Pittsburgh Steelers franchise legend Franco Harris passed away at the age of 71 earlier this week. For both the Steelers and the broader NFL world, the reality of being without one of the faces of the league’s past hit home hard.
Harris earned four Super Bowl titles during his run with the Steelers from 1972-1983. The Penn State product was one of the primary reasons that iteration of the Steelers remains one of the greatest dynasties in professional sports history.
It just so happened that Harris died days before the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest plays in league history, the “Immaculate Reception,” against the Raiders back in 1972. His passing also came mere days before Pittsburgh was set to take on the very same Raiders on Saturday night in the Steel City.
Prior to said game, every single Steelers player paid homage to Harris by wearing his No. 32 jersey inside Acrisure Stadium. It was certainly a seen.
What a great tribute to one of the most-recognizable players in Steelers history. It’s just the continuation of the Steelers themselves paying their respects to Mr. Harris.
“This organization, this community, the football world, we lost a great one in Franco Harris. Obviously, we’re all heartbroken, but we do look forward to honoring him and his legacy this weekend. And obviously, where our attention needs to be is on the preparation required to put together the type of performance that’s fitting of a great man like Franco.”
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on Franco Harris
It’s going to be an amazing scene when Pittsburgh hosts Las Vegas Saturday evening. That’s for sure.