Steve Hickoff - The 50 Greatest Plays in Pittsburgh Steelers Football History

Copyright 2008 by Steve Hickoff

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, Triumph Books, 542 South Dearborn Street, Suite 750, Chicago, Illinois 60605.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hickoff, Steve, 1958

The 50 greatest plays in Pittsburgh Steelers football history / Steve Hickoff.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60078-105-6

ISBN-10: 1-60078-105-5

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (Football team)History. I. Title.

GV956.P57H53 2008

796.332640974886dc22

2008026870

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ISBN: 978-1-60078-105-6

Design by Sue Knopf

Page production by Patricia Frey

Photos courtesy of Getty Images except as otherwise noted.

This book is dedicated to my father, who, like other fans at the time, first watched the Pittsburgh Steelers at Forbes Field in the franchises early days and truly earned the Super Bowl glory years that followed.

November 5, 2007: James Harrisons tenacious tackle during a punt return linked the 2007 team with the classic Steel Curtain defense in more ways than one

January 12, 1975: Dwight Whites end-zone tackle in Super Bowl IX signaled the beginning of a Steelers dynasty

December 31, 1989: Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Gary Anderson drills a 50-yard field goal in overtime for a dramatic playoff win

November 8, 1981: Backup quarterback Mark Malones unlikely 90-yard scoring grab was one of the few Steelers highlights of the 1981 season

January 8, 2006: Steelers nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen rolls into the Bengals quarterback and changes the face of a wild-card game

November 11, 2007: Big Ben grinds out a dramatic 30-yard run to put the Steelers ahead, rallying from a down-in-the-trenches 15-point deficit

January 22, 2006: The Pittsburgh defense finishes the job in the 2005 AFC Championship Game, claiming Jake Plummers fumble for its own

September 24, 1978: Bradshaw to Bleier to Swann to Bradshaw to Cunningham: the Steelers overtime flea-flicker that shocked the Browns into submission

December 30, 1978: Bradshaws touchdown pass to Stallworth, a Denver fumble on the kickoff, a touchdown by Lynn SwannPittsburgh wins the 1978 AFC divisional playoff game

October 10, 1964: John Henry Johnson runs for a 45-yard touchdown to lead the Steelers to a 237 upset of their rivals, the Browns

October 31, 2004: New England had won 21 straight games until Tom Brady was hammered by the Steelers defense and gave up a costly pick

December 27, 1975: Linebacker Andy Russells big play after Jack Ham forced a fumble clinched a 1975 AFC divisional playoff win

November 30, 1952: A hard-nosed tackle forces third-string quarterback and future Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry out of the game

January 6, 1980: In the 1979 AFC Championship Game, the Steel Curtain defense held Earl Campbell to just 15 yards on 17 carries

October 26, 1997: Kordell Stewart connects on a shovel pass to Jerome Bettis, who runs 17 untouched yards for the touchdown and an overtime win

January 28, 1996: An unexpected onside kick with 11:20 left in Super Bowl XXX almost helps achieve a comeback win against the favored Cowboys

January 6, 1996: In a playoff win over the Bills, Norm Johnsons long field goal would be the highlight of a day when he put 16 points on the board himself

January 7, 1995: This second of two touchdown passes during the first half set the tone for a big 1994 AFC divisional playoff win

January 14, 1996: In the AFC Championship Game, Colts quarterback Jim Harbaughs end-zone-seeking bomb is broken up for an incompletion as time expires

November 15, 1993: The Steelers stop the Buffalo Bills high-octane, no-huddle offense by knocking Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, and Don Beebe out of the game

January 7, 1990: Merril Hoges second-quarter touchdown run wasnt enough to earn a victory in Chuck Nolls last postseason game

January 20, 2002: Offensive points balanced a great defensive showing in the first-ever Heinz Field playoff game

January 12, 1975: Game MVP Franco Harris matched a strong defensive effort with a third-quarter nine-yard scoring runPittsburghs first Super Bowl touchdown ever

January 18, 1976: In Super Bowl Xs fourth quarter, Pittsburghs Reggie Harrison blocked Mitch Hoopess puntwith his face

December 19, 1976: On the third play of a 1976 AFC divisional playoff game, Terry Bradshaw hit Frank Lewis for a long score in the 4014 win over Baltimore

September 13, 1942: Bill Dudleys up-the-middle trap play in his first NFL game started a memorable career

January 15, 2005: In an AFC divisional playoff game Jets kicker Doug Brien misses two key kicks, but Pittsburghs kicker connects for a 2017 win

December 29, 1974: The 1974 AFC Championship Game was tied, 1010, when Jack Ham provided a crucial momentum shift

December 29, 1996: Jerome Bettiss short touchdown runs topped off a 102-yard day for the Bus in an AFC wild-card victory over Indianapolis

December 13, 1997: Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewarts simple but effective screen pass goes for a 41-yard gain, setting up the winning overtime kick

December 13, 1975: Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert seemed to do it all in one key play as Pittsburgh clinched its third AFC Central title in four years

January 3, 1998: The Steelers defense made victory possible by stuffing the Patriots running game and holding New England to just two field goals

December 30, 1984: With the AFC divisional playoff game tied, the Steelers interception of John Elway sets up the winning touchdown

January 4, 1976: The green Three Rivers Stadium turf was covered with an icy, opaque crust that made footing difficult and kept the score lowat least initially

December 22, 1974: Rocky Bleiers touchdown catch led to a scoring outburst and a 1974 AFC divisional playoff win over the Buffalo Bills

October 23, 1954: This infamous Jim FinkstoElbie Nickel touchdown pass ranked as the franchises best play ever before the Immaculate Reception

January 15, 2006: At a crucial point in an AFC divisional playoff game versus the Indianapolis Colts, safety Troy Polamalus apparent interception was overturned on further review

December 30, 1979: The Steelers scored 20 points in the games first quarter to lock things up early

December 11, 2005: The Steelers won a snowy game against the Bears thanks largely to Jerome Bettiss unstoppable touchdown run over linebacker Brian Urlacher

January 5, 2003: Tommy Maddox leads Pittsburgh back from a 247 third-quarter deficit in a dramatic AFC wild-card win against the Browns

February 5, 2006: The longest running play in Super Bowl history, 75 yards, offered leverage in a game that threatened to go either way

December 10, 1972: The defensive tackle locked down the Houston Oilers in a one-man Steel Curtain performance that included five sacks, a blocked field goal, and a forced and recovered fumble