5 plays that still haunt Steelers fans to this day

January 28, 1996, Superbowl XXX  Dallas 27 Pittsburgh 17

Pittsburgh finally returned to the Superbowl for the first time since 1979. Furthermore, they played the Dallas Cowboys for the third time in Superbowl history. The fact they made it to the Superbowl seemed improbable earlier in the season. When week ten rolled around, the Steelers were 5-4, then they faced the Chicago Bears. In a wild overtime performance, they knocked off the Bears, and the Steelers introduced Kordell Stewart as Slash as they used him as a quarterback, wide receiver, and running back. With that victory, Pittsburgh won eight straight games and proceeded to knock off the Bills and Colts in the playoffs.

Despite playing a tough Dallas team, everyone remained confident the Steelers would win like they always did. Well, as the game started, things seemed amiss for Pittsburgh, thus allowing the Cowboys to jump out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Finally, the Steelers settled down in the second quarter when Neil O’Donnell hit Yancy Thigpen for a six-yard touchdown strike. Hitting halftime Dallas still had a 13-7 lead, though.

In the third quarter, while there was little scoring, Dallas increased their lead to 20-7. It started looking gloomy; then, Pittsburgh found momentum. With 11:48 remaining Norm Johnson kicked a 46-yard field goal dropping Dallas’ lead to ten. Then things went a bit crazy. With 11:20 left in the 4th quarter, the Steelers lined up to kick off to Dallas. Then Coach Cowher made an unexpected call. Dallas expected Norm Johnson to kick the ball deep; however, Bill Cowher called for an onsides kick. The call caught Dallas entirely off guard. Not expecting it, Pittsburgh recovered the kick, and with 7:08 remaining Bam Morris scored a touchdown leaving the score Dallas 20 Pittsburgh 17.

Then the Steelers held toe Cowboys to five plays and forced a punt leaving 4:15 on the clock. It looked as if the Steelers had momentum and could at least get in position to force overtime. Two plays later, the unthinkable happened. Neil O’Donnell tried hitting Andre Hastings when Larry Brown then picked off his second pass of the game, returning it to Pittsburgh’s six-yard line. Two plays later, Emmitt Smith crushed Pittsburgh’s hopes of winning that elusive fifth Superbowl.

Of all the plays in team history, this one felt like a swift kick to the groin of Steelers fans everywhere.  Undoubtedly fans replayed the play in their heads thousands of times, thinking of what should have happened instead of what did. In the end, Larry Brown made Pittsburgh fans wait ten more years for a Superbowl victory.