Fansided

Steelers legend Franco Harris passes away at 72

By Russell S. Baxter

PITTSBURGH, PA - CIRCA 1975: Running back Franco Harris #32 of the Pittsburgh Steelers carries the ball during an NFL football game circa 1975 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Harris played for the Steelers from 1972-83. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - CIRCA 1975: Running back Franco Harris #32 of the Pittsburgh Steelers carries the ball during an NFL football game circa 1975 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Harris played for the Steelers from 1972-83. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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The Pro Football Hall of Fame running back and four-time Super Bowl champion was part of what was voted as the greatest play in NFL history.

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris, who turned in a Hall of Fame career and delivered both Super Bowls and iconic moments in the game’s history, has died.

There was a time in the NFL when the running back and the ground game was the focus of offenses. It’s a different league now but this season, teams have been relying more on the run than in recent years.

For roughly 40 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t a very good football team regardless of what they chose to do. That started to change with the hiring of head coach Chuck Noll and the drafting of “Mean” Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood in 1969.

There was Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount in 1970 and Jack Ham in 1971. There are too many other greats to mention.

In 1972, the improving Steelers used the 13th overall pick to select running back Franco Harris from Penn State. It proved to be a very lucky No. 13. The Steelers would win the then-AFC Central with an 11-3 record and Harris would earn NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

On December 23, 1972, Noll’s team hosted the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. The Raiders owned a slim 7-6 lead. The Steelers were facing and fourth-and-10 with 22 seconds left and on their own 40-yard-line. Bradshaw eluded the rush, threw the ball deep down field and then…the greatest play in NFL history.

It goes down as a 60-yard reception from Bradshaw to Harris. It resulted in a 13-7 victory for the Steelers, the first postseason win for a franchise that first took the field in 1933. There would be many more playoff wins for Noll’s team, four of those Super Bowl triumphs. The first came in 1974, when Harris (the game’s MVP) ran for 158 yards and a touchdown in a 16-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans in the stands display a banner for their fan club for Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris known as “Franco’s Italian Army” during the Steelers 13-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders in the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoff Game on December 23, 1972 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This game will always be remembered for Franco Harris’ game winning touchdown play known as the “Immaculate Reception.” (Photo by Ross Lewis/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Steelers fans in the stands display a banner for their fan club for Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris known as “Franco’s Italian Army” during the Steelers 13-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders in the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoff Game on December 23, 1972 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This game will always be remembered for Franco Harris’ game winning touchdown play known as the “Immaculate Reception.” (Photo by Ross Lewis/Getty Images) /

Harris would play 12 years for the franchise and is the Steelers’ all-time leader in rushing yards (11,950) and total touchdowns (100). There would be eight games and 170 rushing yards with the Seahawks in 1984. He ranks 15th on the NFL’ all-time list with 12,120 yards on the ground.

This Saturday evening in Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve, the now-Las Vegas Raiders and Steelers were set to clash almost 50 years to the day of the “Immaculate Reception.” Harris, who passed away overnight, was set to have his number retired by the organization.