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Franco Harris has died

Being younger and not seeing the “player” I only seen the after man. That’s what I love to hear from the stories I’ve seen here, online, (some) media, the man he was.

The one dumbass I hate on espn couldn’t have said it better. Each of us should be reaching to be the great person/man this person was. We know what he did on the field, but it’s what he did off the field that I inspired too be. I couldn’t have agreed more with that statement.
 
Troglodyte said:
The bigger myth was that Franco was slow. At the age of 31, Franco had a long run of 50 yards. He also had runs of 75, 71 (age 29), 61 and 54 yards in his career.
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To be fair, distance runs aren’t always based on speed … Steve Bono once had a 76 yard run and I’m pretty sure one of his guards beat him to the end zone 🤣
 
Steeltime said:
I saw the game against the Chiefs in Franco's rookie season where the Steelers were in a brutally close game. Bradshaw just terrible that day. Steelers leading just 9-7 in the 4th quarter, Steelers knocking on the door, give the ball to Franco and he breaks about 5 tackles and scores a TD to seal the win.

I can still remember that run. I cannot find it on any highlight film, but Franco simply ran over and through any defender who got in his way. The myth that Franco was "soft" was based on his stepping out of bounds after another 8-yard run where the Steelers were up by 20 points in the 4th quarter.
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Like I said, FRANCO chose his battles both on the field of play and off the filed of play.

GREAT memory Steeltime, thanks for sharing.


Salute the nation
 
A big part of my childhood died with Franco today. Being a young steeler fan in the 1970s, going to games with my dad and little brother. My dad's favorite player as a fellow Italian.

God, those were good years and 32 was a huge part of it all.

What a great guy. Love ya, Franco.
 
There's little I can say that hasn't been said. I echo every single sentiment shared here. I'm a 70s kid. He was my hero. I dreamed of being #32. I scored so many backyard TDs as Franco. I was a die hard and he was my Superman. Like everyone, I'm stunned. Like everyone I'm hurt. This one hurt more, I guess, because I met him and he touched my son.

Like so many of you, I had a brief, but impactful meeting with Franco. Like the story posted on Steeler Nation today, Franco always had a way of making YOU feel like you were important. I met Lambert once. Totally different experience.

In 2011, I took my then 9 year old to the Burgh for a game against the Jags. Got a room at the Renaissance downtown. Treated the kid right. Huge, 8 foot tall windows. Our room looked down into PNC Park and over towards Heinz. During game broadcasts to this day, they will show downtown and he and I can point out the room we actually stayed in.

Next morning, we get up and go walking around downtown looking for a jersey for him. Couldn't find one he wanted, headed back to the hotel to checkout and head over to the game. We approach and the bellhop at the door (wearing his red coat and hat) says "Hey....Franco's (didn't need to say his last name) in the lobby. Wanna take the kid in and meet him?"

We go in the lobby and sure enough, there's my Steelers childhood hero standing larger than life at the bottom of the grand stairs. Talking to a handful of people. A few minutes later it was our turn. He looks at us, beaming a smile and says "Hey guys" and reaches out his monster bear-size hands to shake ours. I stumbled for some words, said something like I grew up a 70s Steelers fan, thanks for so many memories (as he's nodding) and said "and this is my son Cole. He's a halfback on his youth football team, and yesterday morning rushed for his first touchdown, straight up the middle like you used to."

Franco chuckled a laugh, put his hand on my kid's head and said good job kid, let's get a picture.

Those of you who know me on Facebook have seen that photo today. My son didn't understand the importance of the moment at the moment. Not sure he fully still does.

Franco made my day that day. One of many, many days he made for me in my life.

My heart goes out to his family, to all of Steeler Nation, and to humanity. A good man left us today. R.I.P. Franco.❤️
 
Steeltime said:
I saw the game against the Chiefs in Franco's rookie season where the Steelers were in a brutally close game. Bradshaw just terrible that day. Steelers leading just 9-7 in the 4th quarter,

I can still remember that run. I cannot find it on any highlight film, but Franco simply ran over and through any defender who got in his way. The myth that Franco was "soft" was based on his stepping out of bounds after another 8-yard run where the Steelers were up by 20 points in the 4th quarter.
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Here ya go.....go to around the 18:20 part of the video.

 
Drink IRON City said:
I remember as a kid some of my friends saying he was chicken by stepping out of bounds. I reminded them that he lived to play another play and also reminded them when their favorite RB got injured and was out.
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I mentioned that to my dad once back in the day. Now my dad played fullback in high school and college and was pretty good. Fast enough to be on the track team too. Dad said, "Yeah I used to fight for that extra half yard and that's how my knee got torn up. Missed half my senior year (of high school), and ended up at Geneva College instead of playing for Joe Paterno at Penn State. Franco is just being smart."
Obviously it worked because Franco missed very little time with injuries and retired as the second-leading rusher.
 
Tim Steelersfan said:
There's little I can say that hasn't been said. I echo every single sentiment shared here. I'm a 70s kid. He was my hero. I dreamed of being #32. I scored so many backyard TDs as Franco. I was a die hard and he was my Superman. Like everyone, I'm stunned. Like everyone I'm hurt. This one hurt more, I guess, because I met him and he touched my son.

Like so many of you, I had a brief, but impactful meeting with Franco. Like the story posted on Steeler Nation today, Franco always had a way of making YOU feel like you were important. I met Lambert once. Totally different experience.

In 2011, I took my then 9 year old to the Burgh for a game against the Jags. Got a room at the Renaissance downtown. Treated the kid right. Huge, 8 foot tall windows. Our room looked down into PNC Park and over towards Heinz. During game broadcasts to this day, they will show downtown and he and I can point out the room we actually stayed in.

Next morning, we get up and go walking around downtown looking for a jersey for him. Couldn't find one he wanted, headed back to the hotel to checkout and head over to the game. We approach and the bellhop at the door (wearing his red coat and hat) says "Hey....Franco's (didn't need to say his last name) in the lobby. Wanna take the kid in and meet him?"

We go in the lobby and sure enough, there's my Steelers childhood hero standing larger than life at the bottom of the grand stairs. Talking to a handful of people. A few minutes later it was our turn. He looks at us, beaming a smile and says "Hey guys" and reaches out his monster bear-size hands to shake ours. I stumbled for some words, said something like I grew up a 70s Steelers fan, thanks for so many memories (as he's nodding) and said "and this is my son Cole. He's a halfback on his youth football team, and yesterday morning rushed for his first touchdown, straight up the middle like you used to."

Franco chuckled a laugh, put his hand on my kid's head and said good job kid, let's get a picture.

Those of you who know me on Facebook have seen that photo today. My son didn't understand the importance of the moment at the moment. Not sure he fully still does.

Franco made my day that day. One of many, many days he made for me in my life.

My heart goes out to his family, to all of Steeler Nation, and to humanity. A good man left us today. R.I.P. Franco.❤️
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Thanks for sharing this Tim...
 
The 'Immaculate Reception'
By WILLIAM N. WALLACE
December 23, 1972
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PITTSBURGH - Television helped decide a pro football game today, the cameras re-enforcing a decision made on the field by the referee about a 60-yard touchdown play that won the game for the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Oakland Raiders, 13-7, with five seconds left. The touchdown was scored by Franco Harris, who caught a deflected pass. The football bounced off the body of Jack Tatum, the Raider safety man, went back seven yards in a big arc, Harris caught it, and then ran 42 yards for the winning touchdown.
What had to be decided by Fred Swearingen, the referee, was that the ball indeed touched Tatum, who had collided with Harris's teammate, Frenchy Fuqua, at the Oakland 35-yard line. The rule is that no two receivers can touch the ball consecutively on the same play. The play could not legally have gone from Terry Bradshaw, the Steeler quarterback, to Fuqua to Harris without Tatum in between. Swearingen ruled that the ball touched Tatum, which made legal the ricochet to Harris. He was summoned to a field telephone by Art McNally, the National Football League's supervisor of officials, who was in the press box. McNally had access to the instant replay on television. "How do you rule?" McNally asked. "Touchdown," replied Swearingen. "That's right," said McNally. Score one for man's technology, in this case camera and film.
The play was probably a first for football because of the confirmation by television. "I've been playing football ever since the second grade and I haven't ever seen anything like this," said Bradshaw, who had no idea how the ball wound up in the hands of Harris in the end zone. As far as Tatum is concerned, the play was illegal and the touchdown fraudulent. He said that he and Fuqua got to the ball at the same time. "All I was trying to do was knock the ball loose," he said. "I touched the man [Fuqua], but not the ball." The Raiders, however, were not going to make a big issue out of the result. John Madden, the Oakland coach, in his post-game comments indicated from his view the football had indeed touched Tatum.
The situation was dramatic, too. Oakland, stymied all afternoon by the great Steeler defense, had mounted a lastminute touchdown drive and had suddenly gone ahead, 7-6. Ken Stabler, the quarterback who had replaced Daryle Lamonica at the start of the final quarter, had run 30 yards down the sideline for the Raider touchdown with only 1 minute 13 seconds left to play. All the Oakland team had to do was hold the Steelers one more time and not let them get past midfield so Roy Gerala might have a try at a long field goal.
Starting from his 20-yard line, Bradshaw threw five straight passes, two broken up by the ubiquitous Tatum, one of many defensive stars in this playoff contest. The fifth pass, blindly thrown down- field in the general direction of Fuqua, was the play that won the game. The football whistled over the head of Harris and then took its big bounce backward. "Sure, I was damn lucky," said Harris. Chuck Noll, the Steeler coach, never saw the touchdown. "But I could tell from the crowd noise. We never gave up and that was the story of our year. The pass defense was getting tired and that is how Stabler broke out and scored," he said.
Al Davis, the managing general partner of the Raiders, was all but speechless. "It's hard to believe," he said as the touchdown play slowly sunk in. Madden, his coach, said with disgust, "To lose like that!" But there was no defense against a bizarre play, a game-winning carom shot that had to be seen over and over again on television film to be believed and confirmed.
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Miami Dolphins in the A.F.C. championship game at home the following week. The once moribund franchise was on the rise, however, and had won four Super Bowl titles by 1980.
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photo

(Associated Press)​
Franco Harris (32) of the Steelers scoring the winning touchdown after his "Immaculate Reception" playoff catch. The N.F.L.'s first use of TV replays showed that Terry Bradshaw's desperation pass bounced seven yards in a huge arc off the Raiders' Jack Tatum ó right into Harris's mitts.
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Runners Up
1975: In a landmark decision, Peter Seitz, a labor arbitrator hearing baseball's case against pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally, ruled that they were no longer bound to their contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles and therefore could sell their services to the highest bidder. The ruling quickly had a marked effect on the movement of players between teams and the salaries they were paid.
1944: James F. Byrnes, the United States director of war mobilization, ordered that all horse racing operations cease within two weeks because of the sport's drain on manpower, tires and gasoline that could better be used in the war effort. An announcement on V-E Day (May 8, 1945) lifted the ban, and the Kentucky Derby was held on June 9.
1982: Chaminade College, which had a student body of 850 and whose program was only seven years old, upset top-ranked Virginia and the imposing Ralph Sampson, 77-72, in Honolulu. Referring to the famous Sampson‚ Patrick Ewing meeting earlier (see Dec. 11), the Cavaliers' Jim Miller said, "In less than two weeks we won the game of the century and lost the upset of the century."
 
A true Steeler, a true Pittsburgher and a true man. Was working as an electrician on Sanibel Island listening on the radio , went crazy went Franco scored. Started being a fan in 63 they were terrible. Franco and the Steelers made all of us that had to leave the area for jobs proud we were from Pittsburgh area. He always gave his time to communities he will be missed. NFL should be forgetting money and show this game and tributes to the country. Rest in peace Franco.
 
madinsomniac said:
Franco was born 16 days after my Mom in 1950… both died this year… another sad reminder that this year sucked
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Sorry for your loss, Mad. My Dad died in September. My Aunt died a week later. The doctors just gave my other Aunt about 2-3 days to live. Yes sir, 2022 can suck it.
 
You know, looking at the Youtube video of the Immaculate Reception reminded me of something. I was standing in the living room with my dad and he was ready to explode if the referees took away the TD. Most are too young to remember but just five months earlier, the horrendous officiating at the Olympics resulted in the United States being jobbed of the gold medal. That ruling included a referee getting on the phone and announcing that 3 seconds would be added to the clock.
 
 
In that video, McMillen and Wife has a smaller video in slow motion (as best they could do with the tape nowadays) and Fuqua definitely got alligator arms and it bounced off the defender first. It's pretty clear - at least it couldn't be overturned with that video. I didn't know they had any kind of replay review back then but apparently, they did with the official calling upstairs for confirmation.
 
Nice contribution by Bradshaw, thx, Booted. Why was Franco down the field? "Joe Paterno taught us when the ball is in the air, run towards the ball."

Absolutely great instruction. Awesome.
 
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