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"The difference was that we thought we were the best, and they knew they were the best. It's that simple."
Mike Ditka's quote on the difference between the Cowboys teams he was an assistant coach on and the Steelers from the 1970s is just one gem from this pregame feature about the '70s rivalry between the Steelers and Cowboys that aired on NBC prior to the teams third Super Bowl match up on January 28, 1996.
Many of the great players as well as both Hall of Fame coaches, Chuck Noll and Tom Landry, took part in the five-minute piece that touched on many of the memorable moments from Super Bowls X and XIII.The Steelers won Super Bowl X, 21-17, and Super Bowl XIII, 35-31. The teams combined to win nine conference championships and six Super Bowl titles in the 1970s, as seven of the 10 Super Bowls played in the 1970s included at least one of the two teams.
Nearly 20 years following those games, one can see how those games still have an effect on the men that took part in those epic Super Bowls. Cowboys safety Cliff Harris still wanted to hit Lynn Swann across the middle, and Dallas defensive linemen Harvey Martin admitted that he still couldn't bring himself to watch tight end Jackie Smith's drop that helped contribute to Dallas' demise in Super Bowl XIII.
Former Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris touched on the altercation between himself and Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson after Henderson threw Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw down after a third down play was whistled dead. Bradshaw insisted that Harris demanded the ball on the following play, which resulted in Harris rumbling 22 yards to the house for a critical touchdown.
"The greatest thing we could have done to Tommy and the Cowboys at that time was to score a touchdown, and to put that in their face," Harris said. "When the game was over, and since we won, no hard feelings."
At the end of the piece, Franco Harris provided a memorable quote about his team, saying "we were the best. We were the best during that time, and one of the best for all-time."