Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris, who won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was on the receiving end of the “Immaculate Reception,” died on Tuesday. He was 72.
Harris’ death came two days before the 50th anniversary of the famous play, which was selected as the greatest moment in league history as part of the NFL 100 celebration in 2019.
No cause of death has been reported.
The Steelers were scheduled to retire the No. 32 worn by Harris during Saturday’s game against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders — the franchise on the receiving end of the Immaculate Reception.
The team has retired just two numbers, those of Joe Greene (75) and Ernie Stautner (70).
“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,” team 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.”
The Immaculate Reception occurred Dec. 23, 1972, in a playoff game in Pittsburgh between the Steelers and then-Oakland Raiders. With the Steelers down 7-6 with 22 seconds to play and fourth-and-10 at their own 40-yard line, quarterback Terry Bradshaw scrambled, then threw a pass intended for John “Frenchy” Fuqua. After bouncing off Raiders safety Jack Tatum, the ball wound up in the hands of Harris, a 22-year-old rookie who ran it into the end zone for the game-winning, 60-yard score.
“That play really represents our teams of the ’70s,” Harris said after the Immaculate Reception was voted the greatest play in NFL history.
Tributes to Harris poured in on social media Wednesday morning.
“The entire team at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is immensely saddened today,” Pro Football 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.”
“Franco Harris was so much more than just one play,” ESPN’s Mike Greenberg tweeted. “He was one of the great backs of his time, or any time, and the heartbeat of the offense of those legendary #Steelers teams. He was also as classy a gentleman as you could ever hope to meet. RIP Franco, thanks for the memories.”
Another Steelers Hall of Fame member, Jerome Bettis, also paid tribute.
“Words can’t begin to describe the pain I am feeling,” Bettis tweeted. “Franco will always be a brother, mentor and my definition of greatness. 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.”
Harris was selected to nine Pro Bowls and was the MVP of Super Bowl IX during his career with the Steelers (1972-83) and Seattle Seahawks (1984). He gained 14,407 yards from scrimmage and scored 100 touchdowns in 173 games (162 starts).
Born March 7, 1950, in Fort Dix, N.J., Harris played college football at Penn State and was a first-round draft pick by the Steelers in 1972.
He remained a presence in Pittsburgh post-retirement, running a food distribution business that provides healthy food for school children. He also worked with Penn State’s School of Hospitality Management, serving as a guest lecturer in hospitality and food service managing among his duties.
–Field Level Media
