Maybe they should call it the immaculate reunion.
Franco Harris and John "Frenchy" Fuqua will commemorate the 20th anniversary of one of the most famous plays in NFL history - the "Immaculate Reception" - at the Minnesota Vikings-Pittsburgh Steelers game Sunday.Harris' 60-yard touchdown on a pass that was deflected by either Fuqua, Oakland Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum - or both - on Pittsburgh's last play from scrimmage gave the Steelers a 13-7 playoff victory on Dec. 23, 1972.
The play has been voted as the most memorable in NFL history by several media panels and is still debated to this day. If Fuqua actually deflected the pass, as many former Raiders still claim, the reception should have been disallowed because NFL rules then prohibited a player from tipping a pass to a teammate.
"It's still the question I am asked wherever I go: Was the play legal?" Harris said.
Harris, then a rookie, caught the ball a few inches off the ground at the Raiders' 42-yard line and scored after fending off defensive back Jimmy Warren at the 10.
It was the first playoff victory in the Steelers' 40-year history.
Highlights of the game will be shown Sunday on the Three Rivers Stadium scoreboard and life-size cardboard cutouts of the four principals on the play - quarterback Terry Bradshaw, Fuqua, Tatum and Harris - will be placed on the same spot on the field where the play occurred.
Harris and Fuqua will serve as the Steelers' honorary captains Sunday.