The Game Missed
It was the season following the missed Bradshaw game in 1983. The Steelers were to play the Jets again, and as they were the last team to play the Jets at Shea, they would be the first team to face the Jets at the Meadowlands. However Bradshaw’s playing days were over. And in the 1983 draft the Steelers decided to pass on local hero Dan Marino. But low and behold they wound up with the consolation, or should I say Booby prize…David Woodley. The Steelers signed Woodley since Cliff Stoudt defected to the USFL…not that anyone really cared. Mark Malone was on deck to be the Steeler’s new starter…but Woodley seemed to beat him out. What always got me was the staff did not draft Marino, since they had just drafted Malone in the first round a few years earlier. Now that Malone was ready to take the helm, they deciced to take the lesser end of the Wood-Strock Miami duo who became expendable…BECAUSE they had drafted Marino. This time, with Woodley starting at QB, I had no interest in going to the game.
The season had its ups and down. A rookie named Louie Lipps excited the crowd both on offense and special teams. Mark Malone would eventually wrestle the starting QB position away from Woodley. In a game of 70’s dynasty against 80’s dynasty…the old guard had one more swing at the dethroning champs before conceding. In a 20-17 victory the Steelers defeated the 49’ers with help from a 4th down play from Malone to John Stallworth. There was still some kick in the old mare. Along with Stallworth…Mike Webster, Donnie Shell, Larry Brown and Gary Dunn still manned key positions. This would be the only game the 49’ers would lose ALL year on the way to winning the Superbowl. Eventually the Steelers got themselves to a winning 8-7 record with one game remaining. All they had to do was win at the Raiders and they would make the playoffs. The Raiders, even though now in Los Angeles, was still the nemesis from the 70’s and recently thrashed the Steelers in the same calendar year in the 1983 season playoffs 38-10. This would be no easy feat….
It was December of 1984 and the first semester of sophomore year was over. Finals done, time to pack up for home. But at home, I knew we would not have the Steeler game on in NY. However, the girls in our group, ever the planners…had decided that the weekend before Christmas, we would rent a ski chalet in the Poconos and spend some time before we all had to retreat back to our respective parents. Great! I would be in PA, the game would be on TV. Well, love is a many splendored thing…and I was smitten. Sunday came along and my heart was torn. My decision was made a little easier as the ski house had no TV…hmm, remind me never to let the girl pick the place in the future. That Sunday we were off skiing, my snow bunny in hand…the Steelers would have to wait. A full day of skiing led to a nice cozy evening back at the chalet. The game was over…but who had won! It was 1984…and my only option was sports phone. I decided not to spoil the moment. The evening passed and more skiing was on the docket for Monday. Everyone KNEW I could not last another moment without knowing the outcome of the game. We stopped to get gas and I headed in to retrieve a USA Today, my paper of choice in college. I bought the paper and headed outside. All eyes from our caravan of cars were now upon me. I thumbed through the layers of the USA Today until I got to “Sports”. I knew the scores would be adorned upon the top of that section. I pealed it back slowly to see Pittsburgh 13…13! Damn only 13, they must have lost…then I saw… Raiders 7.
I dropped the paper…I saw all I needed to see. Arms in the air I celebrated like I beat the Raiders all by myself.
This Sunday, I won’t miss a play…
