Greg Fulton: The day St. Franco was anointed
Share this post:
Similar to today, in 1972 our nation was polarized. The Vietnam War, the Equal Rights Amendment providing equality for all sexes and busing of children for integration were dividing lines for many. Then, on Dec. 23, something magical happened in Pittsburgh, what some would call an early Christmas present.
According to the All Saints calendar, Dec. 23, 1972 was a day to celebrate St. John Kanty. He was a pious Polish priest of the late 1400s who was said to be kind, humble and generous. While St. Kanty may have started as the saint of the day, by the end of it, for many people in Western Pennsylvania, a new saint was being celebrated — St. Franco.
To qualify as a saint there needs to be evidence of miracles on the part of the candidate that can be authenticated by eyewitnesses.
As to verifying the miracles of St. Franco, thousands of fans in Three Rivers Stadium and hundreds of thousands more watching on television were eyewitnesses and would attest to the miracle. With 22 seconds left and the Steelers behind 7-6 in a playoff game against the hated Oakland Raiders, a young Terry Bradshaw launched a pass that improbably bounced off Jack Tatum of the Raiders and was scooped up at shoe-top level by Franco Harris and then carried into the end zone.
While the “Immaculate Reception” was a miracle unto itself, fans also saw a second one as Franco’s catch served as an exorcism on that day. It was at this time that the Steelers finally cast out the demon of losing that had haunted them for so many years.
Prior to that play the team’s fate appeared “sealed” after Oakland had gone ahead with a little over a minute left in the game. Winning the game in the waning seconds of the game was incomprehensible to most fans. This didn’t happen to the Steelers. They were the team of lovable losers who were the ones who through bad luck or a bonehead play would break our hearts at the end of games.
The fact that Harris caught the pass made it extra special. Franco had played his college ball at Penn State, where he was primarily a blocking back for All-American Lydell Mitchell. He was a hard worker and a fighter, and did whatever was needed to win, which ultimately earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Prior to 1972, the Steelers had only six winning seasons since becoming part of the NFL in 1933. For most of those seasons, Pittsburgh was at or near the bottom of the division. In all of those years, the Steelers only played once for a division championship (losing in 1947) and never had played for the league championship.
The Steelers were so terrible that players viewed being traded to the team like Russians saw being exiled to Siberia. It was a career ender, and a number of players retired rather than be traded and play for the lowly Steelers. They were habitual losers, and fans on other teams would mark a “W” on the calendar months before their game with the Steelers.
Some NFL analysts call the Immaculate Reception the greatest play in the league’s history. For Steelers fans, there is no question that this play, covering a mere 17 seconds, is the team’s most iconic moment. It’s hard to say that one play turned around the fortunes of an entire franchise, but in this case the Immaculate Reception may have. The play gave hope and confidence to a city, a team and its downtrodden fans who had all but lost faith in their beloved Steelers.
With the upcoming season, hopefully the Steelers can rekindle some of that magic to bring us together as the Immaculate Reception did almost 49 years ago.
Greg Fulton, a New Castle native living in Denver, is still a Steelers fan except when they play the Denver Broncos.