Thanks to Youtube,I just watched the entire 1979 AFC championship game between the Steelers and Oilers.
It was really great to watch this old footage from NBC and old channel 11 WIIC (remember them?) Well, I don't specifically, but I do remember the commercials announcing the switch to WPXI. I don't know what the big deal is about call-letters, and what could be gained by changing them, but I guess it was pretty big news 30 years ago.
Whoever uploaded this video even left in the original commercials which were tremendous. OJ Simpson was a big spokesperson back then. Little did we know what his future would hold.
Anyway, back to the big game. It was a fantastic battle and the second-straight year the two teams would meet with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line (Pittsburgh won 34-5 in 1978.) It was very hard-hitting and reminded me a lot of the Steelers/Ravens AFC title game from two seasons ago.
Some things from this game:
-Terry Bradshaw was a machine in this era. I know he had his share of turnovers, but after the rule changes in '77 or '78, the Steelers passing game was a thing of beauty. The running game and the defense were still strong, but the passing attack was the most dominant part of the team during that time. I own the dvd of the 70's Super Bowls and there is a huge difference in Bradshaw from the first two Super Bowls to the last two. Heck, even those teams of the early 80's may have won another title or two if the defense hadn't aged so quickly. The offense was almost automatic at that point. But that happens in sports.
-Speaking of that Steelers running attack, it wasn't dominant in this game, necessarily, but they got some big yards when they needed it by Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. Bradshaw routinely called running plays on 3rd and 5 or 6 in this game and a good deal of the time, the plays actually worked. Like Bleier's game-sealing touchdown run on 3rd and goal from the 3 or 4 yardline. A different place and time, for sure.
-I thought it was interesting that Bleier wasn't listed as a starter at halfback, but he played the majority of the time and made some critical plays throughout. I guess when it came to crunch time, Noll was more comfortable with The Rock.
-Of course, we can't talk about the 1979 AFC championship game without mentioning the controversial play that everyone who knows anything about this old rivarly often brings up. With the Oilers trailing, 17-10, late in the 3rd quarter, Houston had the ball 1st and goal when quarterback Dan Pastorini appeared to hit receiver Mike Renfro for a touchdown pass in the back-corner of the endzone. Renfro looked to have both feet in bounds with possession of the ball. The official closest to the play was shielded and didn't make a call. After a short discussion, they ruled it incomplete. The NBC announcers, Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen, couldn't believe it. The Oilers REALLY couldn't believe it. They showed the play from every possible angle and it really did look like a good catch. I remember reading a pictorial book by Pat Livingston where he stated that he thought Renfro was bobbling the ball, but I didn't see that at all. It was a good catch and a touchdown. This play is often cited as one of the reasons why instant replay was eventually instituted in the league. In fact, the announcers talked a great deal about the possibility of someday having instant replay. Unfortunately for Houston, they were screwed out of a touchdown in this instance. It's ok, though, because the game would only have been tied and the Steelers would have gone on to win 27-17 instead of 27-13.
-The Steelers' defense was the reason for that. Other than an interception return for a touchdown, the Oilers could only muster two field goals the entire day. The defense completely shut down running back Earl Campbell. I don't remember how many yards he had, but for the longest time, it was negative yardage.
-During a break in the game, they showed Willie Stargell sitting in the stands. And the funny part was that he was sitting in peanut heaven, back behind the enzdone! Pops sitting in the nose-bleed section at Three Rivers? Wasn't he the toast of the town that year after leading the Pirates to a World Series title? Surely, he could have had a nice, cushy seat in a luxury box.
-And what was with the parked cars inside Three Rivers Stadium during that time period? I remember seeing those cars all throughout the 80's and could never figure out why they were there. Can anyone shed any light on this for me?
-Three Rivers was rocking for this game! Those fans were magnificent. That place was loud. For as bad as TRS might have been for baseball, it was perfect for the Steelers. I can just picture what it must have been like for opposing players to arrive there knowing they'd have to face the likes of Mean Joe, Lambert and Blount. And not to mention the crazy fans who never missed an opportunity to let the enemy know that they were in their house.
-When the game was over, the fans just rushed the field. Why were fans allowed to run on the field during the 70's? People would just converge on the field after every big win and it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't just in Pittsburgh, it was everywhere in sports during the 70's. Today, if even one person runs onto the field, he gets choke-slammed by James Harrison. I sometimes wish I was 10 or 15 years older so I could have been out there rushing the field with my fellow Steeler Nation brethren. Three Rivers was the place to be back then.
-My only criticism of this youtube footage was the lack of post-game coverage. It had the players coming into the locker room hugging and high-fiving, and even throwing some of their equipment into shopping carts which I thought was hysterical. Can you imagine using shopping carts in NFL locker rooms today? Gotta love the past.
-I don't recall seeing the game footage ever, other than on NFL films clips, but for some reason, I remembered Bradshaw coming into the locker room and taking off his shoulder pads. Super Bowl XIV against the Rams was my first recollection of watching sports, but I had to have been watching this game. I just don't remember anything about it.
Anyway, it was nice to see this old footage, really for the first time. As I said, I own the Super Bowls from the 70's, but there are games like this one that I always wanted to watch. Someday, I hope to find video footage of the playoff game against Denver in '84 and the Wildcard game against Houston in '89. Hopefully, there are even bigger nerds than me out there who will upload them onto Youtube. Cleveland doesn't rock, but Youtube does!
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