John McMakin
| No. 89, 81 | |
| Born: | September 24, 1950 Spartanburg, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | TE |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 232 lb (105 kg) |
| College | Clemson |
| High school | Tucker (Tucker, Georgia) |
| NFL draft | 1972, Round: 3, Pick: 63 |
| Drafted by | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1972–1974 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1975 | Detroit Lions |
| 1976 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career stats | |
| Receptions | 45 |
| Receiving yards | 673 |
| Receiving TDs | 4 |
| |
John Garvin McMakin (born September 24, 1950) is a former professional American football player who played in 5 NFL seasons from 1972–1976 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks. He was a member of the Steelers first World Championship, Super Bowl IX over the Minnesota Vikings.
McMakin played a role in one of the most famous plays in football history, the Immaculate Reception. In a 1972 playoff game between the Steelers and Oakland Raiders, the Raiders were leading 7-6 with a few seconds left. Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass to John Fuqua that deflected off either Fuqua, Raider safety Jack Tatum or both, and was caught by Steeler running back Franco Harris who ran for the winning touchdown. The main controversy of the play was whether ball hit Tatum or not; under the rules of the time Harris' catch would have been illegal if it had not. But another point of controversy was McMakin's block from behind on Raider linebacker Phil Villapiano which helped free Harris for the touchdown. Villapiano has always maintained that the block was an illegal clip and so even if the catch was legal the touchdown should have been called back.[1][2]
References
- ^ Bohn, Michael K. (December 23, 2012). "40 years later, 'Immaculate Reception' still debated". Valley News. p. D8. Retrieved August 22, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Gola, Hank (December 24, 1997). "Still Immaculate". Indianapolis News. pp. C1, C3 – via newspapers.com.
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