 Harris in 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 32, 34 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1950-03-07)March 7, 1950 Fort Dix, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | December 20, 2022(2022-12-20) (aged 72) Sewickley, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Rancocas Valley Regional (Mount Holly, New Jersey) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Penn State (1968–1971) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1972: 1st round, 13th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Franco Harris (March 7, 1950 – December 20, 2022) was an American professionalfootball player who was afullback for 13 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL), primarily with thePittsburgh Steelers.[1] He playedcollege football for thePenn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the1972 NFL draft. Harris spent his first 12 seasons with Pittsburgh, earning ninePro Bowl selections, and was a member of theSeattle Seahawks in his last.
A four-timeSuper Bowl winner with the Steelers, Harris was theMost Valuable Player (MVP) ofSuper Bowl IX. He also scored the "Immaculate Reception" touchdown, one of professional football's most famous plays, which gave the Steelers their first playoff win. Harris was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Harris was born inFort Dix, New Jersey. His father, Cad Harris, a Black soldier, served inWorld War II and was stationed in Italy during the war. His mother, Gina Parenti Harris, was a native Italian and became a "war bride", who moved with her husband when he returned to the United States after the end of the war.[2][3]
Harris was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, and baseball) atRancocas Valley Regional High School inMount Holly Township, New Jersey.[4] He graduated in 1968.[5] He then attendedPenn State University, where he played on theNittany Lions football team. Although he was primarily a blocker for the running back during his first year at Penn State, he amassed a career total of 2,002 yards rushing with 24 touchdowns and averaged over 5 yards per carry, while also catching 28 passes for 352 yards and another touchdown. He led the team in scoring in 1970.[6]
Harris's statistics during his final three seasons at Penn State are as follows:
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Harris was selected 13th overall in the first round of the1972 NFL draft by thePittsburgh Steelers despite assistant personnel directorBill Nunn and head coachChuck Noll preferringRobert Newhouse.[8][9] In his first season with the Steelers (1972), Harris was named theNFL Rookie of the Year byThe Sporting News andNFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by theAssociated Press. In that season he gained 1,055 yards on 188 carries, with a 5.6 yards per carry average. He also rushed for 10 touchdowns and caught one touchdown pass.[10] He was popular withPittsburgh's large Italian-American population: his fans, including "Brigadier General"Frank Sinatra, dubbed themselves "Franco's Italian Army" and wore army helmets with his number on them.[11]
During his rookie season, Harris was a key player in one of professional football's most famous plays, dubbed the "Immaculate Reception" by Pittsburgh sportscasterMyron Cope.[12] In the first round of the playoffs, theOakland Raiders were leading the Steelers 7–6 with 22 seconds to play when aTerry Bradshaw pass was deflected away from intended receiverJohn "Frenchy" Fuqua as defenderJack Tatum arrived to tackle him. Harris snatched the ball just before it hit the ground and ran it into the endzone, resulting in the Steelers' first playoff win.[13][14]
Harris was chosen for nine consecutivePro Bowls (1972–1980), and was All-Pro in 1977.[15] Harris rushed for more than 1,000 yards in eight seasons, breaking a record set byJim Brown.[16] The running back tandem of Harris andRocky Bleier combined with a strong defense to win fourSuper Bowls following the 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979 seasons. On January 12, 1975, he was theMost Valuable Player ofSuper Bowl IX; in that game he rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries for a 16–6 win over theMinnesota Vikings.[17] Harris was the first African American as well as the first Italian-American to be namedSuper Bowl MVP.[18] Harris was a major contributor for the Steelers in all of their first four Super Bowl wins. His Super Bowl career totals of 101 carries for 354 yards are records and his four career rushing touchdowns are tied for the second-most in Super Bowl history.[19]
Harris claimed that he extended his career and thus his contribution to the team's objectives (including four Super Bowl victories) by avoiding unnecessary contact.[20]
With the retirement ofO. J. Simpson after the 1979 season,[21] Harris became the career rushing leader among active players.[22] Following the1983 season, Harris andWalter Payton were both closing in on Jim Brown's NFL rushing record, and Harris asked theRooney family for a pay raise. Believing that Harris was on the downside of his career, they refused and Harris threatened to hold out. The Steelers released him during training camp in 1984 and he then signed with theSeattle Seahawks during the1984 season.[23] He played just eight games with the team, gaining only 170 yards before retiring (192 yards short of Jim Brown's record).[24]
In his 13 professional seasons, Harris gained 12,120 yards (then 3rd all-time)[25] on 2,949 carries, a 4.1 yards per carry average, and scored 91 rushing touchdowns (then also 3rd).[26] He caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards, a 7.4 yards per reception average, and nine receiving touchdowns. Harris's 12,120 career rushing yards rank himamongst the all-time leaders in the NFL, while his 91 career rushing touchdowns rank him 10th all time tied withJerome Bettis.[27]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1972 | PIT | 14 | 10 | 188 | 1,055 | 5.6 | 75 | 10 | 21 | 180 | 8.6 | 29 | 1 |
| 1973 | PIT | 12 | 8 | 188 | 698 | 3.7 | 35 | 3 | 10 | 69 | 6.9 | 19 | 0 |
| 1974 | PIT | 12 | 11 | 208 | 1,006 | 4.8 | 54 | 5 | 23 | 200 | 8.7 | 31 | 1 |
| 1975 | PIT | 14 | 14 | 262 | 1,246 | 4.8 | 36 | 10 | 28 | 214 | 7.6 | 44 | 1 |
| 1976 | PIT | 14 | 14 | 289 | 1,128 | 3.9 | 30 | 14 | 23 | 151 | 6.6 | 39 | 0 |
| 1977 | PIT | 14 | 14 | 300 | 1,162 | 3.9 | 61 | 11 | 11 | 62 | 5.6 | 15 | 0 |
| 1978 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 310 | 1,082 | 3.5 | 37 | 8 | 22 | 144 | 6.5 | 15 | 0 |
| 1979 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 267 | 1,186 | 4.4 | 71 | 11 | 36 | 291 | 8.1 | 21 | 1 |
| 1980 | PIT | 13 | 13 | 208 | 789 | 3.8 | 26 | 4 | 30 | 196 | 6.5 | 31 | 2 |
| 1981 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 242 | 987 | 4.1 | 50 | 8 | 37 | 250 | 6.8 | 26 | 1 |
| 1982 | PIT | 9 | 9 | 140 | 604 | 4.3 | 21 | 2 | 31 | 249 | 8.0 | 20 | 0 |
| 1983 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 279 | 1,007 | 3.6 | 19 | 5 | 34 | 278 | 8.2 | 29 | 2 |
| 1984 | SEA | 8 | 6 | 68 | 170 | 2.5 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 |
| Career | 173 | 162 | 2,949 | 12,120 | 4.1 | 75 | 91 | 307 | 2,287 | 7.4 | 44 | 9 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1972 | PIT | 2 | 2 | 34 | 140 | 4.1 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 99 | 14.1 | 60 | 1 |
| 1973 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 10 | 29 | 2.9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 87 | 343 | 3.9 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1975 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 81 | 314 | 3.9 | 25 | 2 | 6 | 84 | 14.0 | 26 | 0 |
| 1976 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 18 | 132 | 7.3 | 50 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 15 | 0 |
| 1977 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 28 | 92 | 3.3 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 12 | 0 |
| 1978 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 64 | 224 | 3.5 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 22 | 0 |
| 1979 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 62 | 214 | 3.5 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 148 | 10.6 | 32 | 0 |
| 1982 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 10 | 35 | 3.5 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 71 | 6.5 | 17 | 0 |
| 1983 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 6 | 33 | 5.5 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 7.8 | 11 | 0 |
| Career | 19 | 19 | 400 | 1,556 | 3.9 | 50 | 16 | 51 | 504 | 9.9 | 60 | 1 | |
In 1990, Harris and his former Penn State teammateLydell Mitchell founded Super Bakery (renamed RSuper Foods in 2006), which produces nutrition-oriented food for schoolchildren.[28] Harris and Mitchell also partnered in 1996 to rescue[29] the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore, the first African-American–owned business to go public in the U.S.[30]
In 2007, Harris was chosen byForest City Enterprises to lead a charitable foundation they created, related to the development of a casino for downtown Pittsburgh that would be managed byHarrah's.[31][better source needed]
In August 2008, Harris attended the2008 Democratic National Convention, inDenver, Colorado, as part of thePennsylvania delegation.[32] Harris voted forBarack Obama on December 15, 2008, as one of Pennsylvania's 21 Democraticpresidential electors.[33][34]
In January 2011, Harris became co-owner of thePittsburgh Passion.[35] Also in 2011, Harris briefly worked withThe Meadows Racetrack and Casino, before the casino suspended the relationship after his comments in support ofJoe Paterno, his coach while at Penn State, during thePenn State child sex abuse scandal.[36]
In 2019, Harris starred in the NFL's 100th Anniversary commercial recreating the Immaculate Reception withTerry Bradshaw.[37]
Harris was married to Dana Dokmanovich.[38] They had one son together: Franco "Dok" Harris, who ran as a third-party candidate in the2009 Pittsburgh mayoral election and finished in second place with 25% of the vote.[39] Franco's brother,Pete Harris, played football for Penn State and died of a heart attack on August 15, 2006, at age 49.[40]
Harris served as part of the advisory board of Penn State's Center for Food Innovation, and in the fall of 2009 was named a Conti Professor byPenn State's School of Hospitality Management.[41] He was involved in, and provided funding to, Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, a group aimed at ousting the members of Penn State's board of trustees.[42]
"We are truly heartbroken. The reality of losing such a magnificent individual has not yet settled in. We have shared Franco with so many people throughout our lives and in so many ways. Beyond his incredible career in the NFL Franco represents what is best in humanity: kindness, charity, decency, and humility. He led by example on and off the field with the goal of making this a better world for us all. We know he has touched so many of you and we mourn with you. We will remain steadfast in living and achieving the world that he wanted to build."
Harris died in his sleep at his home inSewickley, Pennsylvania, on December 20, 2022, at age 72,[44][38] three days before the 50th anniversary of the "Immaculate Reception".[45] Harris's death was considered sudden, as he had been active on social media just days before his death and had spoken to visitors at theHeinz History Center the day before his death including alive interview withKDKA-TV from the Heinz History Center. He was set to attend a ceremony at halftime during a Steelers game against theLas Vegas Raiders on December 24, 2022, to retire his jersey number.[46] Hours before his death, Harris recorded an interview with Steelers defensive endCameron Heyward for his podcast in what would be his last public interview, during which he ironically commented about how he was "feeling good" and happy to have made it to the 50th anniversary of the "Immaculate Reception".[47] His cause of death was later ruled asnatural causes.[48]
Immediately after his death, many gave public tributes. Terry Bradshaw, who had found out about Harris's death from his wife after seeing a text message fromMel Blount, had just seen Harris two weeks prior, filming material related to the Immaculate Reception's anniversary and was in a "state of shock". Bradshaw praised Harris, saying that "as a teammate, he was just the best."[49] Steelers presidentArt Rooney II, who like the rest of theRooney family was close to Harris, said through a statement by the team that "From his rookie season, which included the Immaculate Reception, through the next 50 years, Franco brought joy to people on and off the field. He never stopped giving back in so many ways. He touched so many, and he was loved by so many."[50] In addition to Penn State itself, two Penn State alumni with connections to the Steelers—Harris's former teammateJack Ham and current Steelers tight endPat Freiermuth—also paid their respects to Harris. Other tributes would later come out by current and former Steelers as well as other Pittsburgh celebrities such as Joe Greene,[50]Jerome Bettis,Najee Harris,Ben Roethlisberger,Hines Ward,Tony Dungy,T. J. Watt,Trai Essex,Arthur Moats,James Conner, current Steelers head coachMike Tomlin,Charlie Batch,Kurt Angle,Mark Madden,Tony Dorsett,Darrelle Revis,Billy Gardell, andJoe Manganiello; thePenguins andPirates also paid tribute.[51] The December 27, 2022, episode ofPittsburgh Dad covering the aforementioned Steelers-Raiders game (a 13-10 Steelers win) featured a tribute to Harris from the titular character.[52] Shortly after Harris's death, there was a street named after him in Mount Holly, New Jersey where he went to high school (Rancocas Valley Regional High School). The former Ridgeway Street is now known as Franco Harris Way.[citation needed]
Despite only playing briefly with the Seahawks, the team also acknowledged Harris's passing; other tributes from the NFL came from the Raiders,Baltimore Ravens,Emmitt Smith,Michael Irvin,Shannon Sharpe,Eric Dickerson,O. J. Simpson,Barry Sanders,Larry Csonka,Jack Youngblood, and NFL commissionerRoger Goodell. LongtimeESPN personalityChris Berman paid tribute to Harris.[53]PresidentsJoe Biden andBarack Obama also paid tribute to Harris.[54][55] U.S. Senator-electJohn Fetterman released a statement mourning Harris, who supported his 2022 candidacy.[56][57]
The Steelers held a public viewing for Harris atAcrisure Stadium on December 27, 2022, prior to the family holding a private funeral service.[58]
In 1984, Harris received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[59] In 1996, he served as an honorary co-captain for the Steelers atSuper Bowl XXX and, on behalf of the then-current captains of the Steelers and theDallas Cowboys called theceremonial coin toss which was performed byJoe Montana. Harris would serve as an honorary co-captain again atSuper Bowl XL a decade later. In 1999, he was ranked number 83 onThe Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2006, TheHeinz History Center, home of theWestern Pennsylvania Sports Museum, installed a life-size figure of Harris in the grand concourse ofPittsburgh International Airport, which recreates the "Immaculate Reception". He was inducted into theNew Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011.[60] On December 24, 2022, the 50th anniversary of the "Immaculate Reception", Harris became the third Steeler to have his number (32)retired;[61] the first two wereErnie Stautner (70) andJoe Greene (75).[62]
InJohn Grisham's 2008 novelPlaying For Pizza, the fullback of theParma Panthers is nicknamed Franco as a tribute to his hero, Franco Harris, to whom he refers as the "greatest Italian football player".[63] A fictional version of Harris is depicted in the season 3 premiere episode ofThis Is Us.[64]
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
