With the Pittsburgh Steelers planning to honor Franco Harris Saturday, a radio caller in New Jersey took a different route in remembering the running back.
"I feel bad for the guy dying … That was an illegal catch," Louie said.
Franco Harris, left, and John Fuqua, former running backs for the Pittsburgh Steelers, wave Terrible Towels before a game between the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field Dec. 23, 2012, in Pittsburgh.The widespread belief — and the call made on the field — is the pass deflected off Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum, but there is also widespread contention that the ball actually hit off the Steelers' John Fuqua.
Back then, a batted ball by an offensive player could not be advanced by another offensive player. By rule, only the first offensive player to touch the ball was eligible to make a catch, unless a defender touched it afterward. "I'm 79, I remember it. [Raiders defensive back] Jack Tatum did not touch the ball," Louie said, suggesting Fuqua touched the ball, and only he should have been eligible to catch the ball and advance it., initially believed the ball touched Tatum but later said he would"never know for sure what happened." Tatum himself, while initially stating the ball never touched him, later acknowledged he wasn't sure.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' Franco Harris eludes a tackle by the Oakland Raiders' Jimmy Warren as he runs 42 yards for a touchdown after catching a deflected pass during an AFC divisional playoff game in Pittsburgh Dec. 23, 1972.
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