Franco Harris facts for kids
Harris in October 2022
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| No. 32, 34 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
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| Born: | March 7, 1950 Fort Dix, New Jersey, U.S. |
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| Died: | December 20, 2022 (aged 72) Sewickley, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Rancocas Valley Regional (Mount Holly, New Jersey) |
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| College: | Penn State | ||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1972 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13 | ||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||
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Pro Football Hall of Fame
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Franco Harris (born March 7, 1950 – died December 20, 2022) was an amazing American football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. Most of his career was spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Franco Harris was chosen for the Pro Bowl nine times. He helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls. In Super Bowl IX, he was even named the Super Bowl MVP. He was also a key player in one of football's most famous plays, called the "Immaculate Reception." This play gave the Steelers their very first playoff win!
After playing college football for Penn State, Harris was picked by the Steelers in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft. He played 12 seasons with the Steelers and his last season with the Seattle Seahawks. He was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990, which is a huge honor for football players.
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Early Life and College Football
Franco Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey. His father was an American soldier who served in World War II. His mother was from Italy and moved to the United States after the war.
Franco went to Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly, New Jersey. He graduated in 1968. After high school, he went to Penn State University. There, he played on the Nittany Lions football team.
Even though he mostly helped other running backs by blocking for them in college, Franco was a great player. He ran for over 2,000 yards and scored 24 touchdowns during his college career. He also caught 28 passes for 352 yards and another touchdown. In 1970, he led his team in scoring points.
Amazing Professional Career
The Pittsburgh Steelers picked Franco Harris as the 13th player in the 1972 NFL Draft. In his very first season (1972), he was named the NFL Rookie of the Year. He ran for 1,055 yards and scored 10 touchdowns that year. He quickly became very popular with fans in Pittsburgh. His fans, especially those with Italian backgrounds, called themselves "Franco's Italian Army." They even wore army helmets with his number on them!
Franco was chosen for nine Pro Bowls in a row, from 1972 to 1980. He also ran for more than 1,000 yards in eight different seasons. This broke a record that was set by Jim Brown. Franco Harris and his teammate Rocky Bleier, along with a very strong defense, helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls. These wins happened after the 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979 seasons.
On January 12, 1975, Franco was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl IX. In that game, he ran for 158 yards and scored a touchdown. The Steelers won 16–6 against the Minnesota Vikings. Franco Harris was the first African American and the first Italian-American to be named Super Bowl MVP. He was a huge part of all four of the Steelers' first Super Bowl victories. His total yards and touchdowns in Super Bowls are still among the best ever.
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After the 1979 season, Franco Harris became the player with the most rushing yards among active players. After the 1983 season, he wanted a pay raise. The Steelers decided to release him in 1984. He then signed with the Seattle Seahawks for the 1984 season. He played only eight games with them before he retired.
In his 13 seasons as a professional player, Franco Harris ran for 12,120 yards. This was the third-highest total ever at the time! He also scored 91 rushing touchdowns. He caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards and nine receiving touchdowns. Today, his 12,120 career rushing yards rank him 12th all time in the NFL. His 91 rushing touchdowns rank him 10th all time.
The Immaculate Reception
Franco Harris was a key player in one of the most famous plays in football history. It was called the "Immaculate Reception" by a Pittsburgh sportscaster. This happened in a 1972 playoff game. The Oakland Raiders were winning 7–6 against the Steelers with only 22 seconds left to play.
Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass. The ball was deflected away from the intended receiver, John Fuqua. Right as a defender named Jack Tatum arrived, Franco Harris snatched the ball! He caught it just before it hit the ground and ran it into the endzone. This amazing play won the game for the Steelers! It was their first playoff win ever.
Life After Football
After his football career, Franco Harris became a successful businessman. He and Lydell Mitchell, who was his teammate in college, started a company called Super Bakery in 1990. This company made healthy foods for schoolchildren. Later, it was renamed RSuper Foods. They made a "Super Donut" that was served in schools in the eastern United States.
Franco Harris also helped rescue the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore in 1996. This was the first African-American-owned business to be publicly traded in the U.S.
In 2008, Franco Harris attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. He was part of the Pennsylvania group. He also voted for Barack Obama as one of Pennsylvania's presidential electors.
In 2011, Franco became a co-owner of the Pittsburgh Passion, a women's football team. In 2019, he even starred in the NFL's 100th Anniversary commercial. In the commercial, he recreated the "Immaculate Reception" with Terry Bradshaw.
Personal Life
Franco Harris was married to Dana Dokmanovich. They had one son named Franco "Dok" Harris. Franco's brother, Pete Harris, also played football for Penn State.
Franco was very involved with Penn State University. He was part of an advisory board for their Center for Food Innovation. He also helped a group that wanted to make changes to Penn State's board of trustees.
Death and Tributes
Franco Harris passed away in his sleep on December 20, 2022, at the age of 72. His death was very sudden. It happened just three days before the 50th anniversary of the "Immaculate Reception." He was supposed to attend a special ceremony at a Steelers game to retire his jersey number.
Many people shared their sadness and respect for Franco after he died. Terry Bradshaw, his former teammate, said he was in "a state of shock" and called Franco "the best" teammate. Art Rooney II, the Steelers president, said that Franco "brought joy to people on and off the field." He also said Franco "never stopped giving back."
Many current and former Steelers players, as well as other famous people from Pittsburgh, paid tribute to Franco. These included Joe Greene, Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, T. J. Watt, and current Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Even the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates sports teams honored him.
The Seattle Seahawks, where he played briefly, also acknowledged his passing. Other NFL legends like Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders shared their tributes. Even former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama paid their respects to Franco Harris.
Honors and Legacy
In 1984, Franco Harris received the Golden Plate Award from the Academy of Achievement. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him as number 83 on their list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
In 2006, the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh put up a life-size statue of Franco Harris. It shows him making the famous "Immaculate Reception" play! This statue is at the Pittsburgh International Airport. In 2011, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
On December 24, 2022, which was the 50th anniversary of the "Immaculate Reception," Franco Harris became only the third Steeler to have his jersey number (32) retired. This means no other player on the Steelers will ever wear that number again. The first two Steelers to have their numbers retired were Ernie Stautner (70) and Joe Greene (75).
In Popular Culture
Franco Harris has even appeared in books and TV shows! In John Grisham's 2008 novel Playing for Pizza, a football player is nicknamed Franco because he looks up to Franco Harris as the "greatest Italian football player." A fictional version of Franco Harris also appeared in an episode of the TV show This Is Us.
See also
- Glossary of American football
