>> THREE RIVERS STADIUM, AN ETHNIC SEVENTH HEAVEN, WAS THE SETTING FOR THE AFC PLAYOFF GAME BETWEEN THE OAKLAND RAIDERS AND THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS. FOR THE LONG-SUFFERING STEELER FAITHFUL, EVERY MAN DECKED OUT IN BLACK AND GOLD IS WORTHY OF AN ARMY OR A REGIMENT AT THE LEAST. THE BRAIN BEHIND THE STEELERS' FIRST DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM IS HEAD COACH CHUCK NOLL, AND THE BACKBONE IS AN UNMATCHED FRONT FOUR CONSISTING OF HARD-CHARGING DWIGHT WHITE, ALL-PRO JOE GREENE, YOUNG L.C. GREENWOOD, VETERAN BEN McGEE, AND ROOKIE RESERVES ERNIE HOLMES AND STEVE FURNESS. THIS UNIT ALLOWED THE SECOND-FEWEST POINTS IN THE NFL AND WOULD FACE A STERN TEST IN THE HIGH-SCORING OAKLAND RAIDERS. THE RAIDERS FINISHED STRONG IN THE AFC WEST BY WINNING THEIR FINAL SIX GAMES, AND FOR THE LAST DECADE THEY'VE BEEN THE WINNINGEST TEAM IN PRO FOOTBALL. HOWEVER, SINCE 1968, THE YEAR THEY LOST TO THE PACKERS IN THE SUPER BOWL, THE RAIDERS HAVE NOT MANAGED TO WIN THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP, AND LAST YEAR THE SILVER AND BLACK EVEN FAILED TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. SO THE 1972 SEASON WAS DEDICATED TO ERASING THOSE BLEMISHES, BUT IN THEIR FIRST GAME, THEY MET THESE SAME STEELERS IN THIS STADIUM AND LOST, 34-28. THE HERO FOR PITTSBURGH IN THAT GAME 14 WEEKS AGO WAS QUARTERBACK TERRY BRADSHAW, WHO RUSHED FOR TWO TOUCHDOWNS. BOTH OF TERRY'S TOUCHDOWNS CAME ON THE SAME PLAY, THE QUARTERBACK DRAW, AS THE STEELERS RACED TO A QUICK AND SEEMINGLY INSURMOUNTABLE LEAD. BUT IN THE FINAL QUARTER, THE RAIDERS RALLIED BEHIND THE STRONG-ARMED BOMBING OF QUARTERBACK DARYLE LAMONICA. LAMONICA THREW TWO SCORING PASSES TO ROOKIE MIKE SIANI AS OAKLAND CLOSED FURIOUSLY BUT LOST, 34-28. NOW, AFTER 14 WEEKS OF HARD HITS, LONG PASSES, TWISTING RUNS, AND GLORIOUS VICTORIES, THE SEASON HAD COME FULL CIRCLE AS THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS AND OAKLAND RAIDERS MET AGAIN IN THE NFL GAME OF THE WEEK. >> FROM THE OPENING WHISTLE, THE RAIDERS RAN AWAY FROM MEAN JOE GREENE AND HAMMERED AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STEELER DEFENSE. TIME AND AGAIN, QUARTERBACK DARYLE LAMONICA HANDED OFF TO NUMBER 44, MARV HUBBARD, A 1,000-YARD RUSHER, WHO RAN THROUGH PITTSBURGH ARM TACKLES FOR SMALL BUT CONSISTENT GAINS. EVEN THOUGH THEY RAN AWAY FROM GREENE, OAKLAND REALLY RAN TO THEIR STRENGTH, WHICH WAS BASED ON NUMBER 78, ALL-PRO TACKLE ART SHELL, WHO DEFEATED NUMBER 78, DWIGHT WHITE, EARLY AND OFTEN. WHEN LAMONICA FINALLY TRIED TO CHALLENGE THE NFL'S PREMIER PASS DEFENSE, HE WAS INTERCEPTED BY LINEBACKER ANDY RUSSELL, NUMBER 34. THE VETERAN RUSSELL IS THE GLUE THAT HOLDS THE STEELERS' STINGY DEFENSE TOGETHER. ON HIS INTERCEPTION, LAMONICA ROLLED LEFT, HOPING TO DENY JOE GREENE'S FEROCIOUS, STRAIGHT-AHEAD CHARGE. BUT DARYLE LOADED AND RELOADED ONCE TOO OFTEN, AND THE ALERT RUSSELL PICKED OFF HIS MISGUIDED PASS. BUT THE STEELERS WERE UNABLE TO CAPITALIZE AS TERRY BRADSHAW'S THIRD-DOWN SCRAMBLE FELL ONE YARD SHORT OF A FIRST DOWN. WITH THE BALL ON THE OAKLAND 44, PITTSBURGH CALLED ON PLACEKICKER ROY GERELA, THE FANS' FAVORITE FOLK HERO, BUT DURING A GAME CERTAINLY THE LONELIEST MAN IN THREE RIVERS STADIUM. GERELA'S 52-YARD ATTEMPT FELL WOEFULLY SHORT, AND THE GAME'S FIRST SCORING OPPORTUNITY WAS ABORTED. LED BY JOE GREENE, THEIR FEARSOME LEADER, THE STEELERS SWARMED AND CONVERGED ON RUNNING BACK CHARLIE SMITH, WHO GOT THE WORST OF THE HEAD KNOCKING. THE LONGEST PASSING GAIN LAMONICA COULD MUSTER IN THE FIRST HALF WAS AN 11-YARDER TO FRED BILETNIKOFF, WHO MADE AN ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE CATCH. FOR MOST OF THE FIRST QUARTER, LAMONICA'S PROTECTIVE POCKET WAS INUNDATED BY A WAVE OF BLACK SHIRTS, WHO STYMIED HIS HOPES FOR THE LONG BOMB AND BEGRUDGED HIM EVERY SHORT GAIN. AFTER ONE QUARTER, OAKLAND WAS WHEEZING WHILE FRANCO'S ARMY WAS READY TO ROAR. ITH THE GAME SCOR, BRADSHAW BEGAN MOVING PITTSBURGH WITH QUICK PASSES TO SURE-HANDED RON SHANKLIN, NUMBER 25. SHANKLIN SCOOPED UP A LOW PASS, THEN MADE A HIGH-HANDED RECEPTION OVER THE STRAINING ARMS OF CORNERBACK NEMIAH WILSON. WITH IT FOURTH AND 2 AT OAKLAND'S 31, THE STEELERS DISDAINED A FIELD GOAL AND CAME UP EMPTY WHEN FRENCHY FUQUA WAS STUCK HARD BY JACK TATUM, NUMBER 31. ANOTHER LOOK SHOWS THAT TATUM CAME UP HARD AND FAST FROM HIS SHALLOW FREE SAFETY POSITION TO BUTT HEADS WITH FUQUA. TATUM'S BOLD PLAY SET THE TENOR FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE HALF AS OAKLAND'S YOUNG BUT TESTED DEFENSE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN THE POTENT STEELER OFFENSE. IF ONE MAN OUT OF OAKLAND'S 11 ANGRY MEN COULD BE SINGLED OUT, IT WAS NUMBER 60, DEFENSIVE TACKLE OTIS SISTRUNK. SISTRUNK, A ROOKIE FREE AGENT WITH NO COLLEGE EXPERIENCE, PURSUED AND BEAT DOWN STEELER RUNNERS FROM SIDELINE TO SIDELINE. THROUGHOUT THE FIRST HALF, SISTRUNK, ABETTED BY THE ROBUST CHARGE OF NUMBER 84, TONY CLINE, MANAGED TO FRUSTRATE BRADSHAW INTO DOLEFUL LOSSES. WITH BRADSHAW FLAT ON HIS BACK, OAKLAND LEFT THE FIELD AS IT HAD ENTERED IT, DEADLOCKED IN A SCORELESS TIE WITH THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS. THE HALF-TID OFF THE FIELD, THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS CHARGED ON WITH A REVISED GAME PLAN DESIGNED TO BREAK THE SCORELESS DEADLOCK. TERRY BRADSHAW BEGAN TO THROW SHORT PASSES UNDER THE OAKLAND SECONDARY, AND AT FIRST HE USED HIS RUNNING BACK FRANCO HARRIS AS HIS PRIMARY RECEIVER. WITH ALMOST THE ENTIRE OAKLAND DEFENSE KEYING ON FRANCO, BRADSHAW WENT TO NUMBER 25, RON SHANKLIN, FOR A BIG FIRST DOWN. THE PASS GOT THE STEELERS IN CLOSE, AND IT WAS ROY GERELA WHO FINALLY PUT THE FIRST POINTS OF THE GAME ON THE BOARD. ALTHOUGH GERELA'S FOLLOW-THROUGH WAS RATHER POOR, HIS ACCURACY WAS NOT AS HIS 18-YARDER MADE IT STEELERS, 3, RAIDERS, 0. BUT WHILE THE FIELD GOAL WAS GOOD TO HAVE, BOTH THE STEELER FANS AND PLAYERS KNEW IT WOULDN'T BE ENOUGH AGAINST OAKLAND, AND ONCE AGAIN THE BURDEN OF PRESERVATION FELL ON THE WROUGHT-IRON STEELER DEFENSE. NUMBER 23, CHARLIE SMITH, FELT THE SLASHING POWER OF THE STEELER STOPPERS, AND THE RAIDERS HAD TO GIVE UP THE BALL ON THEIR VERY FIRST SET OF DOWNS IN THE THIRD PERIOD. BUT FOR EVERY GREAT DEFENSIVE PLAY MADE BY THE GOLD AND BLACK, THERE WAS A PARALLEL IN SILVER AND BLACK. NUMBER 84, TONY CLINE, LED THE OAKLAND FRONT FOUR AS HE BLEW BY NUMBER 72, GERRY MULLINS, AND FLIPPED BRADSHAW LIKE A RAG DOLL. AND SO IT WENT THROUGHOUT THE THIRD QUARTER, A SEESAW BATTLE OF DEFENSES, WITH ROY GERELA'S 3-POINTER WEIGHING EVER HEAVIER IN PITTSBURGH'S FAVOR. LATE IN THE QUARTER, DARYLE LAMONICA GOT A LITTLE SOMETHING GOING AS HE HIT RAY CHESTER FOR 19 YARDS. BUT THE DRIVE WAS THWARTED WHEN A TIPPED PASS ENDED UP IN THE HANDS OF DOUBLE-ZERO JIM OTTO, WHOSE RUN CAME UP ONE YARD SHORT OF A MUCH-NEEDED FIRST DOWN. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FOURTH PERIOD, BRADSHAW TRIED TO WORK ON OAKLAND'S NEMIAH WILSON, NUMBER 48, AS HE HAD BEEN DOING WITH MANY OF HIS PASSES, BUT WILSON HUNG IN THERE AND REFUSED TO BE STUNG. BRADSHAW CONTINUED HAVING TROUBLE FINDING HIS RECEIVERS AND RAN INTO OAKLAND'S ART THOMS, NUMBER 80, WHO TRIPPED TERRY UP TO FORCE THE STEELERS TO TURN OVER THE BALL. AND ONCE AGAIN IT WAS UP TO THE STEELER DEFENSIVE CORPS LED BY LINEBACKER ANDY RUSSELL AND HIS RAIDERS. ON THIS PLAY, LAMONICA'S LONG PASS FOR BILETNIKOFF WAS BALL-HAWKED BY NUMBER 59, LINEBACKER JACK HAM. A REPLAY SHOWS THAT LAMONICA'S THROW WAS WAY OFF THE MARK, AND ALTHOUGH THE STEAL DIDN'T LEAD TO A PITTSBURGH SCORE, IT DID LEAD TO THE DEMISE OF DARYLE. SO YOUNG KENNY STABLER CAME IN AT QUARTERBACK FOR OAKLAND AND FOUND OUT WHERE DARYLE HAD GOTTEN THAT SHELL-SHOCKED LOOK. AND AS KEN STABLER LOOKED UP FROM THE FLOOR OF THE STADIUM, HE SAW THE PITTSBURGH FANS PAYING WELL-DESERVED TRIBUTE TO THEIR IRON MEN. BUT EVERY TIME THE PITTSBURGH DEFENSE PUT THE RAIDERS DOWN, THE RAIDERS WOULD TURN AROUND AND PRACTICE THE TOOTH-FOR-A-TOOTH SYNDROME. BRADSHAW CONTINUED TO TRY TO BURN NEMIAH WILSON AND ENDED UP GETTING SCORCHED HIMSELF AS WILSON SLICED IN AND STOLE A FORCED PASS. ANOTHER LOOK AT THE SAME PLAY SHOWS THAT NUMBER 41, PHIL VILLAPIANO, FORCED BRADSHAW'S HAND, WHICH THEN PLAYED RIGHT INTO WILSON'S HANDS. BUT ONCE AGAIN THE RAIDERS COULD NOT CAPITALIZE AS KENNY STABLER RAMBLED AROUND WITH ALL DAY TO THROW, FINALLY HAD THE BALL KNOCKED FROM HIS GRASP, AND ENDED UP TURNING IT OVER TO STEELER SAFETY MIKE WAGNER, NUMBER 23. THE TURNOVER WAS COSTLY BECAUSE PITTSBURGH WAS ABLE TO CAPITALIZE AS THE LEADER OF ALL THE "GORILLAS" MADE IT 6-0 WITH TIME MOST CERTAINLY BECOMING A FACTOR. BUT KENNY STABLER IS NOT CALLED "THE SNAKE" FOR NOTHING, FOR HE IS A COLD-BLOODED, CALCULATING, COOL YOUNG QUARTERBACK. TIME SLIPPED ONWARD, AND STABLER DROVE DOWNFIELD. HE HIT RAY CHESTER FOR ONE FIRST DOWN. HE HIT PETE BANASZAK ON A SCREEN FOR ANOTHER FIRST DOWN. HE WENT TO BILETNIKOFF FOR STILL ANOTHER. WITH 1:57 LEFT, THE DRIVE FALTERED AS A STABLER PRESSURED, SWIRLING THROW AND A RAY CHESTER SWAN DIVE CAME UP WITH NOTHING. AND WHO KNOWS WHAT AGONIES A COACH SUFFERS AT TIMES LIKE THIS? SO WHILE RAIDER COACH JOHN MADDEN FRETTED, KEN STABLER STAYED CALM AND CRANKED THE DRIVE UP AGAIN ON A COMPLETION TO MIKE SIANI. THEN WITH EVERYONE IN TOWN KNOWING THAT STABLER HAD TO THROW, KENNY EVADED PRESSURE, CIRCLED OUT OF THE POCKET, SAW 30 YARDS OF DAYLIGHT, AND RAN FOR IT. AND SO A YOUNG-MAWED ICEMAN HAD SAVED THE DAY JUST BEFORE SUNDOWN CAME. A REPLAY OF THE TOUCHDOWN SHOWS STABLER UNDER PRESSURE AND ALSO SHOWS THAT ONCE HE MADE IT TO THE SIDELINE, IT WAS A LONG WAY TO THE NEAREST STEELER DEFENDER. AND SO IT SEEMED THAT ONCE AGAIN THOSE PRIDEFUL, POISEFUL, MIRACULOUS RAIDERS HAD PULLED OUT ANOTHER BIG ONE AS OAKLAND WENT AHEAD WITH 1:13 LEFT IN THE GAME, 7-6. DOWN TO THEIR LAST MINUTE OF THE SEASON, THE STEELERS TRIED DESPERATELY TO WORK THE BALL INTO FIELD-GOAL RANGE. TIME-OUTS AND SECONDS DRIBBLED AWAY. WHAT DOES A COACH SAY TO HIS QUARTERBACK WHEN THERE ARE NO ACES LEFT IN THE DECK? CERTAINLY NO ONE PLANNED WHAT WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. 26 SECONDS. A BRADSHAW DESPERATION HEAVE WAS SLAPPED AWAY BY OAKLAND'S JACK TATUM. 22 SECONDS. FOURTH AND 10. BALL ON THEIR OWN 40. AND YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT. BRADSHAW WAS UNDER HEAVY PRESSURE. HE RAN, HE THREW, AND HIS PASS TO FRENCHY FUQUA WAS SMACKED AWAY BY TATUM RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF FRANCO HARRIS, WHO ROARED DOWN THE SIDELINE INTO THE END ZONE AND DEEPER INTO THE HEARTS OF THOUSANDS OF STEELER LOVERS. FROM ANOTHER ANGLE, WE CAN SEE THAT ONE STROKE OF LUCK, THAT ONE MOMENT OF POISE, THAT ONE BOUNCE OF THE BALL THAT SPELLS THE END FOR ONE TEAM AND GIVES ANOTHER LIFE. AND IF ONE PLAYER WAS DESTINED TO MAKE THE PLAY OF THE STEELER SEASON, WHO BETTER THAN FRANCO HARRIS, THE MAN WHO IN ONE SEASON IS PRESSING GEORGE BLANDA FOR THE "MIRACLE WORKER OF THE DECADE" TITLE? AND IF ONE TEAM AND ITS OWNER HAD TO BE THE SENTIMENTAL FAVORITES, WHO BETTER THAN THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS AND THEIR POPULAR 73-YEAR-OLD OWNER ART ROONEY? THE TOWN, THE TEAM, AND ITS TOP DOG WAITED 40 YEARS FOR A TITLE, AND FROM THE LOOKS OF THINGS, THEY PLANNED TO GO ON WINNING AND ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE OF IT. YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY, BUT YOU FINALLY MADE IT, SO LET IT ALL HANG OUT. THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 13, THE OAKLAND RAIDERS, 7. --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF">
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