On this day, December the 23rd, in the year of 1972, rookie wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers Franco Harris caught a deflected football for a touchdown, becoming one of the most well known plays in the National Football League, being dubbed “The Immaculate Reception”.

Late during the fourth quarter of a tight game against the then Oakland Raiders, Steeler quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw the ball downfield to running back Frenchy Fuqua, where he was met by Raider safety Jack Tatum, causing the football to deflect back up the field.

Near the deflected ball was Harris, who caught the ball inches from the turf, running it to the endzone for a touchdown.

However, the play didn’t come without controversy. 

An old NFL rule (phased out in 1978) stated that an offensive play could only touch a tipped pass if a defensive player did so first, and it wasn’t clear if Fuqua or Tatum made contact with the ball first.

Pittsburgh fans, who hadn’t had much to root for with the Steelers since their foundation in 1933, adding to the confusion to the game that the referees had to figure out.

Without an instant replay system to go off of, the referees stuck with the play on the field, confirming the score.

The Steeler defense held off the Raiders in the final seconds of the game, winning with a score of thirteen to seven, helping them make the postseason (Referee) (NFL) (History) (Britannica).

In 2019, the Immaculate Reception was voted as the best play in the history of the NFL from a pool of national media members (CNN).

To view the play, see the “Savage Brick Archive” YouTube video entitled “Immaculate Reception Original Broadcast – BEST QUALITY”.

To read more daily facts and tidbits and about pro football, see the Barron Perspectives “On this Day Archives” webpage and articles such as “On This Day – October 23rd (Monday Night Miracle)” and “(Silent NFL Game) On This Day – December 20th”.