Franco Harris

Franco Harris (March 7, 1950 – December 20, 2022) was an American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Harris graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, in 1968.

He then attended Penn State University, where he played on the Nittany 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.

Harris's statistics during his final three seasons at Penn State are as follows:

He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 1972 NFL draft.

Harris spent his first 12 seasons with Pittsburgh, earning nine Pro Bowl selections, and was a member of the Seattle Seahawks in his last.

A four-time Super Bowl winner with the Steelers, Harris was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of Super 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 selected 13th overall in the first round of the 1972 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers despite assistant personnel director Bill Nunn and head coach Chuck Noll preferring Robert Newhouse.

In his first season with the Steelers (1972), Harris was named the NFL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated 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.

He was popular with Pittsburgh'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.

During his rookie season, Harris was a key player in one of professional football's most famous plays, dubbed the "Immaculate Reception" by Pittsburgh sportscaster Myron Cope.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Oakland Raiders were leading the Steelers 7–6 with 22 seconds to play when a Terry Bradshaw pass was deflected away from intended receiver John "Frenchy" Fuqua as defender Jack 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.

Harris was chosen for nine consecutive Pro Bowls (1972–1980), and was All-Pro in 1977.

Harris rushed for more than 1,000 yards in eight seasons, breaking a record set by Jim Brown.

The running back tandem of Harris and Rocky Bleier combined with a strong defense to win four Super Bowls following the 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979 seasons.

On January 12, 1975, he was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl IX; in that game he rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries for a 16–6 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Harris was the first African American as well as the first Italian-American to be named Super Bowl MVP.

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.

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.

With the retirement of O. J. Simpson after the 1979 season, Harris became the career rushing leader among active players.

Following the 1983 season, Harris and Walter Payton were both closing in on Jim Brown's NFL rushing record, and Harris asked the Rooney 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 the Seattle Seahawks during the 1984 season.

He played just eight games with the team, gaining only 170 yards before retiring (192 yards short of Jim Brown's record).

Harris was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey.

His father, Cad Harris, a Black soldier, served in World 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.

In 1990, Harris and his former Penn State teammate Lydell Mitchell founded Super Bakery (renamed RSuper Foods in 2006), which produced nutrition-oriented food for schoolchildren.

Harris and Mitchell also partnered in 1996 to rescue the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore, the first African-Americanowned business to go public in the U.S.

Harris's 12,120 career rushing yards rank him 12th all time in the NFL, while his 91 career rushing touchdowns rank him 10th all time tied with Jerome Bettis.

In his 13 professional seasons, Harris gained 12,120 yards (then 3rd all-time) on 2,949 carries, a 4.1 yards per carry average, and scored 91 rushing touchdowns (then also 3rd).

He caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards, a 7.4 yards per reception average, and nine receiving touchdowns.