Gotta agree with .58.
I’m one of those older fans (since the 50’s), and my reasoning is as follows:

Santonio’s catch was spectacular, great throw, perfect positioning, but as I see it again, it only remains great for me because of the emotion that goes along with it. It’s not the kind of catch I would want to watch again and again because of the “wow” factor, but rather because of the situation. Any catch that had won the Super Bowl, even a more routine grab, would have nearly the same emotional impact – a winning Super Bowl catch! And remember, he didn’t catch the previous pass. There have been other similar catches in the end zone, some with players leaning over the line, but of course the situations were different, and it is not, as you say, “the greatest in… …all time NFL history!” in terms of skill.

I think, 1steelersfan, you are letting your emotions get the best of you. Think of Mazeroski’s home run. Nothing spectacular as far as the hit went, but the situation, and the emotions that are carried along with it, put it at the top of all Pirates’ hits.

If I want to watch a great Steelers’ catch, I can’t think of many that are as much fun to watch as Lynn Swann’s acrobatic Super Bowl catch. That’s a catch I could watch over and over again, and the situation is not important. If that catch had come at any other time in any other situation, it would still be a joy to see again and again.

The measuring stick for me is absolutely the uniqueness of Franco’s reception. We’ve all seen catches similar to Santonio’s, but who has ever seen a catch that comes anywhere close to Franco’s? And as .58. points out, you do have the "Do or Die" factor, so historically I would have to say Franco’s is definitely the greatest. The difference between hoping for that first ring, as opposed to winning the sixth, is night and day.

As a side note, Rooney wasn’t the only one who missed it. A friend of mine was at the game and he missed it too (probably drinking in the Allegheny Club). I went to almost every game that year, with him, but for some reason didn’t go to that one… I went the following week though.

I saw both of them and the ‘goose bump’ level remains extraordinary high for both. Two different eras. Two different situations. Two phenomenal catches!!

As he told me on the sideline moments after the catch, he was back to block and when Bradshaw threw the pass, he headed over in that direction so that maybe he could block somebody.

The play was downfield, but he didn’t quit, and because he didn’t quit, when the ball took an unexpected carom, he was there. And he made a helluva play picking it off his shoetops at full speed, heading down the sidelines like an unstoppable freight train.

As Noll told us after the game in the locker room, “Franco made that play because he kept hustling. Good things happen to people who hustle.”

Not to take anything away from ‘Tone, or from Swannie’s acrobatic masterpiece in the Super Bowl, but Franco reversed 40 years of frustration by doing more on that play than had been drawn up on the playbook.

I hate it when modern players preen and prance and style (yeah, I seethed when my guy Wallace did his dive into the end zone on Sunday). Too often, they end up like Plaxico, spinning the ball before the play is over, or Leon Lett (nuff said), or Gus Frerotte knocking his empty head against the concrete wall.

Give me Franco Harris and hustle every time.

the best catch I’ve seen by a Steeler was Troy’s one-handed interception in ‘08, where he got his hand under a ball that was just inches off the turf. I’ve seen hundreds of variations on Santonio’s catch (admittedly none that I enjoyed as much), but never one quite like Troy’s. Also, the greatest catch by a Steeler reciever IMO was not Swann’s falling down catch in Super Bowl X, but the one on the sideline where it should have been impossible for him to come down with both feet inbounds.

I agree that Franco’s catch itself did not require as much skill as the combination of Ben’s throw and Santonio’s catch. But the total improbability of that entire play, which was a combination of incredible luck, great hustle, a possible blown call (at least from Madden’s perspective), good (Frency, Franco) vs. evil (Jack Tatum), no downs remaining, and what it meant historically to the Steeler franchise and the NFL (the dawn of a dynasty) makes the Immaculate Reception the number one Steeler PLAY of all time.

By terms of sheer technical difficulty, and not importance to the game whatsoever, I award best catch I’ve ever seen to Troy Polamalu’s fingertip grab in Chargers 1 last year.

As far as most epic catch, the Immaculate Reception STILL wins.

I say this because, mainly, if Tone’ drops his great catch in SB43, we still have another shot, and a shot at OT. And he missed the catch before, which would have made his great one non-existent.

I’m not saying anything negative about Holmes’ catch, but to understand the Immaculate Reception, you have to put it into historical context.

This was a team that had not won a playoff game in the 40 year history of the franchise. For comparison, take the Brownie’s recent history of ineptitude and multiply that by 4. We were the sad-sack, snake bit franchise of the NFL. And when Kenny Stabler scrambled 30 yards to score with little time left, every fan in Pittsburgh sighed. Fate had spit on the Steelers again. Yet another heartbreaking loss for a loser of a franchise in a city that was on the decline.

Then Franco made the catch. I don’t want to over-dramatize it, but the Immaculate Reception was Pittsburgh’s own “Miracle on Ice”. It was the moment everything else became possible.

That’s why it remains the best catch and/or play in Steeler history and why it can never be equaled or surpassed. You just can’t duplicate the circumstances around the play.

And the beat goes on. This will never be answered with even most agreeing on this one or that. Wording is everything though, call Franco’s the most important play in terms of what it did for the franchise, call Tone’s greatest SB Touchdown catch, Call Swann’s the most beautiful catch, Call Deebo’s the greatest defensive play in SB history and everyone(I almost used caps)can pretty much agree with that.

Keep meaning to ask, where in the south are you stuck?

Sounds good, I haven’t been there for a game yet, if I go it is usually to the one on G’town.
I’ll plan on it for the Bungles game.