Frenchy Fuqua just so happened to work offseason for The Detroit News. He worked in circulation. A few years later, lusting for a column, I approached Mike O’Hara in The News’ sports department.

Still debated today, this diagram shows how the ball deflected off either Oakland’s Jack Tatum (31) or Pittsburgh’s “Frenchy” Fuqua (33) before Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception.” ...

Barely avoiding a sack, he flung a desperation pass to John “Frenchy” Fuqua halfway down the field. Oakland safety Jack “The Assassin” Tatum arrived as the pass reached Mr. Fuqua.

Not Harris, but John “Frenchy” Fuqua. Jack Tatum, an Oakland safety and the team's most feared defender, also spotted Fuqua and the ball approaching him.

Still debated today, this diagram shows how the ball deflected off either Oakland’s Jack Tatum (31) or Pittsburgh’s “Frenchy” Fuqua (33) before Franco Harris’ “Immaculate Reception.” ...

Our hopes collapsed when Terry Bradshaw’s long pass bounced away from John “Frenchy” Fuqua and into the air. In my memory, there was a shared groan throughout the stadium.

Bradshaw tossed a pass to halfback John “Frenchy” Fuqua, ... “I don’t see Frenchy. I don’t see Tatum,” he began, “I have no visual of the ball. I have no recollection.

In the final seconds of the Raiders-Steelers divisional-round playoff game, safety Jack "The Assassin" Tatum rocked Steelers RB John "Frenchy" Fuqua, sending Bradshaw's pass ricocheting backward ...

There’s something about the Raiders and fanatical finishes. Here’s a look at four of them, including the Immaculate Reception, a play that happened 50 years ago in Pittsburgh.

Game-winning catch defies all attempts to figure out what actually happened in 1972 playoff game. We are, if nothing else, exact. Our doctor’s appointment is at 2:15, not 2:14. The speed limit ...

Franco Harris, left, and John Fuqua, former running backs for the Pittsburgh Steelers, wave Terrible Towels before a game between the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field Dec. 23, 2012 ...