Franco Harris

The Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Fame running back Franco Harris died Wednesday, just before the 50-year anniversary of his "Immaculate Reception" play.

“I think that if teams go to a two running back system that they can control the game and their chances of winning really go up. “I think if teams want to win, having a running game is the way to go,” he said. “We couldn't stop them, and the (Ravens’ running game) made a huge difference.” “We had a good running game and great talent, and that took some pressure off of Terry sometimes. “Terry came out harder and opened up the passing game a lot more, as his talent really was able to shine. That dynamic season was followed by a 12-4 run and a 31-19 Super Bowl XIV win over the Los Angeles Rams, in 1979. Harris said that the 1970s Steelers all-hands-on-deck mentality was a key to their success. In all, the Pittsburgh Steelers would be cemented as the NFL’s team of the 1970s and one of a handful of colossus ball clubs. The ball bounced and spun high in the air and fell to Harris, who caught it and ran for a game-winning touchdown. “He said that to everybody, because no matter your position—when the ball comes down—you can throw a block, or if it’s intercepted you can make a tackle. “But I didn’t think about how bad the Steelers had been, and after four years at Penn State I was thinking sunshine, maybe in Miami or L.A.,” Harris said. [can access](https://nflallday.com/?utm_medium=media&utm_source=sportsillustrated&utm_campaign=content_nflad_immaculate&utm_content=francospun_text) the “Immaculate Reception Pack Drop on Tuesday, December 20, for a chance to own one of ten “Ultimate-tier Moments of the Immaculate Reception NFTs by NFL ALL DAY.

Franco Harris, the Pittsburgh Steelers running back who caught what became known as the 'Immaculate Reception', has died...

He was named the game's most valuable player. "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," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. During the event, Harris' famous number 32 will be officially retired.

Three days before the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception and hours before his surprise passing, Franco Harris connected with fans over his iconic ...

Brian Cook and his daughters, Mimi and Reese, waited quietly while Harris finished speaking, and then approached him and asked for a photo in front of the statue. Then, Harris quizzed the girls about the quarterback who threw him the Immaculate Reception and what number Harris wore. Tuesday night, Brian sent me a picture of the pair in their purchases. "He was just telling me, 'You still wouldn't be able to touch me just in practice if I was practicing.' And I'm just like, 'Franco, you're not even playing football right now,'" Heyward said, smiling at the memory. "He always had the utmost respect for every player, every person in the city. On Friday, the actual anniversary of the play, there would be a screening of a documentary about his life, followed by a public ceremony at the site of the Immaculate Reception at 3:41 p.m. There was also a smaller, intimate dinner for his friends and family scheduled at the museum this week. He had the same twinkle in his eye as he told stories in his signature deep, soft-spoken tone. He was recounting the tedious process of creating the mold used to sculpt his face for the iconic Immaculate Reception statues that greet visitors at Pittsburgh International Airport and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. The petroleum jelly he slathered on before the alginate was applied was supposed to make it easier to remove the dried cast, but some of his beard and eyebrow hairs remained embedded in the mask when artist Gerry Embelton carefully peeled it away. Waking up to the news was surreal. "It wasn't bad until they tried to take it off, and then they're taking my beard off with it," Harris said with a chuckle.

Great of 1970s NFL completed the 'Immaculate Reception', voted greatest play in league history.

Harris remained in Pittsburgh, opening a bakery and becoming involved in charities including Pittsburgh Promise, which provides college scholarships for public school students. He piled up another 1,556 yards rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns in the playoffs, both second all-time. He scored at least once in three of the four Super Bowls he played, and his 354 yards rushing on the biggest stage remains a record. The Immaculate Reception made Harris a star, though he preferred to let his play do the talking. “Each player had their strengths and weaknesses, each their own thinking, each their own method, just each, each had their own. With Pittsburgh trailing 7-6 and facing fourth-and-10 from their own 40-yard line and 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Bradshaw threw deep to the running back French Fuqua.

Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored the "Immaculate Reception," considered the most iconic play in NFL history, ...

Pat Freiermuth, fellow Penn State alum who was announced at the 2021 NFL draft by Harris recalled going to dinners with him and spending time with him at the spring game at Penn State. Despite all of Harris' success, his time in Pittsburgh ended acrimoniously when the Steelers cut him after he held out during training camp before the 1984 season. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin expressed his admiration for Harris saying, in part, "There's so much to be learned from him in terms of how he conducted himself, how he embraced the responsibilities of being Franco for Steeler nation, for this community, for Penn State followers. He churned 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 Most Valuable Player award. He piled up another 1,556 yards rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns in the playoffs, both second all time behind Emmitt Smith. On a team that featured big personalities in Bradshaw, defensive tackle Joe Greene and linebacker Jack Lambert, among others, the intensely quiet Harris spent 12 seasons as the engine that helped Pittsburgh's offense go. 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. "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," said Steelers president Art Rooney II in a statement. 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. "From his rookie season, which included the Immaculate Reception, through the next 50 years, Franco brought joy to people on and off the field. Fuqua and Oakland defensive back Jack Tatum collided, sending the ball careening back toward midfield in the direction of Harris.

Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris died Wednesday, just days before the 50th anniversary of the "Immaculate Reception," what many ...

](https://twitter.com/wordgrouch/status/1605614360252059651?s=20&t=5_M_o_8GXcvPI68uiPYK1w)"You didn't have to be a Pittsburgh fan to be a #FrancoHarris fan. The original radio broadcast of the play will also be played, according to the Steelers. At halftime, Harris's jersey number 32 will be retired, making him only the third player in Steelers history to receive the honor, the Steelers said. "I had so much fun messing with him about his blocking and catching the ball. 23, 1972 AFC divisional round playoff game between the Steelers and Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh was trailing 7-6 when quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass downfield. The play happened in Harris's rookie year in 1972.

The NFL and the Steelers were set to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception during the team's Christmas Eve game against the Raiders.

A couple days before he was gonna be celebrated for one of the greatest plays in sports history and he is gone. So sad to hear that Franco Harris passed away, just days before the 50th Anniversary of the Immaculate Reception and his number being retired. Franco Harris was so much more than just one play. He literally changed the course of NFL history.— Damon Amendolara (@DAonCBS) He’s literally the image on the patch the Steelers will wear this weekend. One of the true greats from my childhood-and one of the pillars of those dominant Steelers teams. Rest In Peace to a great man who showed so much support for me. He was a legend on the field and the personification of excellence off of the field– A true class act to look up to and aspire to be like. 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. "The Hall of Fame and historians everywhere will tell Franco's football story forever. ['The Immaculate Reception' as The Sporting News covered it (Jan. He spent all but one season in Pittsburgh and authored one of the league's most iconic plays, the Immaculate Reception.

Fifty years later, the memory of the “Immaculate Reception” endures for a fan who took his father's advice and stayed until the end of the game.

He remained humble, even as a 22-year-old in the delirious moment of his most famous touchdown. Harris went on to become the second-leading rusher in league history, earn induction into the Hall of Fame and see his statue placed next to George Washington’s in Pittsburgh International Airport. His army of fans remains, if in unexpected mourning as we prepare to honor the anniversary of the catch that still conjures the thought of divine intervention. Had the ball touched a Raider after it bounced off Fuqua, or had it bounced from one Steeler to the next? The rules at the time didn’t allow a player to deflect a pass to his own teammate, even inadvertently. Thankfully, my father is a big believer in staying to the end. The team had previously made it to the postseason only once in its 40-year history — and that had been in 1947. “And since I haven’t seen too many of them driving around the streets of Pittsburgh, it’s nice to know there’s one sitting right behind me on the field.” In those days before the N.F.L. The Steelers built a 6-0 lead on two field goals, but then what had seemed inevitable finally happened: The favored Raiders scored a touchdown with just over a minute left. rule that almost annulled the “Immaculate Reception.” Back then, the Steelers’ historic ineptitude was a notable backdrop to that 1972 playoff game.

If the Immaculate Reception happened today, most of us wouldn't remember it for more than a week. Sad but true. The most famous play in pro football history ...

It was never just about football to Franco Harris. It couldn't be. That would have been too limiting. Too easy. A cop out.

Murray was injured on the third play from scrimmage, a play in which he dropped back to pass and then scrambled for a gain of 3 yards. Most of us expected the Texans to be the worst team in the league. The Cardinals signed Murray to a five-year, $230.5 million extension in July, including $189.5 million in guaranteed money. Playing on the road for the first time in his career, Purdy connected on his first 11 pass attempts. Colt McCoy, 36, replaced Murray for the Cardinals (4-9), who dropped a 27-13 decision to the Patriots in Glendale, Ariz. Harris never tired of telling — and retelling — the story of the moment that made him an icon, he was typically more than willing to listen. With four weeks remaining in the NFL's regular season, the Houston Texans are an odds-on favorite to secure the top overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Arlen Specter faced a health battle in the late 2000s that briefly raised concerns about Specter's ability to finish his term, Rendell said there was only one name at the top of his list as a potential appointment: Franco Harris. “It’s hard to go back and think of a better citizen that Pennsylvania has had other than Franco Harris.” ”I’ve never seen a reaction like the reaction Franco got. 23, 1972 — plans to be in attendance on Saturday night when the Steelers retire Harris' No. Sure, there was an element of political expediency for Rendell to align himself with someone immensely popular from Pittsburgh to State College to Scranton.

Harris had much success in his career with the Steelers — but he is perhaps best known for one of the most famous plays in NFL history, the Immaculate ...

This week, the sports world has been mourning the loss of Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris, who died at 72. Harris had much success in his career with the Steelers — but he is perhaps best known for one of the most famous plays in NFL history, the Immaculate Reception. Remembering Steelers running back Franco Harris