It was an ordinary day. Reading in the Lancaster newspaper about the December 21, 2022 death of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris.
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| Superstar Franco Harris |
His death came two days before the 50th Anniversary of the play that made him a football icon. The play occurred in the AFC divisional playoff game of the National Football League between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the then-Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 23, 1972. With the Steelers trailing on fourth down and 22 seconds left in the game, Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass meant for John Faqua. The ball bounced off the helmet of Raiders safety Jack Tatum. Steelers fullback Franco Harris caught it just before it hit the ground and ran for a game-winning touchdown. The play has been a source of some controversy and speculation ever since, and a few people have contended that the ball touched Fuqua or that it hit the ground before Harris caught it, either of which would have resulted in an incomplete pass by the rules at that time. Kevin Cook's "The Last Headbangers" cites the play as the beginning of a bitter rivalry between Pittsburgh and Oakland that fueled a historically brutal Raiders team during the NFL's most controversially physical era. Franco's death comes two days before the 50th anniversary of the play that provided the jolt that helped transform the Steelers from also-rans into the NFL's elite and three days before Pittsburgh was scheduled to retire his #32 jersey during a ceremony at halftime of its game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Harris had been busy in the run0up to the celebration, doing media interviews to talk about a moment to which he is forever linked. Its pretty tough to find the words needed to describe Franco's impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers, his teammates, the City of Pittsburgh and Stellers Nation. From his rookie season through the next 50 years, Franco brought joy to people on and off the field. He never stopped going back in so many ways. He touched so many and was loved by so many. Franco ran for 12,120 yards and won four Super Bowl rings with the Steelers in the 1970s, a dynasty that began in earnest with Harris' catching of a last-second heave by Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw in a playoff game against Oakland in 1972. That one single play, known as the immaculate reception, shifted the fortunes of a franchise and, in some ways, a region. Franco was a 6'2", 230 pound workhorse from Penn State who found himself the center of it all. He ran for a then-record 158 yards rushing and a touchdown in Pittsburgh's 16-6 victory over Minnesota in Super Bowl IX on his way to winning the game's MVP award. He scored at least once in three of the four Super Bowls he played in, and his 354 career yards rushing on the NFL's biggest stage remains a record nearly four decades after his retirement. Franco was born in Fort Dix, NJ on March 7, 1950. He played his college ball at Penn State where his primary job was to open holes for backfield mate Lydell Mitchell. He was drafted 13th in the 1972 draft by the Steelers. He won the NFL's Rookie of the Year Award in 1972 after rushing for a team record of 1,055 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Steelers reached the postseason for only the 2nd time in team history. Pittsburgh's large Italian-American population embraced Harris led by two local businessmen who founded what was known as "Franco's Italian Army." "The Immaculate Reception" made Franco a star on a team that featured big personalities such as Terry Bradshaw, Joe Green and Jack Lambert. He spent 12 seasons with the Steelers running the engine that helped Pittsburgh's offense go. He topped 1,000 yards rushing a season 8 times including 5 times while playing a 14-game schedule. He piled on an additional 1,556 yard rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns in the playoffs, both second all-time behind Emmitt Smith. Remember that guy? But, Franco always stressed that he was just one cog in an extraordinary machine that redefined greatness. RIP Mr. Football Hero Franco Harris! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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