R.I.P. Pittsburgh Steelers Legend Franco Harris

Fifty years ago on December 23rd, 1972, one of the most famous plays in NFL history occurred at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh in a playoff game between the Steelers and then Oakland Raiders. With time running out and the Steelers trailing 7-6, Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw fired a desperate pass in the direction of running back Frenchy Fuqua. Fuqua, the ball, and Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum all came together in a collision, with the ball bouncing up in the air and backwards. Steelers rookie running back Franco Harris grabbed the ball just inches off the ground and ran 60 yards for a touchdown, giving Pittsburgh its first NFL post season victory in franchise history. The catch became known as the Immaculate Reception.

The NFL had big plans to celebrate the catch. The Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders were scheduled to play a regular season game in Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium, the current home of the Steelers, on December 24th. Harris’ number 32 jersey was going to be retired at halftime. Prior to that on December 23rd, Harris and his teammates from the ’72 Steelers were going to gather at the Immaculate Reception Monument, located on the exact location where the catch was made. (Three Rivers was torn down in 2001, and the monument is located on a sidewalk in front of a parking lot).

But whatever celebrations occur, they will now be of a more somber tone. On December 21st, Franco Harris died at age 72, just a couple days short of the celebration. No cause of death was announced.

If Harris had done nothing else in his career, except that catch, he would have a legendary status among Steelers fans. But he did much more than that in a career that would send him to the NFL Hall of Fame. Harris was the Steelers 1st round draft pick in 1972 after playing college football at Penn State. In his rookie season, he rushed for 1055 yards and 10 touchdowns. He rushed for over 1000 yards in eight of his 13 NFL seasons, all but one with Pittsburgh. In 173 games, Harris rushed for 12,120 yards and 91 touchdowns and caught 307 passes for 2287 yards and nine touchdowns. He played on all four of Pittsburgh’s 1970s Super Bowls—all victories—and was the MVP of Super Bowl IX when he rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 16-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He scored a pair of touchdowns in Super Bowl XIV, his final one, in the Steelers’ 31-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. In all, Harris was 14-5 in the post season, with 1556 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, plus another 504 yards and one receiving touchdown—on the Immaculate Reception.

Harris was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

Here’s a link to a video retrospective of Franco Harris’ career.