Late in his Hall of Fame career, Bill Cowher was able to take the Pittsburgh Steelers to the mountain top with a win in Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks. While that win was sweet, even all these years after his coaching career came to an end, there are still moments that stick with him in a negative way.
Like, the last play in the 1994 AFC Championship Game.
Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show Tuesday, Cowher recalled the one play call that he regrets to this day. That would be the 4th-and-3 pass from Neil O’Donnell to Barry Foster out of the backfield with the game on the line in the 1994 AFC Championship Game against the San Diego Chargers at Three Rivers Stadium.
Here’s the play.
Chargers linebacker Dennis Gibson recorded the batted pass as Foster was slipping and falling in the end zone. Just like that, the Steelers’ 1994 season ended in the blink of an eye.
For Cowher, it was one play call he’d like to have back.
“I mean, you get fourth and three in the AFC Championship Game and you got [to] the 3-yard line, and it was like, that’s your game. If you go score a touchdown, you go to the Super Bowl. If you don’t, you go home,” Cowher said, according to video via the show. “Well, we called the play and Neil O’Donnell’s pass, that was batted down by Dennis Gibson. That was intended for Barry Foster. So I guess I just gave you that play, so yeah, so it was incomplete.
“Would I want that play back? Yeah, maybe I would want that play back.”
Thirty years and nearly two months since January 15, 1995, Cowher still remembers the play call and what happened on that play. He even remembers the linebacker’s name, which is remarkable. That’s how impactful that play call and the outcome of the play were.
That season, the Steelers went 12-4 in the regular season, won the AFC Central and had the second-best defense in football. They rolled through the Cleveland Browns, 29-9, in the Divisional Round, and all that stood in their way were the Chargers, a team they had lost to in the regular-season finale on the road, 37-34.
Ultimately, the Steelers couldn’t figure out San Diego, even with that great final drive to put them in position to win.
On that drive, O’Donnell and tight end Eric Green had quite the connection as O’Donnell hit him for 17, 9 and 13 yards. O’Donnell later hit fullback John L Williams for a gain of 7 yards, setting up the 4th and 3.
While Cowher still regrets the play call, especially coming out of a timeout, it was there. Foster just slipped down on the wet Three Rivers Stadium astroturf. Granted, throwing a checkdown over the middle with the game on the line in the end zone against a defense that gave you fits all day might not be the best call coming out of a timeout, but it was there.
Fortunately for Cowher, he was able to get to the Super Bowl the following year, defeating the Indianapolis Colts to reach Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys. He’d have to wait another 10 years to get back to a Super Bowl and finally win it, though.
