They call it The Immaculate Reception because of the miracle imagery it evokes. It was the AFC semifinal playoff game, featuring a contest between the up and coming Pittsburgh Steelers and their cross-state rivals, the Oakland Raiders. 

     When Oakland's Ken Stabler snaked down the sideline with 73 seconds left to give the Raiders a 7-6 lead, it almost looked as if the Pittsburgh Steelers would need a miracle, on special order from God, to advance.  With seconds to go, they got it.

     With 22 seconds showing on the clock, the Steelers had only advanced to their 40-yard line and were facing a 4th and 10. In the huddle, Terry Bradshaw called a "66 Option."

     As he dropped back to pass, the Raiders dropped seven players into pass coverage, taking away all four of the Steeler receivers. Bradshaw immediately felt heat from Oakland's Horace Jones and Tony Cline, and began rolling right. In the secondary, Raiders safety Jack Tatum set his cross hairs on halfback Frenchy Fuqua, who had run a hook about 15 yards downfield.

     Bradshaw should have been able to hit Preston Pearson, who was wide open on a post route, but he had his sights set on Fuqua, his secondary receiver. After scrambling right, he finally fired a desperate pass downfield.

     Tatum and the pass met Fuqua at approximately the same time, and the force of the hit sent the ball ricocheting across the field. Tatum and some of the other Raiders began to celebrate. Bradshaw threw his helmet to the ground in despair. But as it turned out, they were premature.

     As Tatum clobbered Fuqua, the ball bounced back about seven yards for an apparent incompletion. But big running back Franco Harris had drifted out of the backfield and nonchalantly moved downfield. As the ball deflected, he raced forward and rescued it just before it hit the ground and, never breaking stride, dashed 60 yards for the most creative touchdown this side of Adelphia Coliseum.

     The Raiders were livid. Tatum argued that he didn't touch the ball, that the ball bounced off Fuqua and that the play was illegal (at the time the rule was that no two receivers could touch the ball consecutively on the same play), and Raiders coach John Madden chased an official, yelling, "no good, no good!"

     As it turned out, the officials weren't sure what had just happened - referee Fred Swearingen ducked into a stadium dugout and phoned upstairs to Art McNally, the NFL supervisor of officials. As far as anybody could tell, Tatum and Fuqua had touched the ball simultaneously. Swearingen ran back onto the field and signaled the touchdown.

     The Pittsburgh Steelers would, a week later, become the 16th victim in the Dolphins' perfect 17-0 season, but they had taken the first step toward four Super Bowl trophies.

   And what really occurred at Three Rivers Stadium? Instant replay wouldn't have helped the officials much in this case. The replay has been rewound a hundred times, and most viewers still aren't sure. Fuqua claims he's the only one who truly knows, and he's willing to divulge the secret - for the low, low price of $100,000.