Mike Tomlin humbled to coach in Immaculate Reception 50th anniversary game vs. Raiders

Mike Tomlin joked Tuesday that he was sitting in section 135 at Three Rivers Stadium on Dec. 23, 1972, when running back Franco Harris caught a ball above his shoe top and ran for a 60-yard touchdown to complete what has been voted the greatest play in NFL history.

In reality, Tomlin was about nine months old and nowhere near Pittsburgh when the Immaculate Reception turned an impending loss for the Steelers into a 13-7 victory against the Oakland Raiders that gave the franchise its first playoff win.

“I think it’s funny that, surprisingly, I probably met 75,000 people that were there that day,” Tomlin said with a laugh at his weekly news conference. “It’s just one of those beautiful things in the history of our game, and it’s just humbling to be in close proximity to it, to work for this organization, to understand its impact on this organization.”

That impact will be recognized this week. The Steelers will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception on Friday and then, in a fitting touch by the league’s schedule makers, host the Raiders on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium when Harris will have his No. 32 retired by the franchise.

Although Tomlin will be focused on trying to repeat history from 50 years ago by guiding the Steelers to a win over the Raiders, who now reside in Las Vegas, he can appreciate the sideshow that will take place surrounding the Immaculate Reception anniversary.

The play didn’t serve as an immediate springboard to franchise greatness — the Steelers lost the following week in the AFC championship game — but it provided a sense of confidence that carried through the rest of the decade. Beginning in 1974, the Steelers won four Super Bowl titles in six seasons, and Harris emerged as one of his generation’s best running backs in a career that led to his induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“It’s just an honor to be in proximity to it, to know the man involved, to call Pittsburgh home,” Tomlin said. “It’s awesome to be a part of and to witness, but at the same time, we understand that we’ve got to do business. We’ve got present-day business, and the best way we can honor him is by performing. So we’re going to work extremely hard to prepare ourselves leading up to it.”

During his 16 seasons as Steelers head coach, Tomlin has gotten to know Harris on a personal level. His wife, Kiya, also served on the board with Harris on The Pittsburgh Promise, which funds scholarships for urban youth.

“He’s just a special man,” Tomlin said. “Forget the player. Obviously, I never knew the player. I know the man. Just what an awesome representation of this organization, this community, a guy that embraces all the responsibility that comes with being him. I just admire his passion for Pittsburgh and young people.”

Tomlin said he hasn’t needed to educate his players about the importance of the Immaculate Reception to the organization or Harris’ impact in Steelers history. The play is widely available on social media, which is how most players of this era consume their information.

“That’s the funny thing about this generation of guys,” Tomlin said. “You can give them an oral history. You can tell them a story, and you can be really colorful in your delivery, all the while they’re looking at their handheld confirming it.

“They’re aware. They’re aware of Franco. They’re aware of the Immaculate Reception. They’re aware of the significance of it. I just think that they are aware of a lot of things that we think they aren’t because of their exposure to information and how readily available that information is.”