You know the saying: measure twice, cut once. But the people at Pittsburgh International Airport might have missed that memo. The gleaming $1.7 billion terminal opened this month with all the bells and whistles, including a relocated Franco Harris statue celebrating his historical touchdown. There’s just one problem: the scoreboard’s wrong. 

The massive display reads 12-7. But any Steelers fan worth their Terrible Towel knows the final score was 13-7 for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ win. So, The Athletic’s senior writer, Josh Yohe, called it out with a picture on his X handle: “The new terminal looks great. But for God’s sake, it was 13-7. Not 12-7.”  

This play was dubbed “The Immaculate Reception” and still ranks No. 1 in the top 100 greatest plays of NFL history. If you have forgotten what it looked like, let’s take you back. December 23, 1972. AFC Divisional Playoff. With 22 seconds left on the clock, quarterback Terry Bradshaw launched a desperate fourth-down heave that ricocheted off Las Vegas Raiders (Oakland Raiders at the time) safety Jack Tatum. But then, magic happened. 

Running back Franco Harris scooped it up inches from the turf and raced 42 yards for the score that decided it all. Touchdown, 12-7, and five seconds remaining.

Fans stormed the field, and the players followed suit. It took quite some time to clear everyone out. The Steelers’ kicker then drilled the extra point, and the final score became 13-7. That play became the Steelers’ first playoff win ever, and rolled into the launch of a dynasty that grabbed four Super Bowls in the ‘70s.

When the idea of the statue was first pitched, it caught Harris off guard. “I was quite surprised,” Harris had said in an interview. “They approached me, and no way was I thinking something like that. But to capture the moment that happens to be a special moment in Pittsburgh history for our sports teams, what it means to fans and to greet people coming into the city, I think that’s special.”

The Hall of Famer passed away on December 20, 2022, three days before the 50th anniversary of his catch. The statue moved from Airside to Landside Terminal in 2023, making it accessible to everyone. Now, it’s in the new terminal, but with the wrong score.

The Steelers had honored Franco once on the field, Christmas night 2022, rallying past the Raiders 13-10 just days after Franco’s passing. Those tributes felt right. But this airport blunder? The fans aren’t having it.

Fans sound off on the score blunder

Messing up the most iconic moment in the history of Pittsburgh football didn’t go over well with the crowds. Twitter lit up fast. “They couldn’t fact-check this s*** before giving the green light?” one fan commented, complete with a Kermit the Frog head-shake GIF. Another tried to explain the technicality, the score was 12-7 when Franco Harris flipped the game, but they also noted the play clock in the display reads ‘00’. “It was 12-7 when Franco scored. There were 5 seconds left. And they kicked an extra point. The clock in the painting says 0 seconds.”

Another dropped a comment along those same lines. “Yes but no. After the TD it was 12 until the kick. I agree it should show final.” The criticism got even sharper when fans connected it to the budget mess. “Not only is the new airport addition billions over budget, they can’t even get Pittsburgh History correct. Who is the 🤡🤡🤡 running this place @PITairport your soft opening is getting worse by the day 😂😂😂. What joke.” The terminal had ballooned from a projected $1.1 billion in 2017 to $1.7 billion, a 54% overrun.

Others kept their critique short and crisp. “Fix that, stat! @TheNextPGH,” a fan demanded, tagging Pittsburgh’s mayor. Another expressed their shock at the blunder with “@PITairport yikes!!!” 

No surprise the error went viral. The sentiment is unanimous: you don’t mess with the Immaculate Reception. Not in Pittsburgh, not ever. Now, the airport officials will have to fix this before it becomes permanent; an avoidable interception instead of a miraculous reception.