"Bradshaw's running out of the pocket, looking for somebody to throw to.
Pittsburgh radio play-by-play man Jack Fleming described what happened next: On its final possession, Pittsburgh faced a fourth and 10 from its 40-yard line with 22 seconds left and no timeouts. The extra point by 45-year-old George Blanda gave Oakland the lead. With 1 minute and 17 seconds left, Oakland quarterback Kenny "The Snake" Stabler ran 30 yards for tying score. Late into the fourth quarter, the Steelers led, 6-0, on field goals by Roy Gerela. "When you walked off the field, you knew you had been in a game," Oakland coach John Madden told NFL Films years later about the defenses. The Steelers' offense, meanwhile, relied on a grind-it-out approach led by Bradshaw and Harris. Local fans Al Vento and Tony Stagno formed "Franco's Italian Army" to cheer Harris, the product of an African American father and Italian American mother.ġ978 First rainbow Pride flag premieres at San Francisco paradeĪt Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on December 23, 1972, the Steelers met the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the playoffs. Led by their bold, Brooklyn-born owner Al Davis, the Raiders were formidable on offense. In 1972, Harris rushed for 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns, won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and captivated Steelers faithful everywhere. READ MORE: 5 Miraculous NFL Touchdown Passes In the next day's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, sports editor Al Abrams wrote: " could be a good target for Terry Bradshaw and Terry Hanratty in the passing department, a matter that won't be overlooked." On February 1, 1972, Pittsburgh drafted Harris, a 6-foot-2, 230-pounder, with the 13th pick in the first round. But Noll wanted Robert Newhouse, a stocky University of Houston running back. Rooney Jr. Art Rooney Jr., the personnel director and son of the Steelers' owner, wanted Penn State's Harris. In the 1972 draft, Pittsburgh wanted to fill the major hole in the first round but was conflicted on whom to select. But the Steelers sought a running back to take pressure off Bradshaw.
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