| Franco Harris | |
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| Position(s): Running back |
Jersey #(s): 32, 34 |
| Born: March 7 1950 | |
| Career Information | |
| Year(s): 1972-1984 | |
| NFL Draft: 1972 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13 | |
| College: Penn State | |
| Professional Teams | |
| Career Stats | |
| Rushing Yards | 12,120 |
| AYR | 4.1 |
| Total TDs | 100 |
| Stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Franco Harris (b. March 7, 1950) is a Hall of Fame American football player best known for his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey. His father, who was African-American, met his Italian mother in Italy at the end of World War II. Harris went to Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, and then attended Penn State University. While playing for the Penn State Nittany Lions, Harris served primarily as a blocker for the Nittany Lions' All-American running back Lydell Mitchell. In the 1972 NFL draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round, the 13th selection overall. His selection by the team was considered controversial at the time, as many thought the team would select his Penn State teammate, Lydell Mitchell. (Mitchell was later selected by the Baltimore Colts in the draft.) He played his first 12 years in the NFL with the Steelers; his 13th and final year (1984) was spent with the Seattle Seahawks. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
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NFL
In his first season with the Steelers (1972), Harris was named the league's rookie of the year by both The Sporting News and United Press International. 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 3 touchdown passes. He was extremely popular with Pittsburgh's large Italian-American population: his fans dubbing themselves "Franco's Italian Army" and wore army helmets with his number on them. Harris was chosen for 9 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1972 through 1980, and was All-Pro in 1977. He broke Jim Brown's record by rushing for more than 1,000 yards in 8 seasons. The tandem running package of Harris and Vietnam veteran Rocky Bleier combined with a strong defense to win four Super Bowls in the 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979 seasons. In 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 that stand to this day and his 4 career rushing touchdowns are tied for the second most in Super Bowl history. Critics complained about Harris' tendency to run out of bounds instead of taking on tacklers for extra yards. Harris felt that he extended his career by avoiding unnecessary contact. [3] In his 13 professional seasons, Harris gained 12,120 yards on 2,949 carries, a 4.1 yards per carry average, and scored 91 rushing touchdowns. He caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards (2091 m), a 7.4 average, and 9 touchdowns. While the Steelers no longer officially retire uniform numbers, they have not reissued his number 32 since he left the team, and it is generally understood that no Steeler will ever wear that number again. He also played eight games with the Seattle Seahawks in 1984 [4]. Harris was a key player in one of professional football's most famous plays, dubbed "The Immaculate Reception" by Pittsburgh sportscaster Myron Cope. In a 1972 playoff game, 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 right as defender Jack Tatum arrived to tackle Fuqua. Harris snatched the ball just before it hit the ground and ran it in to win the game. The Raiders challenged the touchdown, claiming that Fuqua had handled the ball before Harris, which would invalidate the score because it was against the rules for two offensive players to handle the ball. The Steelers maintained that the ball had touched Tatum instead. According to a recounting by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the film of the play is inconclusive.[5] (Later controversy stemming from Raiders linebacker Phil Villapiano's assertion that Harris was only in position to catch the ball because he was lazy is widely discounted. Harris's original assignment on the play was to block, but he headed downfield when the Raiders forced Bradshaw out of the pocket, and can be clearly seen running before catching the deflected ball.) In 1999, he was ranked number 83 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. In 2006, The Heinz History Center, home of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, installed a life-size figure of Harris in the grand concourse of Pittsburgh International Airport. The statue is a recreation of Harris' famous "Immaculate Reception." See photo at top right.
Post-football
Harris is now the owner of Super Bakery, Inc. In 1996 Harris purchased the failing Parks Sausage Company, the first black-owned business in the United States to offer public stock. He is also a paid representative for the Harrah's/Forest City Enterprises casino plan for downtown Pittsburgh[1]. This association has earned him the tongue-in-cheek nickname "Franco Harrahs". On 07/09/06, Franco Harris made a celebrity appearance in the 2006 Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
Personal
Harris' brother Pete Harris, a collegiate All-American football player, died on August 15, 2006, of a heart attack of the age 49[2].
Notes and references
See also
External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame - Franco Harris
- Pro Football Reference - Franco Harris
| Preceded by Larry Csonka |
NFL Super Bowl MVPs Super Bowl IX, 1975 |
Succeeded by Lynn Swann |
| Preceded by John Brockington |
AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 1972 |
Succeeded by Chuck Foreman |
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| 5 Terry Hanratty | 10 Roy Gerela | 12 Terry Bradshaw | 17 Joe Gilliam | 20 Rocky Bleier | 22 Richard Conn | 23 Mike Wagner | 24 J. T. Thomas | 25 Ron Shanklin | 26 Preston Pearson | 27 Glen Edwards | 31 Donnie Shell | 32 Franco Harris | 34 Andy Russell | 35 Steve Davis | 38 Ed Bradley | 39 Bobby Walden | 43 Frank Lewis | 45 Jim Allen | 46 Reggie Harrison | 47 Mel Blount | 50 Jim Clack | | 51 Loren Toews | 52 Mike Webster | 54 Marv Kellum | 55 Jon Kolb | 56 Ray Mansfield | 57 Sam Davis | 58 Jack Lambert | 59 Jack Ham | 62 Jim Wolf | 63 Ernie Holmes | 64 Steve Furness | 68 L. C. Greenwood | 71 Gordon Gravelle | 72 Gerry Mullins | 73 Rick Druschel | 74 Dave Reavis | 75 Joe Greene | 77 Charlie Davis | 78 Dwight White | 82 John Stallworth | 84 Randy Grossman | 86 Reggie Garrett | 87 Larry Brown | 88 Lynn Swann | 89 John McMakin Head Coach Chuck Noll Coaches Bud Carson | Dick Hoak | George Perles | Dan Radakovich | Lionel Taylor | Woody Widenhofer |
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| 5 Terry Hanratty | 10 Roy Gerela | 12 Terry Bradshaw | 17 Joe Gilliam | 20 Rocky Bleier | 23 Mike Wagner | 24 J. T. Thomas | 27 Glen Edwards | 31 Donnie Shell | 32 Franco Harris | 33 John Fuqua | 34 Andy Russell | 36 Dave Brown | 38 Ed Bradley | 39 Bobby Walden | 43 Frank Lewis | 44 Mike Collier | 45 Jim Allen | 46 Reggie Harrison | 47 Mel Blount | 50 Jim Clack | 51 Loren Toews | 52 Mike Webster | 54 Marv Kellum | 55 Jon Kolb | 56 Ray Mansfield | 57 Sam Davis | 58 Jack Lambert | 59 Jack Ham | 63 Ernie Holmes | 64 Steve Furness | 68 L. C. Greenwood | 71 Gordon Gravelle | 72 Gerry Mullins | 74 Dave Reavis | 75 Joe Greene | 76 John Banaszak | 78 Dwight White | 82 John Stallworth | 84 Randy Grossman | 86 Reggie Garrett | 87 Larry Brown | 88 Lynn Swann Head Coach Chuck Noll Coaches Bud Carson | Dick Hoak | George Perles | Dan Radakovich | Lionel Taylor | Woody Widenhofer |
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| 5 Craig Colquitt | 10 Roy Gerela | 12 Terry Bradshaw | 15 Mike Kruczek | 18 Cliff Stoudt | 20 Rocky Bleier | 21 Tony Dungy | 23 Mike Wagner | 25 Ray Oldham | 29 Ron Johnson | 30 Larry Anderson | 31 Donnie Shell | 32 Franco Harris | 35 Jack Deloplaine | 38 Sidney Thornton | 39 Rick Moser | 47 Mel Blount | 51 Loren Toews | 52 Mike Webster | 53 Dennis Winston | 55 Jon Kolb | 56 Robin Cole | 57 Sam Davis | 58 Jack Lambert | 59 Jack Ham | 64 Steve Furness | 65 Tom Beasley | 66 Ted Petersen | 67 Gary Dunn | 68 L. C. Greenwood | 69 Fred Anderson | 72 Gerry Mullins | 74 Ray Pinney | 75 Joe Greene | 76 John Banaszak | 77 Steve Courson | 78 Dwight White | 79 Larry Brown | 82 John Stallworth | 83 Theo Bell | 84 Randy Grossman | 86 Jim Smith | 87 Jim Mandich | 88 Lynn Swann | 89 Bennie Cunningham Head Coach Chuck Noll Coaches Bud Carson | Dick Hoak | George Perles | Dan Radakovich | Lionel Taylor | Woody Widenhofer |
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| 5 Craig Colquitt | 9 Matt Bahr | 12 Terry Bradshaw | 15 Mike Kruczek | 18 Cliff Stoudt | 20 Rocky Bleier | 27 Greg Hawthorne | 29 Ron Johnson | 30 Larry Anderson | 31 Donnie Shell | 32 Franco Harris | 33 Anthony Anderson | 38 Sidney Thornton | 39 Rick Moser | 47 Mel Blount | 49 Dwayne Woodruff | 50 Tom Graves | 51 Loren Toews | 52 Mike Webster | 53 Dennis Winston | 54 Zack Valentine | 55 Jon Kolb | 56 Robin Cole | 57 Sam Davis | 58 Jack Lambert | 59 Jack Ham | 63 Thom Dornbrook | 64 Steve Furness | 65 Tom Beasley | 66 Ted Petersen | 67 Gary Dunn | 68 L. C. Greenwood | 72 Gerry Mullins | 75 Joe Greene | 76 John Banaszak | 77 Steve Courson | 78 Dwight White | 79 Larry Brown | 82 John Stallworth | 83 Theo Bell | 84 Randy Grossman | 86 Jim Smith | 88 Lynn Swann | 89 Bennie Cunningham Head Coach Chuck Noll Coaches Rollie Dotsch | Dick Hoak | Tom Moore | George Perles | Dick Walker | Woody Widenhofer |
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Terry Bradshaw | Ken Stabler | Roger Staubach | Earl Campbell | Franco Harris | Walter Payton | O. J. Simpson | Harold Carmichael | Drew Pearson | Lynn Swann | Paul Warfield | Dave Casper | Charlie Sanders | Dan Dierdorf | Art Shell | Rayfield Wright | Ron Yary | Joe DeLamielleure | John Hannah | Larry Little | Gene Upshaw | Jim Langer | Mike Webster | Carl Eller | L.C. Greenwood | Harvey Martin | Jack Youngblood | Joe Greene | Bob Lilly | Merlin Olsen | Alan Page | Bobby Bell | Robert Brazile | Dick Butkus | Jack Ham | Ted Hendricks | Jack Lambert | Willie Brown | Jimmy Johnson | Roger Wehrli | Louis Wright | Dick Anderson | Cliff Harris | Ken Houston | Larry Wilson | Garo Yepremian | Jim Bakken | Ray Guy |
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| 1967: Farr | 1968: McCullouch | 1969: Hill | 1970: Shaw | 1971: Brockington | 1972: Harris | 1973: Foreman | 1974: Woods | 1975: M. Thomas | 1976: White | 1977: Dorsett | 1978: Campbell | 1979: O. Anderson | 1980: Sims | 1981: Rogers | 1982: Allen | 1983: Dickerson | 1984: Lipps | 1985: Brown | 1986: Mayes | 1987: Stradford | 1988: Stephens | 1989: Sanders | 1990: Smith | 1991: Russell | 1992: Pickens | 1993: Bettis | 1994: Faulk | 1995: Martin | 1996: George | 1997: Dunn | 1998: Moss | 1999: James | 2000: M. Anderson | 2001: A. Thomas | 2002: Portis | 2003: Boldin | 2004: Roethlisberger | 2005: Williams | 2006: Young | 2007: Peterson |
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| 1970: Unitas | 1971: Hadl | 1972: Lanier | 1973: Dawson | 1974: Blanda | 1975: Anderson | 1976: Harris | 1977: Payton | 1978: Staubach | 1979: Greene | 1980: Carmichael | 1981: Swann | 1982: Theismann | 1983: Benirschke | 1984: Lyons | 1985: Stephenson | 1986: Williams | 1987: Duerson | 1988: Largent | 1989: Moon | 1990: Singletary | 1991: Muñoz | 1992: Elway | 1993: Thomas | 1994: Seau | 1995: Esiason | 1996: Green | 1997: Aikman | 1998: Marino | 1999: Carter | 2000: Flanigan & Brooks | 2001: Bettis | 2002: Vincent | 2003: Shields | 2004: Dunn | 2005: Manning | 2006: Brees & Tomlinson | 2007: TBA |
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