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'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, 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. 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.

Contents

NFL

Post-football

Personal

Notes and references

See also

External links

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. [1]
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 [2].
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.[3] (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: The play was originally a screen pass with Harris as the primary receiver in the flat. When the Raiders forced Bradshaw out of the pocket, and therefore unable to pass to Harris, he threw downfield to Fuqua. Harris can be clearly seen running downfield before catching the deflected ball.)
In 1999, he was ranked number 83 on ''The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

Post-football

Harris is now the owner of Super Bakery, Inc., and recently purchased the failing Parks Sausage Company, the first publicly held black-owned business in the United States.
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

1. [4]
2. [5]

See also

★ Glossary of American football

External links

★ Pro Football Hall of Fame - Franco Harris

★ Pro Football Reference - Franco Harris