Franco Harris has died

Question

NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris has died at the age of 72. He had no profile, but I have created one.

Answer 1

If you were a football fan growing up in the 70s, Franco was either your hero or the bane of your existence. In 1975, he was named MVP of Super Bowl IX, becoming the first African American and Italian American to win the award. A great player and person. RIP

Comments

My hero! I lived in PA and everyone I knew adored him. His number will be retired this weekend, an event he was to attend.

He did quite a lot of philanthropic work too. What a great man.

---

I love Franco! May he rest in peace!

Sheila

---

Gotta have some mention of the "immaculate reception" in that bio -- one of the most memorable plays in football history!

---

Oh, I'll get to that. Was making a bare-bones first attempt while I had time.

---

What Natalie said. We lost an icon of the sport, but even more deflating to realize that he died just two days before the 50th anniversary of "The Immaculate Reception" and three days before the Steelers are scheduled to retire his #32 in a halftime ceremony during their game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

---

I added the mention of the play in his bio. I'm no sports reporter, so if it needs touching up, please feel free!

---

Thanks Natalie, looks good!  I think we should defer to a hard-core Pittsburgh Steeler fan, with a Terrible Towel in one-hand and an Iron City beer in the other, to expound on the historical significance of that play.

Answer 2

Sorry to hear that. Indeed a legendary sports figure. RIP Franco.

Answer 3

Immaculate Reception. I remember the catch. I remember the touchdown. I don't remember the celebration dance. My, how the sport has changed!

Answer 4

As a die hard 49ers fan in the 70s, I had to go look at a replay of the mentioned immaculate reception I hadn't seen before. That was truly AMAZING!

Answer 5

Oh Noooo! Being a Clevelander I was not a fan of the Steelers, but I loved Franco!

Comments

I was a semi-Steelers fan because of Rocky Bleier, much like I pull for the Cardinals in honor of Pat Tillman. Not to take anything away from Franco, that one play beat the Raiders after all---Go Chiefs!

Answer 6

I was a Cincinnati fan, so Franco was a bane to our existence. My brother was a Pittsburgh fan, so we had a sibling rivalry going on there. But as a person, Franco Harris always seemed to me to be hard-working, very professional, and off the field a generally very nice guy. I believe he did some commentary work, and I always enjoyed him in that role. So it's a shame that he's passed, but he will be remembered for certain. Not sure if he holds any records, as I seem to recall he shared duties with a couple of other backs on the team, but he did seem to put a good number of yards down each game and he almost always seemed to get the carry when it was a third and short. And most times he got it.