The Immaculate Reception: Tribute to Myron Cope

Acclaimed sportscaster and journalist Myron Cope passed away today. February 27 will always be a day of sadness for anybody who was a Pittsburgh Steelers' fan. He was called the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the lead commentator for their games for 35 years. He was beloved all around the state of Indiana. I want to share my memory of this great man and good football.

The first time I heard a Myron Cope telecast was on an NFL Films show. They were showing a portion of the Steelers 13-7 win over the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 23, 1972. It was an AFC football game my father had watched. He was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, our home team.

My father and I always like football and watching these old games was a way for us to form a stronger father-son bond. There was a play in the game called the "Immaculate Conception" which I found out was a phrase that Myron Cope had coined on the air.

The Pittsburgh Steelers trailed the Raiders by 1 point. The score was 7-6. It was the 4th quarter and there was: 22 seconds left on the clock. It was 4th and 10. The Steelers were at their own 40-yard line. The Pittsburgh Steelers had to get the ball down to at least field goal range to try and win it with a field goal.

The coach called a past play for one of the receivers. When the play began, the intended receiver was being covered pretty well so the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Terry Bradshaw through a hard pass at the fullback John Fuqua, who was down at the Raiders 35-yard line. The safety for the Raiders, Jack Tatum, hit John Fuqua right when the ball approached, sending the ball floating backwards.

Out of nowhere, the Pittsburgh Steelers running back that had been blocking early in the play ran into the frame and caught the ball before it hit the ground. It was one of those plays that seemed destiny. He ran the ball to the touchdown and gave the Pittsburgh Steelers the win.

The crowd was going crazy. My father was even standing on his feet at this point, giving me high fives. You could hear Myron Cope screaming and shouting on the TV. "He caught the pass out of no where." Myron giving the play made that play even greater then just seeing. It is called the best play ever by some. I believe that because Myron Cope was also part of it made it that special. It was special for me in the fact that it was a great play, and that there was great commentating to bring it to that next level. It was also great just spending a day watching football with my father.

Thank you, Mr. Myron Cope. Double "Yoi" to you Mr. Cope.