit two offensive players in a row. If the ball hit Tatum, then Fuqua and then Franco it would have been an illegal catch. I believe the ball hit Fuqua (maybe) then Tatum who propelled it backward with his forward motion, then Franco caught it about a foot off the group and while most of the players watched he had a full head of speed. Even if he had been caught and pushed out of bounds, the Steeler would still have kicked a field goal and won.
While I have noticed the Raiders have often been on the wrong side of bad calls and the Steelers benefit from bad calls. However, this is not an example of either one of those.
What is is. 50 years later, it stands. Touchdown Steelers !!!
RIP Franco you left us too early ...
True you can’t see the ground, but you can see his legs, chest, all that and it doesn’t look like it came close (within 5 inches) to the ground
The ball wouldn't have bounced back as far if it would have hit off Fuqua because he was running across field but Tatum was running up field which that would give it more momentum to bounce back that far. It hit off of Tatum.
I kept waiting for Kevin Costner to come on and say "And again, and again, and again"
Sounds like a bunch of adults are pissed off and still butthurt 50 years later 🤣
Why does it matter which player the ball hit first?
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen end-of-game Hail Mary’s, where the ball is touched by more than one player before being finally caught for a touchdown.
1:01, at least he's honest!
Man!.... if I could take my son with me, I just might wave that magic wand and go live back in the 70's. The jubilation after the GNFLPE, the PERMITTED (and maybe to a degree expected) mobbing of the fans onto the field to celebrate with the bloody players!! Kinda makes me think that's what part of Heaven is like.
NFL and CIA doesn't even surprise me
Heck of catch Franco Harris and finally saw a definite video him catching the ball before it hit the ground. But sorry that was a
clip form the back and the head and shoulders appearance was due to the camera angle.
Attributing conspiracy to incompetence and mental laziness is giving folks a lot more credit than they ever deserve.
I got to the 44 second mark were George Atkinson says there are three infractions that were not called resulting in a conspiracy theory. I started laughing so hard I had to hit the stop button.
A conspiracy is something that is planned in advance. So how could not calling three infractions on a game-winning play that could not be predicted to happen be a conspiracy?
wow they really roasted John mcmakin for his OBVIOUS clip and the best part is that have that dunce explain it saying “my helmet is clearly visible” but you can’t see it at all as it’s going into Villapiano