Throughout the rest of this summer, I have a short series planned that involves posting stories behind certain intriguing pictures related to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Most of these pictures will be still shots from actual games as well as being more than two decades old. These posts about the pictures I find intriguing will include a quick backstory of when they were taken and then filled around with quotes and accounts I researched online.
I will continue this summer series by passing along the story behind the above picture from George Gojkovich of Getty Images. It was taken at Three Rivers Stadium on September 9, 1979, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and during the Week 2 game between the Steelers and the Houston Oilers. The picture is of Oilers wide receiver Ken Burrough attempting to catch a pass from quarterback Dan Pastorini while surrounded by four Steelers defensive players, safety Donnie Shell, linebacker Jack Lambert, cornerback Dwayne Woodruff and safety Mike Wagner.
I found this picture very intriguing for several reasons. First, it certainly appears that Burrough had a great chance at catching this pass. Second, the fact that Lambert is one of the four Steelers defensive players attempting to defend the pass, I also found quite intriguing.
This play in question actually happened on a first and 10 from the Steelers 36-yard-line with time winding down in the first half. The Oilers had just taken over possession of the football thanks to safety Mike Reinfeldt intercepting a pass from Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw. The Steelers led the game at that time 10-0.
You can watch the entire play sequence below:
Here is what the play-by-play call from NBC by the legendary Dick Enberg of this play:
“Probably the last play of the first half, five seconds left,” Enberg said. “They flood the right side – up for grabs, and Burrough almost picked it off. Both teams were in the endzone, Pastorini just misses and that’s the end of the first half in Pittsburgh where the Steelers lead the Oilers 10-0.”
Now for some background leading up to that play that was posted in an UPI story September 10, 1979.
“The Oilers managed just 21 net yards in the first half, and the only time they penetrated Pittsburgh territory was on the next to the last play of the second period when safety Mike Reinfeldt intercepted a Bradshaw pass on the Houston’s 41 and returned it to the Steelers’ 36. Pastorini’s first-down pass to Ken Burrough was incomplete, however, and then time ran out.”
How dominant was the Steelers defense in the first half of that Week 2 home game against the Oilers in 1979? Well, Pastorini was just 4-of-12 passing for 16 yards with one interception and he was sacked four times in total. The Oilers also only managed 27 rushing yards in the first half. Once again, just 21 net yards allowed by the Steelers in the first half.
The Steelers defense continued to dominate the Oilers offense in the second half. In fact, the unit sacked Pastorini again early in the second half of that contest and intercepted him twice more as well. Pastorini was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury after attempting a tackle on Steelers defensive end John Banaszak after he recorded an interception. Pastorini was actually stretchered off the field after that early third quarter play.
Oilers backup quarterback Gifford Nielsen relieved the injured Pastorini in that 1979 game and he didn’t have much success either against the Steelers defense. Nielsen finished that contest 4-of-11 passing for 41 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. His lone touchdown pass went to wide receiver Guido Merkens from 9-yards out with just eight seconds left in the contest to prevent the Oilers from being shutout.
As for the aforementioned Oilers wide receiver Burrough, who was targeted several times in that Week 2 game in 1979, he was held catch-less.
The Steelers obviously won that 1979 home game against the Oilers and by a score of 38-7. They finished the 1979 regular season 12-4 with one of those losses being to the Oilers in Week 15, a Monday night game in Houston. The Steelers, however, went on to beat the Oilers in the AFC Championship game that season, which culminated with Pittsburgh winning their fourth Super Bowl against the Los Angeles Rams in January of 1980.
