PITTSBURGH — Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris, author of the most famous play in NFL history and one of the greatest players in franchise history, has died at 72.
The Steelers confirmed the news of Harris’ passing in a statement Wednesday morning.
“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 said 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, whose Number 32 jersey is set to be retired Saturday night, was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 1972 draft and it didn’t take long for him to stake his place in franchise lore. Before Harris’ arrival, the Steelers were synonymous with losing — from 1950-71, they had just four winning seasons.
Those losing seasons gave the Steelers an opportunity to select high in the draft. In 1969, “Mean Joe” Greene was drafted. Terry Bradshaw followed in 1970 and Jack Ham in 1971.
The pieces for a winning team under young head coach Chuck Noll were being assembled. But it wasn’t until Harris arrived that the Steelers took off.
In 1972, the Steelers finished the regular season 11-3 and won a division title for only the second time in franchise history. They played host to a playoff game at Three Rivers Stadium, but trailed 7-6 in the final minute after the Oakland Raiders scored with 1:13 to go in the fourth quarter.
On 4th-and-10 with 22 seconds on the clock, the Steelers called “66 circle option.” The pass protection broke down, Bradshaw had to escape the pocket and threw a desperation pass down the middle of the field to Frenchy Fuqua.
Raiders safety Jack Tatum broke up the pass, but Harris followed the play, caught the deflected ball off his shoe-strings and rambled for a 60-yard touchdown that won the game and put the Steelers in the AFC championship game for the first time.
It became known as “The Immaculate Reception.”
Before the play, Harris simply told himself to play to the end, a lesson he learned from his college coach, Joe Paterno.
“I can’t remember from leaving the backfield to running down the sideline; I remember leaving the backfield, but I don’t remember anything in between,” Harris told the Post-Gazette in 2012. “My mind is completely blank. I can’t tell you if I saw the ball, or if I saw anything or if I knew what actually happened. It baffles my mind. What I knew, once I had it was, ‘run!’
“As athletes, this is something we all know. You can’t think, you train yourself just to react. If you have time to think, it’s too slow. If you can think about that, it’s done.”
The Immaculate Reception remains the most iconic play in NFL history both for its improbable nature and what it meant to the Steelers. Even though the Steelers lost the AFC championship game to Miami the following week, it served as the catalyst for the Steelers winning four Super Bowls in a six-year span.
And Harris played a vital role in all of those Super Bowl wins. He set the Super Bowl record for rushing yards in a game in Super Bowl IX when he churned out 158 yards in the Steelers’ 16-6 victory against the Vikings. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
In four Super Bowls, Harris scored four touchdowns and averaged 117 yards rushing and receiving. He still holds (as of July 2022) Super Bowl records for most rushing yards (354) and rushing attempts (101) in the game’s history.
In Super Bowl X, Harris had 108 total yards in a 21-17 victory for the Steelers. He was the game’s leading rusher with 82 yards and also reeled in a 26-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
In Super Bowl XIV, Harris scored the first and last touchdowns for the Steelers. His 1-yard plunge with 1:49 remaining put the finishing touches on that win.
“For me, Franco was one of the greatest money backs of all time,” former Steelers defensive lineman John Banaszak said. “When the game was on the line, when the games got more important, when the championship was on the line the better Franco Harris was.”
Harris’ favorite Super Bowl was his least productive. It was Super Bowl XIII against Dallas.
Harris was held to 68 yards rushing, but he made one of the biggest plays to help the Steelers secure their third Lombardi Trophy. The Steelers were clinging to a 21-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter and were in Dallas territory after a 33-yard pass interference penalty. After Dallas linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson hit quarterback Terry Bradshaw after the whistle, the usually mild-mannered Harris got into a verbal confrontation with Henderson.
Henderson had been in the news all week for his taunts of Bradshaw, including the infamous quote that Bradshaw was so dumb he could not have spelled cat if he was spotted the c and the a.
On the next play, a 3rd-and-9 from the Dallas 22, Bradshaw called an audible at the line of scrimmage. Harris took the handoff from Bradshaw and raced into the end zone for a 28-17 lead en route to a 35-31 victory.
“I kind of liked the situation in Super Bowl XIII with Thomas Henderson, that whole situation where he was taunting Bradshaw,” Harris said. “We had our words, and then Bradshaw calls my play and we score. That whole situation, with so much happening with Henderson and Bradshaw that week, I enjoyed that moment.”
Harris only missed one playoff game in his 13-year career, the 1976 AFC championship game in Oakland after getting injured in a playoff game the previous week against the Colts. In 19 postseason contests with Harris in the backfield, the Steelers were 14-5 and had a perfect 4-0 record in Super Bowls. He rushed for 1,556 yards and scored 17 times in those games.
Harris finished his career with 12,120 yards and 120 touchdowns. After a contract dispute with the Steelers in the summer of 1984, the team released Harris during training camp. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks and played in eight games for them before he retired.
The late Dan Rooney, former Steers president and chairman, said one of his biggest regrets was allowing Harris to leave the Steelers. Harris and Rooney mended their relationship and Harris became a fixture in Pittsburgh after his retirement.
Harris was a three-time All-Pro and was named to the Pro Bowl nine times. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
“The entire team at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is immensely saddened today,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement. “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.”
In retirement, Harris operated a bakery business. He partnered with former Penn State teammate Lydell Mitchell and ran Super Bakery, which later became R Super Foods, a food distribution business that provides healthy goods for schoolchildren.
We are all saddened by the sudden loss of Franco Harris,” said Sue Paterno, widow of longtime Penn State coach Joe Paterno, in a statement. “His death is not only a loss for his family and friends but also for Penn State, the Steelers, Pittsburgh and the countless people for whom he was an example of a life well-lived. For many he was a man of miracles, the man who showed up at the right time to lift a franchise and a city to greatness in one incredible play.
“But his life was about so much more than the game, what he did with that moment was even more inspiring. He poured himself forth to a life of service to others. He was an example of integrity, selflessness, and loyalty. Perhaps most fitting is that the indelible image of him reaching down to make that catch, to save the day, is symbolic of a big man reaching down to lift others he could help. It is that life of care, loyalty and service that will forever shine in our hearts. Our hearts go out to Dana, Dok and his family and friends across the years who came to know and love a symbol of the very best of Penn State, Pittsburgh and this country.”
Added Duquesne president Ken Gormley: “Franco Harris was the embodiment of everything good about Pittsburgh. He was an upbeat ambassador of the City wherever he went — first as a legendary Steelers running back, later as an unofficial diplomat of this region that he believed in, just as Franco believed in himself. As long as professional football is played in the United States, there will never be another person who can adequately fill the Number 32 jersey. Franco Harris will be forever missed; and he will be forever loved as an emblem of the town that he helped to make so special.”
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald told Post-Gazette news partner KDKA-TV that although Harris wasn’t a Pittsburgh native, he took to the city and the city took to him.
“He loved Pittsburgh,” Fitzgerald said. “He got drafted here, and he adopted us and we adopted him. It literally was a lifelong love affair between Franco Harris and Pittsburgh.”
Fitzgerald said the rough-and-tumble football player was also a gentle giant.
“He was kind of a soft-spoken person that just wanted to give back,” he said.
“As a child growing up in the Midwest, Franco Harris was a legendary figure, who I was always enamored with,” said Penn State athletics director Patrick Kraft. “When I was blessed to join the Penn State family earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to get to know Franco and his wife, Dana, very well. They have been so gracious with their kindness and support. Franco was known for his grit and unrelenting style on the field, but his compassion, warmth, generosity off the field will leave a lasting impression on me. I am heartbroken for all who loved him. We have lost a true legend and friend.”
Added Pennsylvania U.S. Senator-elect John Fetterman: “Gisele, myself, and everyone across the nation are devastated by this news. We are sending our deepest condolences to Franco's family. Franco was a true legend and icon on and off the field. He gave so much to everyone and was a truly selfless man.
“It was an enormous honor and profound privilege to have gotten to know him over the years. I will miss him dearly.”
