Pittsburgh Steelers: A Throwback to Their Playoff Quarterbacks

Terry Bradshaw
December 23, 1972 – AFC Divisional Game

The Steelers 24-year playoff drought ended thanks to the one and only Terry Bradshaw. Whether or not he could spell “cat” even if given the “c” and the “t”, Bradshaw could at least spell playoff appearance. Well, maybe not, because that’s a lot longer than cat, but you get the idea! Number 12 led Pittsburgh to nine playoff appearances, including eight in a row between 1972 and 1979—and we all know what happened in four of those years!

But after two seasons as the black and gold’s starting gunslinger, Bradshaw managed to lead Pittsburgh to the franchise’s first AFC Central Division title in 1972. And his first postseason game was against the dreaded Oakland Raiders.

On December 23rd, Three Rivers Stadium had over 50,000 witnesses to one of the greatest plays in NFL history: the Immaculate Reception.

But wait! I want to talk about Bradshaw’s playoff debut, so before you get all teary-eyed and nostalgic over the Immaculate Reception, let me remind you of Bradshaw’s performance.

Back before the league became so pass happy, running backs took over the field. Bradshaw was clearly the leader of the team, and he had to be to execute all 34 handoffs to Franco Harris and John Fuqua. But Bradshaw did have a presence through the air, and yes, one of those passes led to the great Immaculate Reception.

In the Steelers 13-7 victory over Oakland, Bradshaw completed 11 of his 25 passes for 175 yards with one touchdown and one interception—and yes, you know what that one touchdown pass was. He also briefly showed some ability on the ground, rushing for 19 yards on two attempts, including a 12-yard run.

Of course, the greatest achievement from the game, was something not even Bradshaw could really control. While Bradshaw showed his elusive ability to move throughout the backfield and avoid being sacked, he threw what was essentially a Hail Mary on fourth-and-10. He just flung that ball downfield, granted, right at Fuqua. Thanks to Jack Tatum’s shoulder pad, the ball was deflected and scooped up by Franco to become the winning touchdown.

What a finish to your playoff debut.

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