In 61 scant seconds, Tracy saw his fortunes change considerably on a balmy afternoon in
San Francisco, where the Lions and 49ers met in a one-game playoff on Dec. 22 to decide the division title. "That day I'll never forget," Tracy told the Pontiac (now Oakland) Press years later. "It will always be my most memorable day in pro football." While Johnson nursed a leg injury on the bench, the Lions faced what appeared to be an insurmountable 27-7 deficit early in the third quarter. Thrust into a lead role after nearly two months of inactivity, Tom The Bomb lived up to his nickname with 1- and 57-yard touchdown runs on consecutive possessions to pull his team within six points. Shortly after Tracy picked up 9 yards to the 5-yard line, Gedman scored from two yards out to open the fourth quarter for a 28-27 lead. The visitors held on for a stunning 31-27 victory, and Tracy's name was firmly etched in Lions folklore. In all, he gained 86 yards on 11 carries and seven more on one pass completion. Tracy received a hero's welcome upon his return to Detroit, but when Johnson was deemed fit to practice in advance of the
NFL Championship Game, it was business as normal one week later. He didn't carry the ball from scrimmage and caught one pass for 16 yards in a 59-14 rout of the
Cleveland Browns even though the outcome was never in doubt after halftime.
Pittsburgh Steelers In the 1958 preseason, Wilson began to put his stamp on the roster in earnest. In addition to Gedman and Johnson, the veteran holdovers, rookies
Dan Lewis and
Ken Webb joined the mix in a crowded backfield. Only nine months after his memorable performance in the Western Division playoff game, Tracy was expendable, and on Sept. 9, he was traded to the Steelers in return for an undisclosed draft pick. There he was reunited with Layne and
Buddy Parker, his former Lions teammates. Parker was more concerned about what Tracy could do on a football field than what critics wished he could be. That is, provide the stagnant Steelers offense with a jolt of some much-needed explosiveness and versatility. The coach immediately announced that Tracy would play the halfback position, where his sure hands could become more involved in the pass game. Even though the newcomer didn't arrive until late in the preseason, Parker was confident enough to elevate him to a starter role as soon as he had grasp of the system. Assistant coach
Harry Gilmer saw something else in Tracy that would take his career to another level. A former
University of Alabama star tailback-quarterback, Gilmer believed Tracy had the accuracy and arm strength to be effective on the option pass, which was added to the playbook. In a 45-12 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, Tracy threw an incompletion on the first pass of his NFL career. In the return engagement two weeks later, he surprised the Browns defense on a 64-yard hook-up with flanker
Ray Mathews for a touchdown in the first quarter. The Steelers lost the game, 27-10, but they found what would become a potent weapon for their offense. By Week 6, Tracy and Layne were more than roommates and drinking buddies. They were the linchpins of one of the most feared offenses in the league. After a 1-4 start to the regular season, the Steelers closed with five wins and one loss to finish with a 7-4-1 mark and third-place finish. Tracy gained at least 100 total yards from scrimmage in each of the final five games. The group reached their peak in the season finale, a 38-21 romp over the
Chicago Cardinals in Pittsburgh, when they rolled up an NFL record 683 yards, including 472 through the air. For that and the next two seasons, Tracy laid claim to the title of most lethal triple threat in pro football. ==Big Night in Big D==