STEELERS PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME RB FRANCO HARRIS DIES AT 72
Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris, of “The Immaculate Reception” fame has passed away at the age of 72, the NFL announced on Wednesday.
The news of his untimely death comes just three days before the Steelers are set to retire his number 32 jersey on Saturday night, the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. Harris passed away Tuesday evening, his son Dok told The Associated Press.
Harris was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft at 13th overall and would go on to have an outstanding career. The Fort Dix-born Franco Harris would go on to win four Super Bowls, a Super Bowl IX MVP, earn 9 Pro Bowl selections in 13 seasons, and amass over 12,000 yards rushing. Harris was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement released by the Pro Football Hall of Fame: “The entire team at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is immensely saddened today. We have lost an incredible football player, an incredible ambassador to the Hall and, most importantly, we have lost one of the finest gentlemen anyone will ever meet. Franco not only impacted the game of football, but he also affected the lives of many, many people in profoundly positive ways.”
“The Hall of Fame and historians everywhere will tell Franco’s football story forever. His life story can never be told fully, however, without including his greatness off the field. My heart and prayers go out to his wife, Dana, an equally incredible person, a special friend to the Hall, and someone who cares so deeply for Franco’s Hall of Fame teammates.”
The former Nittany Lion was a violent, widely-productive, consistent and tough runner who would end up finishing his career just 192 yards short of Jim Brown’s long standing NFL-rushing record. Harris finished his career with 12,120 career rushing yards, at the time making him the third all-time leading rusher behind Walter Payton and Jim Brown. Harris now ranks 15th all-time.
The 1972 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year also proved to be an impressive receiver out of the backfield during his playing time, registering 2,287 receiving yards and scoring 9 receiving touchdowns in his illustrious career.
“We’re all stunned by this, 72 is certainly not very old,” long-time sportscaster Chris Berman said. “It was the Immaculate Reception, regarded as you said, the greatest play of all time, we select that… Franco, for all the superstars, was about the most humble, decent, kind, giving, he was much more than this brute of a running back.”
“He, on offense, epitomized the Steelers on defense and the Steelers grit and really, the Steelers’ city… Franco was more than a teammate. He was, like I said, became quickly a pillar in the community, and of course, still is and always will be. We’re just all stunned because, for me, Joe Greene and him, and of course Terry [Bradshaw], for all the great players, they had, you think of the Steelers, you cannot not think of number 32. You cannot.”
Steelers Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham observed a few years ago that while defensive lineman Joe Greene set the tone for the team on defense, Harris did the same on offense. Winning was a major part of the tone set by Harris on the Steelers. Steelers President Art Rooney II likened Harris’ arrival in Pittsburgh to the “turning point of U.S military history.”
“There’s an old saying,” Rooney said. “‘The United States never won a naval battle against the Japanese until Midway and then they never lost a battle.’ Well, the Steelers never really won anything until Franco got here, and [we] never really lost anything until after he left.” In his 12 years in Steel City, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Franco Harris never posted a losing record.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement regarding Harris’ death: “We are shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected passing of Franco Harris. He meant so much to Steelers fans as the Hall of Fame running back who helped form the nucleus of the team’s dynasty of the ‘70s, but he was much more.”
“He was a gentle soul who touched so many in the Pittsburgh community and throughout the entire NFL. Franco changed the way people thought of the Steelers, of Pittsburgh, and of the NFL. He will forever live in the hearts of Steelers fans everywhere, his teammates, and the city of Pittsburgh. Our condolences go out to his wife, Dana, and their son, Dok.”
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he wanted people to remember Franco Harris by “the heart he had for people” and “how patient he was, how gracious he was with his time and space, the life he led and experience(s) he had in Pennsylvania, whether it was at Penn State or with the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
“That’s what I’ll always remember about him,” Tomlin said. “The general spirit, the patience that he had, and the time that he had for people. Just really inspiring.”
“It is difficult to find the appropriate words to describe Franco Harris’ impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers, his teammates, the city of Pittsburgh, and Steelers Nation,” Steelers President Art Rooney II concluded in a statement. “From his rookie season, which included the Immaculate Reception, through the next 50 years, Franco brought joy to people on and off the field. He never stopped giving back in so many ways. He touched so many, and he was loved by so many. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Dana, his son, Dok, and his extended family at this difficult time.”
Harris made a pledge prior to the 1972 NFL Draft, declaring to get involved in the city where he’d get drafted, and said he wanted to “become that city.” While Harris’ involvement in the city of Pittsburgh, community, and civic events is vivid and undeniable, no one summed up the All-Pro running back better than Joe Green when he referred to him simply as “Mr. Pittsburgh.”
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Governor Tom Wolf. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.