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I was going to write a column this week about all the strange games the Oakland / L.A. / Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders have played in throughout NFL history.
Last Sunday's game in Las Vegas continued that trend as the New England Patriots tried to score on a series of laterals as time was running out in a tie game. Instead, one of the laterals went awry and one of the Raiders linemen managed to intercept it and run over quarterback Mac Jones on the way to the winning score.
These two teams also played a memorable playoff game in the snow in 2004 when Tom Brady was just a youngster.
It seemed like the Raiders made another outstanding defensive play that caused Brady to fumble the ball away at a crucial time in the game. However, the referees used some obscure "tuck rule" to say that Brady was attempting to pass and the Patriots went on to win and advance in the playoffs toward its first Super Bowl win.
There were other weird Raider games: a "holy roller" play where Kenny "the Snake" Stabler fumbled forward and batted the ball into the end zone for his tight end to fall on for a win over the Chargers; a "sea of hands" where Stabler threw the ball up to avoid a sack and a running back picked it off in the end zone among a host of Dolphins defenders to end Miami's two-year Super Bowl reign.
And who could forget the "Heidi game" in 1968? That December day, the Raiders were playing Joe Namath and the Jets and the Raiders had a two-touchdown lead with two minutes to go and the NBC network decided to pull the plug on the game so that a children's program could begin at 7 p.m. sharp.
I was a kid back then and I didn't want to see "Heidi." I wondered what happened to Namath and the Raiders! Well, it turned out ole' Joe and the Jets scored 17 points in the last two minutes to beat the silver and black.
Then in late 1972, the Raiders were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Steelers' first-ever playoff game. The Raiders had trailed all game in a defensive battle but managed to take the lead with less than two minutes to go because of a 30-yard scramble by Stabler. Well, the Steelers looked like they were beaten and its storybook season would be over. But instead, a rookie running back from Penn State — a guy by the name of Franco Harris — managed to pick a deflected fourth-down pass off the ground and ramble 60 yards for the winning score.
On Dec. 23, 1972, the play would be forever christened as the "Immaculate Reception." Franco Harris would become the symbol of Steeler greatness -- that to the chagrin of Browns fans everywhere -- has continued for half a century.
This year, both the Browns and Steelers are struggling, and I was looking forward to seeing Franco again as ESPN was advertising the upcoming anniversary game of that "Immaculate Reception" to be played in Pittsburgh on the night of Dec. 24, 2022. I pondered whether the Raiders would get their revenge this Christmas Eve.
Then came Wednesday morning. On my way to work, I heard a stunned sports broadcaster blurt out the news that seemed improbable, given the timing of the event. Franco Harris, the Franco Harris who would be honored in a few days in Pittsburgh -- had passed away. I was both stunned and touched as that same broadcaster, who in recounting how Franco had been a father figure to him in his own playing days, broke down on air, begging to be excused from this difficult situation.
This tough-guy former linebacker -- a fellow Penn State grad named LaVar Arrington -- muddled through the broadcast with the class that Franco displayed every time he walked on the field.
You see, there are those superstars who play for teams that you are destined to hate, but can't help but admire the man because of his integrity, character, and grit. There's Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees, there's Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers, and of course, Magic Johnson of the LA Lakers. These guys transcend sports and make you think of better things.
Franco Harris was the same way… the hero to both African Americans and Italian American sports fans, which is quite a task in itself.
Harris had the personality, with the smile, and the gentle manner that made you want him to succeed. It was tough as a Browns fan to root against him. He represented everything that is good about sports and there are so few of these types of athletes who deserve to be role models.
May he rest in peace.
gvogrin@tribtoday.com