Oakland sent veteran defensive tackle Tom Keating to…
Oakland sent veteran defensive tackle Tom Keating to Pittsburgh on July 23, 1973, for the Steelers’ 1974 third-round pick, No. 75 overall. Pittsburgh got 12 games and four starts from Keating before he left after one season. Oakland used the pick on Mark van Eeghen, who became a two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the franchise’s most productive rushers.
Las Vegas Raiders Received
- pick 1974 third round pick (#75-Mark van Eeghen)
Pittsburgh Steelers Received
- player Tom Keating
Trade Analysis
Why the Trade Happened
Pittsburgh was already a contender in 1973 and added an accomplished veteran to reinforce a defensive front built around Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White, and Ernie Holmes. Pro Football Archives dates Tom Keating’s move from Oakland to July 23, 1973. Steelers histories repeatedly identify the compensation as Pittsburgh’s third-round pick in the 1974 draft, correcting older accounts that described the return as a fourth-rounder.
What Pittsburgh Received
Keating was 31 and near the end of his career, but he was not merely a camp body. He appeared in 12 regular-season games for Pittsburgh, started four, and recorded one sack. The Steelers finished 10-4 and reached the playoffs, so the trade did provide useful short-term depth for a team trying to win immediately. Keating’s Pittsburgh stay lasted only that season, however, and he moved to Kansas City in 1974.
What Oakland Received
The surrendered third-round choice became No. 75 overall, which Oakland used on Mark van Eeghen. That turned the trade into a major long-term win for the Raiders. Van Eeghen played 112 games with 87 starts for the franchise from 1974 through 1981, rushed for 5,907 yards as a Raider, and scored 35 rushing touchdowns. He topped 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons and was a major contributor to the Raiders’ victories in Super Bowls XI and XV.
Final Verdict
Oakland Raiders Win. Pittsburgh earns a C because Keating contributed to a playoff team and filled a legitimate one-year need. Oakland earns an A because the third-round pick became a foundational back on two championship teams. The gap between one season of rotational veteran value and eight seasons of high-level production from van Eeghen makes this one of the clearer hindsight wins in the batch.