Franco Harris: Hall of Fame running back whose “Immaculate Reception,” regarded as the most famous play in NFL history, was the result of quick thinking, has passed away. He was 72.
Dok Harris, Harris’ son, confirmed his father’s passing to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The reason for death was not disclosed. Two days before the 50th anniversary of the play that gave the Steelers the boost they needed to become one of the NFL’s finest teams, and three days before Pittsburgh was set to honor him by retiring his No. 32 at a ceremony at halftime of its game against the Las Vegas Raiders, he passed away. Before the celebration, Harris had been busy. On Monday, he spoke with the media about an event to which he will always be connected.
Franco Harris’ influence on the Pittsburgh Steelers, his teammates, the City of Pittsburgh, and Steelers Nation is difficult to put into words, according to a statement from team president Art Rooney II.
“Franco made people happy on and off the field from his first season, which featured the Immaculate Reception, through the following 50 years. In numerous ways, he never stopped giving back. He had such an impact on people, and he was so adored.
Even after retiring, Harris continued to play for a team whose standard of excellence was set by a young New Jersey boy who saw the ball in the air and continued to run. Harris frequently stopped by the Steelers’ practice complex to talk to guys who hadn’t even been born when he made his momentous play.
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Coach Mike Tomlin stated, “I love and adore the man. There is a lot to be learned from him in terms of his behavior and the way he accepted the duties of being Franco for Steeler Nation and this neighborhood. He got everything and handled it with style, elegance, and consideration for others.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, Harris ran for 12,120 yards and earned four Super Bowl rings. This dynasty started in earnest when Harris continued running during a last-second heave by Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw in a playoff game against Oakland in 1972.
With 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter, running back Frenchy Fuqua received a deep pass from quarterback Terry Bradshaw as Pittsburgh faced a fourth-and-10 situation from its 40-yard line with a 7-6 deficit.
As a result of the collision between Fuqua and Jack Tatum, an Oakland defensive back, the ball careened toward midfield in Harris’ direction. Replays were ambiguous, so game officials weren’t clear about who deflected the pass.
The Steelers’ first playoff victory in the team’s four-decade history came when Harris kept his legs moving while almost everyone else on the field stopped. Harris grabbed the ball just inches above the Three Rivers Stadium turf near the Oakland 45 before outpacing several dumbfounded Raider defenders.
After the “Immaculate Reception” was chosen as the most significant play in NFL history during the league’s 100th anniversary season in 2020, Harris commented, “That play embodies our teams of the ’70s.”
Even though the Raiders initially protested, they eventually accepted their place in NFL legend. At a 40th-anniversary celebration of the touchdown in 2012, when a modest monument marking the precise spot of Harris’ history-altering catch was installed, Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano, who was covering Harris on the play, even showed up.
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The former rival-turned-shirt friends will be retired on Saturday night, and Villapiano is okay with the fact that it’s still unclear what exactly transpired at 3:29 p.m. on December 23, 1972.
There are a lot of perspectives and factors. Nobody will ever understand that, according to Villapiano. Let’s let it continue indefinitely. Pittsburgh was on its way to being the dominant team of the 1970s, winning back-to-back Super Bowls twice, first after the 1974 and 1975 seasons and then once more after the 1978 and 1979 seasons, despite losing the AFC championship the following week to Miami.
And it all started with a play that somehow changed the course of an entire region and a brand. When the team announced in September that it would retire Harris’ number, Harris commented, “It’s hard to imagine it’s been 50 years; that’s a long time.” And it’s still exhilarating to see it so alive. It has a lot to say. It is significant.
Harris, a workhorse from Penn State who stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 230 pounds, found himself in the middle of it all. In Super Bowl IX, Pittsburgh defeated Minnesota 16-6, and he rushed for a then-record 158 yards and a touchdown to take
home the game’s MVP honors. In three of the four Super Bowls he participated in, he scored at least once, and nearly four decades after his retirement, his 354 career rushing yards on the NFL’s grandest stage are still a record.
Tony Dungy, a member of the Hall of Fame, described Harris as “one of the kindest, gentlest men I have ever met” on Twitter. Harris and Dungy were teammates in Pittsburgh in the late 1970s. He was a fantastic teammate and person. A player in the Hall of Fame, but so much more. A tremendous example for me!”
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