Pittsburgh Steelers franchise history did not begin on February 1st, 1972 at the NFL Draft. A casual fan of the NFL could be forgiven for thinking that the inept Steelers were an expansion franchise in the newly created AFC, rather than one of the league’s original teams. They had just finished year 3 of the Chuck Noll era and were 6-8 in 1971. Pittsburgh had only one playoff appearance and no playoff wins in franchise history. The Steelers used the 13th pick in the 1972 NFL Draft to pick the Penn State fullback who was the lead blocker for All-American running back, Lydell Mitchell and changed history.
LATROBE, PA - JULY 1982: Rocky Bleier (L), sports reporter for WPXI television and a former running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, interviews running back Franco Harris #32 of the Steelers during summer training camp at St. Vincent College in July 1982 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
The Steelers elected to draft Franco Harris ahead of his better-known teammate Mitchell, who went later in the same draft to the Baltimore Colts with the 48th pick overall. Mitchell was a fine NFL player, making three Pro Bowls and he led the NFL in receptions in 1974 and 1977. The Steelers chose the blue-collar Harris, who they thought could become a workhorse to take pressure off of a young quarterback. The Colts got a Pro Bowler, but the Steelers got an NFL legend.
Harris passed away on Wednesday December 21st, 2022, just two days short of the 50th anniversary of the most famous play in NFL history. Harris was three days away from being the third man to have his jersey retired by the Pittsburgh Steelers in a celebration on NFL Network at roughly 10pm on Christmas Eve. It was an odd time to put such an important historical milestone. Setting a celebration during a night game on Christmas Eve on a cable network that doesn’t reach a maximum audience was a curious decision by the NFL.
Steelers Hall of Fame running back, Franco Harris sprints towards the end zone against the Raiders in what would become known as the Immaculate Reception. | Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Harris was often overshadowed in a historic career by the Immaculate Reception. Ironically, his passing may overshadow the anniversary celebration and frankly, it should. The play eclipsed the fact that he was only the second back in NFL history to rush for over 12,000 yards. Harris was the first African American to win the Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl IX, rushing for a then record 158 yards and the Steelers first of many Super Bowl touchdowns. Harris is still second in Super Bowl history with 4 rushing touchdowns, and he scored in each of the four Super Bowls he played in.
Harris was hugely popular with Pittsburgh’s Italian American community. His father Cad Harris, served in Italy during World War II and met his mother Gina Parenti and the pair fell in love. Parenti moved with her new husband to the United States after the war and in 1950, the pair welcomed Franco into the world on March 7th in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Franco Harris had a strong connection to his roots in both communities, but when he joined the Steelers, ‘Franco’s Italian Army’ was born and famously Frank Sinatra was the unofficial leader of the group.
Harris set multiple records as a player, including breaking Jim Brown’s record for consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with eight. Brown was not a fan of having his records broken and in an incredibly petty act, belittled Harris as he closed in on his all-time rushing yards record. Brown challenged him to a skills competition that was nationally televised, attempting to show he was more talented in retirement than the nine-time Pro Bowler. Harris won in decisive fashion, but ultimately retired short of Brown’s record.
It is hard to quantify how much he meant to Steeler Nation. If you were a kid in the 1970’s playing backyard football, everyone pretended they were Harris carrying the ball. Running the football became the accepted way you played offense in Pittsburgh, and it took more than half of Ben Roethlisberger’s career to accept throwing the ball instead of 4 yards and a cloud of dust being the staple of the offense. The roots of Steelers football are great defense and No. 32 grinding teams into submission.
Hall of Famers Jerome Bettis & Franco Harris embrace at the final game @ Three Rivers Stadium; Photo Credit: Matt Freed, Post-Gazette
A large portion of the Steelers national following was born in the 1970’s and Franco Harris was the beating heart of that group of fans. Today, that heart stopped beating and Steeler Nation is worse for it. He personified class and never lost his love of the black and gold. When he was introduced before Super Bowl XL, he walked out of the tunnel in Detroit twirling a terrible towel and somehow, you just knew the Steelers were going to win.
The heroes of our youth are hard to say goodbye to when they pass. It reminds us of our own mortality and sadly, when you start celebrating golden anniversaries, too often all you have are the memories, because the men who made them aren’t with us anymore. Steelers fans will just have to settle for honoring him by hanging his number up at Acrisure Stadium to remember the man and the gifts he gave us as an iconic franchise cornerstone.
Chuck Noll, Mike Webster, LC Greenwood and more than just a few others get to have a celebration in heaven today as they welcome home their brother in black and gold. I can’t help but think they are getting the better end of the deal.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Should the Steelers consider retiring a few other numbers while they still can? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
