Having won the AFC Central championship for their first division crown, the Steelers prepared for their 1972 playoff opener with Oakland. Pittsburgh opened as a 3-point favorite after winning all seven regular season home games.
Playoff tickets went on sale Monday, Dec. 18. By the arbitrary rotation system the NFL used to determine home teams, the Steelers would host both rounds of AFC playoffs. The Oakland game sold out immediately, but in the Dec. 19 Post-Gazette, Jack Sell wrote, "A limited number of pasteboards remain for the Dec. 31 American Conference championship in the North Side arena. Rooney U. must beat the Raiders to qualify for the title tussle. All ducats for that one are priced at $12.15."
Starting wide receiver Frank Lewis broke his collarbone in the season finale in San Diego, so rookie Barry Pearson was activated from the taxi squad.
At Chuck Noll's press conference, he stated that, "It wasn't difficult getting the players to believe in themselves. The big thing was getting people to believe in the Steelers."
Asked to elaborate, he continued. "People. The news media ... the people who associate with the players on the outside. You know the coaches can be with the players only for so many hours in a day. They meet other people on the outside ... their friends ... acquaintances ..."
Not everyone was negative, though. "The spontaneous reaction of the fans has helped," Noll said. "The formation of the fan clubs and the way they have caught on is really something, too."
Starting guards Sam Davis and Bruce Van Dyke returned to practice Tuesday after missing the end of the regular season with injuries. For Oakland, Daryle Lamonica, who had been the third quarterback to appear in the opener at Three Rivers, had now established himself as the starter.
The Pro Bowl teams were announced Dec. 20. Four Steelers were selected: running back Franco Harris, kicker Roy Gerela, linebacker Andy Russell and defensive tackle Joe Greene. Eight Raiders were chosen: wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, tight end Ray Chester, tackle Art Shell, guard Gene Upshaw, center Jim Otto, Lamonica, running back Marv Hubbard and cornerback Willie Brown. The undefeated Dolphins had nine players on the squad: fullback Larry Csonka, receiver Paul Warfield, tackle Norm Evans, guard Larry Little, safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott, defensive end Bill Stanfill, linebacker Nick Buoniconti and running back/kick returner Mercury Morris.
Middle linebacker Henry Davis discussed what the Steelers expected defensively. "They come right at you, using straight out blocks. So we probably won't have to do anything differently than we have been doing, and you have to admit we're doing all right.
"Of course, we'll need a good rush up front like (L.C.) Greenwood, Greene, (Ben) McGee and (Dwight) White have been giving us. That will make Lamonica hurry his throws and cut down the time he'll have to throw the long ball."
Russell's comment was, "The big difference this year is knowing we can win. Having that sincere feeling that we can win. Before it just used to be lip-service."
The day before the game, there were a couple of ads in the Post-Gazette for places to watch the game on TV, in Titusville and just over the Ohio border. (Legal action against the blackout in Washington, D.C., was unsuccessful.) Kickoff was 1:00 Saturday, and Channel 11 did schedule a rebroadcast for 9 a.m. Sunday.
That night, there was a pep rally in Market Square at 8:00. Coverage on Saturday said it was "billed as the first of its kind in NFL history." The coverage went into some detail about how the crowd of about 1,000 went down to the Hilton, where Oakland was staying. Raiders Bob Moore and Greg Slough came back from a movie and tried to make their way into the hotel as police started to push the crowd back. The cops didn't recognize the players and refused them entrance. In the ensuing scuffle, tight end Moore suffered a cut on his head that required six stitches when he was hit by a police club or blackjack. Slough was also banged up. Both played.
By game day, the Steelers were up to a 3 1/2 point favorite. The weather was cloudy and mild, with a temperature of 43.
It was a defensive struggle. The closest either team came to scoring in the first half was a 52-yard Gerela field goal attempt that fell short at 9:16 of the first quarter. The Steelers also failed on a second-quarter 4th-and-1 from the Raider 32 when Jack Tatum stuffed Frenchy Fuqua.
The Steelers received the second-half kickoff and took the ball 67 yards to the Oakland 11. At 5:05 of the third quarter, Gerela put Pittsburgh on the board with an 18-yard field goal. Both defenses stayed stout, and after Lamonica threw his second interception, John Madden put Ken Stabler into the game. He was more effective than Lamonica, but the game stayed 3-0 until, after safety Mike Wagner recovered a Stabler fumble at the Oakland 35, Gerela was able to kick a 29-yarder with 3:50 left in the game. After a touchback, the Raiders were able to drive downfield, and with the ball on the Pittsburgh 30, Stabler rolled left outside defensive end Craig Hanneman and ran into the end zone with 1:12 left. George Blanda's extra point gave Oakland a 7-6 lead. After the Raiders kickoff hit the goalposts for a touchback, Bradshaw threw to Harris for 9 yards, then Fuqua for 11. The next three passes were broken up, two by Tatum, bringing up 4th and 10 from the Steeler 40. On a play where rookie Barry Pearson was the primary receiver, Bradshaw scrambled, threw for Fuqua, and, well, you know what happened.
(Chris Carter broke the play down here.)
After the field was cleared and Gerela kicked the extra point, there were 5 seconds left. Stabler's last-ditch pass to Chester was incomplete, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, in their 40th season, had finally won a playoff game.
Neither team put up big numbers. Bradshaw was 11 of 25 for 175 yards with one interception and one improbable touchdown. Lamonica completed 8 of 18 for a mere 45 yards and 2 interceptions, while Stabler was 6 of 12 for 57 yards. Franco carried 18 times for 64 yards, while Charlie Smith led Oakland with 57 yards in 14 carries. Harris was also Pittsburgh's leading receiver, catching 5 for 96 yards and the touchdown. Chester's 40 yards on 3 catches led the Raiders. Veteran Oakland center Jim Otto caught a deflected pass and picked up 5 yards. The Steelers' Bobby Walden averaged 48 yards for his seven punts.
The Steelers were penalized once for 5 yards, while the Raiders took two penalties for 15 yards. Before their touchdown drive, Oakland hadn't advanced further than the Pittsburgh 44.
When veteran center Ray Mansfield saw Harris with the ball, he "went from the depths of despair to the apex of ecstasy." Russell had never seen such a finish: "No, are you kidding me? I've been associated with a lot of tough losses on this club. It's about time we won one." And veteran tackle John Brown said, "Tomorrow morning when I wake up and read the paper, I still won't believe it's real."
Bradshaw summed it up. "There aren't any words for our defense.
"Luck? Sure we were lucky. After 40 years, why shouldn't we be? Who deserves it more?"
The Raiders, of course, were (and still are) unhappy with the touchdown call. They had questions about a phone call referee Fred Swearingen made from the dugout to supervisor of officials Art McNally in the press box. The PG ran the New York Times transcript of the call:
McNally: How do you rule?
Swearingen: Touchdown.
McNally: That's right.
In the Dec. 29 Post-Gazette, Al Abrams noted that Bob Prince, who missed Bill Mazeroski's home run because he was going down to the Pirate clubhouse to do television interviews, "was holding an elevator door for Art Rooney last Saturday when the unbelievable Bradshaw-to-Tatum-to-Harris winning touchdown was scored!
"What's your next miss, Robert?"
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP - MIAMI
The next day, the Dolphins scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to beat Cleveland, 20-14, so Miami would be the next team to come into Pittsburgh. Earl Morrall would start at quarterback, as he had for the past 10 games. Bob Griese, who had broken a leg in Week 4, was healthy enough to back up. (Morrall had been the Steelers' starting quarterback in 1957 before being sent to Detroit in the Bobby Layne deal.) The Dolphins opened as a one-point favorite in Pittsburgh, 2 1/2 in Nevada.
Russell talked about what the defense would have to do. "In order to beat the Dolphins, we will have to stop their running game; not let Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick get yardage in five and six-yard chunks.
"And they can be tough in the passing end, too. In other words, they are sound in all departments. So we will have to go out and play like we can, force them into errors, make the big plays and wind up with the victory. And we will win."
The undefeated Dolphins respected their opponent. "There's no way of sliding past Pittsburgh," said Csonka. "We've just got to meet them nose to nose. We're meeting the bad guys in their own park."
Bud Carson, who had taken over as the Steelers' defensive backfield coach in 1972, was asked about the secondary's great improvement. "I didn't do much," he responded.
"We're playing a lot more zone defense this year than we've done in the past. That's one of the first things we did. I sat down with Chuck and told him that I thought we were playing too much man-to-man last year.
"This year we're playing zones almost exclusively. There are just very few cornerbacks around who can match up with the really great receivers man-to-man."
Part of the reason for the success of Miami's No-Name Defense was their "53," where coach Don Shula would replace tackle Bob Heinz with linebacker Bob Matheson, who wore No. 53.
"Matheson comes in and lines up in any of the four places a linebacker is allowed," explained Noll, who had been Shula's assistant in Baltimore. "Sometimes he comes, sometimes he drops off. It's confusing and hard to figure out what he is going to do."
Bradshaw and reserve tight end Larry Brown spent Thursday in the hospital with a virus. Some defensive linemen also felt effects of the flu, but were treated at the stadium.
Security was a big issue throughout the week. Between the Moore incident at the Hilton and the fans pouring onto the field after the "Miracle at Three Rivers," the team and league were looking to address concerns. Writers felt that the fans on the field were a natural reaction to such a huge play, and pointed out that such a display was not all that uncommon.
Arnold Palmer sent a telegram to the Steelers that read, "I am alerting my army to join ranks with Franco's and all of your other support forces for an all out assault on Miami Sunday. How appropriate that all of this started in July at your summer camp at Latrobe, the real cradle of pro football. On to L.A."
Once again, the television blackout caused a lot of demand for motel rooms in areas where the game was available. Channel 11 took advantage of New Year's Eve and scheduled a rebroadcast for 1 a.m.
Kickoff was at noon. It was a warm day, with a gametime temperature of 67 degrees and a high of 71.
The Dolphins returned the opening kickoff to the 22. They then drove to the Pittsburgh 49 before Morrall threw an interception to Glen Edwards, who zigged and zagged to the Miami 48. The Steelers kept the ball on the ground. On a Bradshaw keeper around the left side, Jake Scott forced a fumble from the 2-yard line into the end zone that offensive tackle Gerry Mullins recovered. Gerela kicked the extra point, and the Steelers led, 7-0, 10:45 into the game.
"I got hurt twice on the same play," Bradshaw noted. "I was knocked a little crazy and I hurt my shoulder and neck."
Early in the second quarter, the Dolphins lined up to punt on 4th and 5 at the Pittsburgh 49. The Steelers only rushed one man, Larry Seiple ran instead of punting, and he picked up 37 yards to the 12. On second down, Csonka took a short pass from Morrall and ran past Mel Blount for a 9-yard touchdown at 3:03. Garo Yepremian's conversion tied the game.
Since Bradshaw had been "shaken up" when he fumbled, Terry Hanratty came in at quarterback. Neither side was able to do much, though, and it was 7-7 at halftime.
Hanratty drove the Steelers down to the Miami 7 to start the third quarter, where they settled for a 14-yard Gerela field goal. After the Dolphins got the ball at the 20, Griese came in at quarterback and led Miami downfield. There was a third-down pass to Warfield that went for 53 yards to the Pittsburgh 24. Two plays later, Jack Ham picked off a Griese pass and returned it to the 32, but White was called offside, and the Dolphins retained possession on the 13. Eventually, Kiick scored around right end from 2 yards out. With the extra point, Miami led, 14-10, with 3:21 left in the quarter.
At 4:57 of the fourth quarter, Gerela tried a 48-yard goal. It was blocked by Maulty Moore, and recovered by Curtis Johnson at the Pittsburgh 49. Griese led an 11-play drive that culminated in a 3-yard Kiick touchdown run. The kick made it 21-10 with 7:25 left in the game.
Bradshaw came off the bench at that point. He moved the Steelers 71 yards in four plays, the last being a 12-yard pass to Al Young, who made a brilliant one-handed touchdown catch with 5:15 left. Gerela's kick made the score 21-17.
The Pittsburgh defense got the ball back twice. But Buoniconti ended the first Steeler series with an interception, and Mike Kolen picked Bradshaw off on the second to clinch the game for the Dolphins.
Both Franco and Morris ran 16 times for 76 yards. Csonka got 68 in his 24 carries. Morrall completed 7 of 11 for 51 yards, with a touchdown and an interception, while Griese was 3 of 5 for 70. Bradshaw ended up 5 of 10 for 80 with a TD and 2 picks, while Hanratty's 5 of 10 went for 57 yards. Miami tight end Marv Fleming caught 5 balls for 50 yards, while Warfield gained 63 with his two catches. Young led the Steelers with 4 catches for 54 yards.
Kiick runs converted 4th-and-inches on each of the Dolphins' second half touchdown drives.
Bradshaw's summary: "I can't remember a whole lot. We probably lost it not making third-down plays."
Shula said, "The play that got us started, after the Steelers overpowered us with their first drive, was the fake punt. Larry Seiple got us back in the game. He has instructions to run anytime -- as long as he makes it."
Noll felt, "We made too many mistakes ... or maybe we didn't make enough big plays.
"They won it. But I'm sorry for our football team."
"You have to lose one of these games," said Csonka, "before you can win one."
For all the disappointment, there was also a sense of satisfaction and confidence in the Steeler locker room. "We had a good season," was Art Rooney's reaction. "Sure I'm disappointed. But I'm disappointed for everybody. The coaches, the players, and most of all, the fans.
"Miami? They're a good ballclub. It's just one of those things. But I think our club now has the confidence they have to have. They'll go on to play championship ball."
Sam Bechtel of the Beaver County Times talked to Joe Greene. "'In a way, I'm kind of glad it's all over,' (Greene) offered as he slowly puffed on a cigarette. 'There's been so much pressure that we haven't had a chance to enjoy what we've done. I'm just going to go home now -- I'm not going to think about this game today -- and I'm going to enjoy all those other games we won. That's something none of us has been able to do yet.'"
(Four minutes of silent highlight footage from the AP is here.)
The headline in the Jan. 1 Post-Gazette was "Steelers Run Out of Miracles." Because of the holiday, other local newspapers didn't publish until the 2nd, by which time the headlines were about Roberto Clemente's tragic death.
Ultimately, though, that postseason is remembered for what's now known as the Immaculate Reception. Art Rooney, who missed it live, is still right. "It's just as much fun every time I watch it."
All quotes are from the original newspaper reporting.