Visitor:  New York Giants

Home:  Pittsburgh Steelers

Date:  August 25, 1970

Preseason

 

Scoring:

Team                1          2          3          4          Final

NYG                0          3          0          3             6

PIT                  7          7          7          0            21

 

Visitor playmakers:

DT Jerry Shay, LB John Kirby, LB Jim Files, CB Joe Green

 

Home playmakers:

RB Preston Pearson, LB Brian Stenger, DE Ben McGee, LB Jerry Hillebrand

 

Network:  ABC

Announcers:  Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, Don Meredith

 

Pregame:  Yes – Howard speaks with injured NY QB Fran Tarkenton

Halftime:  Yes – A review of the season’s MNF schedule

Postgame:  No – Recording ends with a few seconds left to play

Commercials:  Yes

 

Grade:  Very Good.  This is a great quality recording for 1970!  Would be one grade higher if not for some missing plays (no scoring) in 3^rd and 4^th quarters.

 

Notes:  This is the very first football game in Tree Rivers Stadium, and the first game on ABC by the Monday Night Football crew.  Pittsburgh drives well on their first possession, but Hubie Bryant fumbles and Fred Dryer recovers on the Giants 23.  New York can’t move the ball, though, and punt it back to the Steelers, who run it all the way back to the 20.  Pearson runs it in for the TD, and the Steelers are on the board.

 

The Steelers go up 14-0 in the second quarter when Bradshaw finds Ron Shanklin in the end zone on a 37-yard pass play, Bradshaw’s first-ever NFL TD pass.  After a quick and fruitless NY possession, Terry Hanratty takes over from Bradshaw but can’t get anything done either.  The Giants get the ball back and drive all the way to the Pittsburgh 2, but the Steeler defense holds and the Giants settle for a field goal.  Pittsburgh hangs on and takes their 11-point lead into halftime.

 

Bradshaw starts the third quarter, and after a back-and-forth punting contest he puts on a great performance, moving the Steelers down to the NY 12.  However, John Kirby intercepts a Bradshaw laser on the 1, killing the Pittsburgh drive.  A couple plays later, Bobby Duhon fumbles and Jerry Hillebrand recovers the ball in the end zone for the TD.

 

Pittsburgh fumbles the ball away in the fourth quarter, and this time the Giants capitalize and score a field goal from 48 yards out.  The rest of the game is a series of punts, and the final score reflects Pittsburgh’s ability to shut down their opponent’s offense.

 

Thanks Cory!

 

Running time:  2:41 (2 discs)