In That Critical Game, Pittsburgh Trailed 7-6 and Faced Fourth-and-10 at Its Own 40-Yard Line With 22 Seconds Remaining

Barry Pearson, a former NFL wide receiver best known as the intended target on the famous "Immaculate Reception" play, has died at the age of 76. Pearson passed away on Sunday, Aug. 16, according to reports. Pearson was a 22-year-old rookie when he took his first NFL offensive snap in the AFC divisional playoff game on Dec.

23, 1972, between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders. He had spent most of the season on the practice squad but was elevated to the active roster due to an injury to wide receiver Frank Lewis. In that critical game, Pittsburgh trailed 7-6 and faced fourth-and-10 at its own 40-yard line with 22 seconds remaining.

Steelers coach Chuck Noll drew up a 12-yard route for Pearson, but quarterback Terry Bradshaw couldn't get him the ball under pressure from the Raiders' defense. Bradshaw threw toward running back John "Frenchy" Fuqua instead. The pass was deflected, and running back Franco Harris caught it and ran 42 yards for the winning touchdown.

"Obviously we were all kind of stunned in some ways, Pearson told KWQC in a 2022 interview, "and yet you were kind of like a bunch of little kids running around there it was just one of those things you couldn't believe it. The Steelers signed Pearson as an undrafted free agent out of Northwestern, where he twice led the Big Ten in receiving yards. He spent his first two NFL seasons in Pittsburgh, catching 23 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns in 1973. Traded to Kansas City before the 1974 season, he had 27 catches for 387 yards and a touchdown in his first year with the Chiefs.

In 1975, he started 13 of 14 games and posted his best season: 36 catches for 608 yards, an average of 16.9 yards per reception, and three touchdowns. A knee injury cut short Pearson's 1976 season and forced his retirement. He finished his career with 86 catches for 1,312 yards and seven touchdowns in 50 games.

After playing, Pearson coached wide receivers at Oklahoma State under Jimmie Johnson, the future Hall of Fame head coach, before leaving football to work for HPC Foodservice, where he eventually became president and CEO. He is survived by his wife, Linda, two siblings, two children, and three grandchildren. Pearson was 76 years old.