Harris’ son, Dok, told The Associated Press that his father died overnight. No cause of death was specified.
His passing comes two days before the 50th anniversary of the play that delivered the jolt that helped turn the
Pittsburgh Steelers from also-rans to NFL elite, and three days before the team is slated to honor his No. 32 during a
ceremony at halftime of their game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“It is difficult to find the appropriate words to describe Franco Harris’ impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers, his
teammates, the City of Pittsburgh, and Steelers Nation,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “From
his first season, which featured the Immaculate Reception, to the next 50 years, Franco offered delight to people
both on and off the field. He never ceased giving back in countless ways. He impacted and was adored by so many
people. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Dana, son Dok, and extended family during this terrible time.
Harris racked up 12,120 yards and four Super Bowl rings with the Steelers in the 1970s, kicking off a dynasty that
began when Harris chose to keep running during a last-second heave by Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw in a
playoff game against Oakland in 1972.
With the Steelers behind 7-6 and facing fourth-and-10 from their own 40-yard line with 22 seconds left in the fourth
quarter, Bradshaw dropped back and threw deep to running back John “Frenchy” Fuqua. Fuqua and Oakland
defensive back Jack Tatum collided, sending the ball back toward midfield and Harris.
While nearly everyone else on the field slowed, Harris kept his legs churning, snatching the ball just inches above the
Three Rivers Stadium turf near the Oakland 45 and outracing several stunned Raiders defenders to give the Steelers
their first playoff victory in the franchise’s four-decade history.
“That play really represents our teams of the ’70s,” Harris stated after the Immaculate Reception was voted the
greatest play in NFL history during the league’s 100th anniversary season in 2020.
While the Steelers fell the next week to Miami in the AFC Championship Game, Pittsburgh was on its way to
becoming the dominant team of the 1970s, twice winning back-to-back Super Bowls, first after the 1974 and 1975
seasons and again after the 1978 and 1979 seasons.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected passing of Franco Harris,” said NFL commissioner Roger
Goodell in a statement. “He meant so much to Steelers fans as the Hall of Fame running back who helped form the
nucleus of the team’s dynasty of the ’70s, but he was much more. He was a gentle soul who touched so many in the
Pittsburgh community and throughout the entire NFL. Franco changed the way people thought of the Steelers, of
Pittsburgh, and of the NFL. He will forever live in the hearts of Steelers fans everywhere, his teammates, and the city
of Pittsburgh. Our condolences go out to his wife, Dana, and their son, Dok.”
