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Lot # 1214: 1972 Steve Davis Pittsburgh Steelers Game Worn Jersey from Immaculate Reception (Photo-Matched)

Category: Football

Starting Bid: $500.00

Bids: 16 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "2023 Spring Classic",
which ran from 4/2/2023 7:00 PM to
4/22/2023 10:00 PM



Offered is the photo matched Steve Davis Pittsburgh Steelers jersey that was worn during the "Immaculate Reception Game" on Dec. 23, 1972, a playoff game that NFL Films deemed the best game and the most controversial game of all-time. Steve Davis was a running back who played five NFL seasons. He was with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972-74 and the New York Jets from 1975-76. Offered is the photo-matched Pittsburgh Steelers jersey that was worn during the "Immaculate Reception Game." Davis played in 65 NFL games, starting 15, and he rushed 322 times for 1,305 yards, a 4.1-yard average per carry and nine touchdowns. He also caught 33 passes for 301 yards, for a 9.1-yard average per catch and two touchdowns. In the 1972 season, Davis rushed 20 times for 85 yards, a 4.25 average with one touchdown and he caught 1 pass for 5 yards. Davis played in the "Immaculate Reception Game," a first round AFC playoff game between his Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium, but he did not have a carry or a pass reception. In the famous game, Pittsburgh was trailing Oakland by a score of 7-6 and the Steelers had the ball with a fourth down on their own 40-yard line with 22 seconds left in the game. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw tried a pass to John "Frenchy" Fuqua and Fuqua collided with Jack Tatum, an Oakland safety. The ball hit off Tatum's helmet, and Franco Harris, the Pittsburgh fullback trailed the play, and as he was taught by Joe Paterno, his coach at Penn State, he went for the ball. Harris scooped up the football before it hit the ground and he rushed the rest of the way for a 60-yard touchdown with seconds remaining that effectively won the game for the Steelers. The Immaculate Reception by Harris was controversial because many observers believed that it was not a valid reception either because: 1) The ball hit Fuqua and did not tough Tatum, so that when Harris caught the ball it was not a legal catch because two successive Steelers had touched the ball. 2) Others believed that Tatum did make contact with the ball, thus permitting Harris to make a valid catch, but it was not a reception because the ball hit the ground before Harris caught it. The term "Immaculate Reception" was used in sincerity by some and in sarcasm by others, depending on whether the observer felt the catch was amazing or illegal. The Davis jersey is all original, with Steelers Exclusive tag and Sand-Knit size 46 tags on the front tail. The jersey is black, with gold and white trim. "35" in white numerals is sewn on the chest and on both sleeves. On the back, "DAVIS" in gold letters, is sewn across the back and below that "35" is sewn in white numerals. The jersey exhibits fine use, with a couple of team repairs, lots of pilling and some abrasions including one with a paint transfer. The jersey is black, with gold and white trim. "35" in white numerals is sewn on the chest and on both sleeves. On the back, "DAVIS" in gold letters, is sewn across the back and below that "35" is sewn in white numerals. The jersey includes photo-matching pictures.

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