Fanning the flames: Raiders, Steelers renew storied rivalry

The animus betwixt the Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers really began connected the eve of Dec. 23, 1972.

Outside Oakland’s squad edifice the nighttime earlier the teams played successful the AFC divisional playoffs astatine Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium, a frothy, rabid assemblage comprised of Steelers fans awaited Raiders players arsenic they departed their squad autobus — anxious to jeer and taunt their adversaries.

The assemblage was truthful unruly that the Raiders needed a constabulary escort from the autobus to the lobby.

“They were supposedly keeping the fans distant from us. And the fans are jumping successful and talking smack,” said erstwhile Raiders choky extremity Raymond Chester. “In immoderate benignant of way, immoderate fans breached our lines.” His backup, Bob Moore, was engulfed by the chaos.

One of the constabulary officers tasked with protecting the Raiders mistook Moore for a instrumentality and bashed him atop the caput with his nightstick, opening a gash that would necessitate stitches and bounds his availability for the crippled the pursuing afternoon.

“It was horrible. (Coach John) Madden was furious. Al Davis was furious,” said Chester, a four-time Pro Bowl honoree. “It virtually transformed the crippled into a bloodbath. We were furious astir it.”

And adjacent much furious aft the Immaculate Reception.

The brushwood extracurricular the edifice that nighttime acceptable the code for a rivalry that would travel to specify the decade, featuring immoderate of the game’s top players — on with brutal, savage playoff matchups successful 5 consecutive seasons and 1 of the astir memorable moments successful NFL history.

The tenor of the rivalry has changed with the times and the rules, nary longer featuring the gratuitous unit that erstwhile mostly defined the NFL. But the legendary franchises volition renew it connected Sunday astatine Heinz Field, having not forgotten astir the shared past betwixt them.

“It’s truly chill erstwhile you’re retired determination and you spot the Steeler uniform, the Raider uniform,” Raiders manager Jon Gruden said. “It brings backmost immoderate of the top games I could retrieve arsenic a kid.”

‘Immaculate Deception?’

The assemblage astatine Three Rivers Stadium was adjacent much ravenous that Saturday afternoon, making each effort to intimidate the Raiders — and the referees. Chester said helium heard fans endanger officials. A emblematic occurrence astatine immoderate stadiums, helium surmised, but surely not thing that Oakland had experienced to that point.

A antiaircraft conflict ensued. With the Raiders starring 7-6, connected the game’s last play, what the NFL Network deemed successful 2019 arsenic the No. 1 infinitesimal successful NFL past occurred.

Steelers backmost Terry Bradshaw dropped backmost to survey the field, eluding a brace of Oakland walk rushers arsenic helium rolled to his right. He fired a desperation propulsion downfield to moving backmost John “Frenchy” Fuqua, who was leveled by Raiders information Jack Tatum the infinitesimal the shot arrived.

It caromed into the aerial and into Harris’ outstretched arms earlier it deed the grass. He sprinted down the near sideline for what appeared to beryllium the game-winning touchdown arsenic clip expired.

Fans rushed the tract successful jubilation portion the Raiders waited for the officials to regularisation connected the play.

“The brainsick happening is, astir of america didn’t adjacent cognize what was going on,” said erstwhile Raiders linebacker Phil Villapiano, who was covering Harris connected that play. “We’re not truthful definite if helium caught it oregon not. No instant replay successful those days. … John Madden is going brainsick connected the sidelines. And we’re similar ‘What’s helium going brainsick about?’ ”

Well, astatine that time, the rules forbade violative players from catching and advancing passes deflected by their teammates. The primitive replay systems successful spot didn’t supply the elaborate reappraisal that modern replay allows, leaving the onus connected the officials to marque the due call.

All the while, spectators surrounded the playing aboveground acceptable to respond 1 mode oregon another.

“You had the feeling that they were waiting to conscionable attack,” Chester said. “The assemblage was truthful convulsive and truthful pro Pittsburgh that I tin honestly accidental the officials were terrified. I deliberation they made the telephone that was successful the champion involvement of their health.”

Touchdown.

The Raiders vacated the field, returning to what Chester described arsenic a “horrible” ambiance successful the locker room. Tom Flores was successful his archetypal twelvemonth connected Madden’s unit arsenic the wide receivers and choky ends manager and offered a akin recollection.

“It was quiet. It was astir soundlessness similar idiosyncratic had passed away,” Flores said. “(Madden) was visibly upset. He was beauteous demonstrative for astir of the time. There wasn’t thing helium could do. It was a agelong travel home.”

Before the Raiders departed, Fuqua stopped by their locker country to talk to Chester, his teammate successful assemblage astatine Morgan State.

“He leans implicit and says, ‘The shot deed me. I deed the ball,’ ” said Chester, who jokingly referred to the play arsenic the Immaculate Deception. “Obviously, he’s ne'er told anybody other that. He whitethorn person said it successful jest, oregon thing similar that, but that’s precisely what helium told maine erstwhile we were leaving the game.”

Fuel for the fire

The Immaculate Reception served to motivate the Raiders if thing else. They knew they’d person to spell done the almighty Steelers to scope their eventual goal.

They played Pittsburgh 5 consecutive years successful the postseason, inactive an NFL record.

They mislaid 17-9 to the Steelers during the 1973 regular play but exacted their revenge successful the postseason with a 33-14 location triumph successful the divisional round.

“Every crippled we played against them, the rivalry would get much intense,” said Villapiano, besides a four-time Pro Bowler. “All we wanted to bash was bushed those guys up. … It was ne'er a mean game.”

The rules permitted for much carnal play, and some teams would instrumentality afloat advantage, equipped with Pro Football Hall of Fame talent.

Villapiano said different games were casual compared to those against the Steelers. Bradshaw claimed that thing “gathered my attraction for a afloat week” similar a location crippled versus Oakland.

“On the road, I didn’t slumber due to the fact that they were truthful dominant. What an awesome, implicit shot team,” Bradshaw said. “They were beauteous overmuch conscionable similar the Steelers.You knew it was going to beryllium a hard crippled to win.”

The Raiders scored a 17-0 roadworthy triumph implicit Pittsburgh aboriginal successful the 1974 season, lone to autumn 24-13 astatine location successful the AFC Championship to the Steelers, who went connected to triumph their archetypal Super Bowl. They didn’t play Pittsburgh during the 1975 regular season, but fell again successful the AFC Championship arsenic the Steelers rolled to their 2nd consecutive Super Bowl.

“They were the squad to beat,” Flores said.

And yet successful 1976, they were the squad the Raiders did beat.

Oakland stacked victories that year, clinching the AFC West earlier a showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals successful the penultimate crippled of the regular season. Had the Raiders laid down, the Bengals would person won the AFC Central, thereby preventing the Steelers from qualifying for the postseason.

But Madden wouldn’t let it, telling the squad that “I’ve been proceeding a batch of BS this week astir america laying down. We don’t laic down. We travel successful the beforehand door. We’re going to instrumentality these boys down tonight.”

They rolled to a 35-20 triumph that yet allowed the Steelers to triumph the part and suffice for the playoffs. In the playoffs, the Raiders cruised to a 24-7 triumph implicit their rivals en way to the archetypal Super Bowl triumph successful franchise history.

That made it adjacent sweeter successful 1976 erstwhile the Raiders cruised to a 24-7 triumph implicit the Steelers en way to the archetypal Super Bowl triumph successful franchise history.

“I don’t deliberation it would person been the aforesaid had we not beaten them connected the mode to the Super Bowl,” Villapiano said. “When you got the Raiders and Steelers, it was going to beryllium a war. There was nary prettiness. There was nary faking. That was the mentality of the NFL.”

Remembering the rivalry

In hindsight, the rivalry betwixt the Raiders and Steelers was rooted successful respect arsenic overmuch arsenic thing else. Sure, those games were much carnal than usual, adjacent by the standards of that era.

But that was simply a byproduct of the stakes of those games and the endowment connected the field.

”It was a conflict for the baddest guys successful the neighborhood. Who was the toughest,” Chester said. “It was the epitome of situation and anticipation and war. And we loved it. … We afloat intended to play arsenic hard and arsenic unsmooth and pugnacious arsenic we were susceptible of doing, but I don’t deliberation anybody had thing successful their bosom wherever they wanted to spot anybody earnestly injured oregon hurt.”

Chester remains friends with erstwhile Pittsburgh prima defenders Joe Greene and Mel Blount. Villapiano said he’s attending the crippled Sunday with Harris.

The rivalry fizzled amid roster and unit changes, with the 2 teams falling successful and retired of contention astatine assorted points successful the past 45 years. Their past postseason clash followed the 1983 season, a 38-10 Raiders’ triumph successful the divisional circular that preceded the franchise’s past Super Bowl victory.

They’re 3-3 against Pittsburgh successful the postseason and clasp a 16-13 borderline overall.

Gruden was successful nary temper to bask successful the the nostalgia connected Friday, though helium did concisely wage homage to the Immaculate Reception and the droves of players present enshrined successful the Pro Football Hall of Fame that participated successful the rivalry erstwhile it was astatine its peak.

Raiders backmost Derek Carr had a small much to say.

“We’ve had our just stock of battles successful my career, too,” Carr said, including a 24-21 triumph during the 2018 season successful the astir caller gathering betwixt the storied franchises.

“As a shot fan, I’m honored that I get to adjacent measurement connected the tract astatine Heinz Field and get to play against these guys,” Carr said. “It’s chill for maine arsenic a fan, but arsenic a rival you privation to … triumph the game.”

Contact newsman Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected Twitter.