Franco Harris death

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The ball fluttered in the air and all but one of the 22 players on the Three Rivers Stadium turf on that cold December day 50 years ago ...

When Bradshaw took what Harris felt was an illegal late hit from Dallas linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson in the second half of their meeting in the Super Bowl following the 1978 season, Harris basically demanded that Bradshaw give him the ball on the next play. Noll, who leaned on Harris so heavily for so long, famously answered “Franco who?” when asked about Harris’ absence from the team’s camp. 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. 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 piled up an additional 1,556 yards rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns in the playoffs, both second all-time behind Emmitt Smith. Oakland linebacker Phil Villapiano, who was covering Harris on the play, even attended a 40th-anniversary celebration of the play in 2012, when a small monument commemorating the exact location of Harris’ catch was unveiled. 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,” team President Art Rooney II said in a statement. With Pittsburgh trailing 7-6 and facing fourth-and-10 from its own 40-yard line and 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Bradshaw drifted back and threw deep to running back Frenchy Fuqua. “From his rookie season, which included the Immaculate Reception, through the next 50 years, Franco brought joy to people on and off the field. It wasn’t uncommon for Harris to stop by the Steelers’ practice facility to chat with players who weren’t even born before his fateful play. Harris had been busy in the run-up to the celebration, doing media interviews Monday to talk about a moment to which he is forever linked.

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.

Steelers legend Franco Harris sat down for what was likely his last interview Tuesday -- just one day before his untimely death -- and nothing appeared out ...

Harris' #32 was also set to be retired ... [Heyward](https://www.tmz.com/people/cam-heyward/) reminisced about one of the greatest plays in sports history. and he was expected to be at Acrisure Stadium. Franco was set to be honored this weekend across the NFL ... [Biden](https://www.tmz.com/people/joe-biden/) and [Obama ](https://www.tmz.com/people/barack-obama/)have [expressed sorrow](https://www.tmz.com/2022/12/21/joe-biden-barack-obama-mourn-franco-harris-death/) over the loss. "50 years.

One day after the world learned of the death of Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer Franco Harris, his family is speaking out. Harris died at the age of 72.