For 54 years, football fans have seen John “Frenchy” Fuqua cartwheel at Three Rivers Stadium during the Immaculate Reception. The world-famous moment has been replayed untold millions of times.
Fuqua is also remembered for his penchant for outlandish attire, born of a style that exuded confidence and comedy. He was made for the times, a dashing young man travelling through the 1970s in style.
It is less likely that fans are aware of how vital Frenchy Fuqua was to the Steelers during Chuck Noll’s early years.
Fuqua graduated from Morgan State and entered the NFL draft in 1969. The Giants chose him as a late-round gamble. He played one unceremonious season in the Big Apple. While there, he carried the ball only a few times. However, he caught Noll’s eye during an exhibition game. With Terry Bradshaw and Terry Hanratty on the roster, the coach traded third-string quarterback Dick Shiner for Fuqua.
Fuqua brought a new dimension and a faster game to the Steelers. Coupled with fellow running back Preston Pearson, the two were a threat to catch passes out of the backfield or to power the running game in Noll’s ground-heavy offense.
“The Frenchman was quite a character on and off the field…he was ahead of his time. I’m not sure I can do him justice. Frenchy was a piece of work,” recalled J.R. Wilburn, his Steelers teammate. “He always had a smile on his face, and he was always out for a good time.”
“The night before the games, He didn’t follow the rules that well. He ran hard off the field, too.”
Wilburn remembered Frenchy’s attire. “They would call it a dress off after the game. A couple of the other guys would get dressed up in trendy stuff and hold this crazy contest.”
Wilburn said that the Steelers played alumni football games or charity events when the retired players reunited. Frenchy was in great physical shape and still carefree.
“We had a senior league golf tournament for two years until everybody got hurt. We played flag football. I think we went out to Cleveland, played Dallas, and then went out to Oakland,” Wilburn said. “This was when I was like 40 years old. Frenchy was in peak form, and he always seemed to have some fun stuff besides the golf tournament or whatever we were doing.”
His talents were perfectly displayed in the 1970 season finale when Fuqua had one of the greatest individual offensive performances in NFL history. In fact, up until then, only a handful of other games had higher individual rushing totals. On that December day, Fuqua went over 200 yards rushing, including two touchdowns.
Starting quarterback Terry Hanratty remembers that day well.
“Most [plays] were called at the line,” he said. “Every time they blitzed, I called a trap up the middle, something they don’t do today. Everyone wants to throw, and they get sacked. Football today is not very smart.”
Wilburn also recalls the Steelers catching the Eagles off guard.
“I’ll tell you, Frenchy did it mostly on his own, but the coaches might have picked up something,” he said. “They may have given one of the defenses away. I don’t know. But it was something that, when they lined up, Hanratty knew how to handle it. He read everything.”
Partly because of both clubs’ poor records and, hence, the lack of attention, the game has been largely forgotten. Nevertheless, the players went at it full throttle.
“It’s funny people don’t realize that regardless of the standings, you play your ass off,” Wilburn said, “no matter what, personal pride and lining up a guy in front of you, and nobody wants to get their ass whipped.”
Wilburn, a receiver, was on the field as a last-minute starter. Normally known for his hands, he was assigned blocking duties against heavier foes. He modestly tells the story.
“I was busy getting the shit knocked out of me. But anyway, Frenchy really had a hell of a game. He always managed to go the opposite way that the defender went,” Wilburn said. “In other words, I was between him and the defender. I was just in the way, and he would cut right off of it.”
On the Steelers’ first offensive play, Fuqua got the ball and ran off right tackle. One Eagle squared to tackle him, but Fuqua strong-armed him and shoved him aside. Known as a dangerous man in the open field because of his odd running style of turning hips, Fuqua outran the Eagle defense with pure speed instead. It was a 72-yard touchdown.
Midway through the second quarter, he scored again on an 85-yard run after flashing through a big hole in the middle of the line. This came after Hanratty saw the Eagles line up in a safety blitz and audibled. Once again, Fuqua’s speed took him down the field with Philadelphia defenders haplessly pursuing him.
Fuqua nearly broke loose for a third touchdown on a reception; however, he stumbled and fell about 10 yards shy of the end zone.
By the end of the day, Fuqua had 218 yards rushing.
He had nearly broken the NFL single-game record. He set a Steelers record on just 20 carries. After the game, the press lamented that he was not given the ball more. Regardless, he was in the company of two great running backs.
Until that 1970 season finale, only a handful of games featured greater running performances. Cookie Gilchrist had 243 yards in an AFL game in 1963, but he had 34 carries that day (and five touchdowns). Jim Brown, one of the greatest players in history, had four games with higher yardage totals.
Fuqua’s place in Steelers history is clear on a greater scale than that game.
In three years as a starter with Pittsburgh, Fuqua’s lowest yards-per-carry average was 4.0, but he had a gaudy 5 yards per carry in one of those years. Noll’s offense was conservative in those days, relying on shorter passing plays. In his best year, Fuqua had 49 receptions. His role diminished with the arrival of Franco Harris in 1972, though Fuqua was part of the Steelers’ first two Super Bowl-winning teams.
After retirement, Fuqua worked in private business while making the rounds as a speaker and telling the story of the Immaculate Reception to the delight of his audiences. Always in demand on the circuit, his humor was appreciated by the crowds.
A beloved, stylish man who was prominent in the greatest pro football play in history, Frenchy Fuqua should be remembered as a fine athlete and smart football player, not just a supporting actor.
Steve Massey’s book Revolution: The Transformation of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL was released last year.
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