Legend Franco Harris dead at 72

[zow2]

So Crazy.  Mad Dog Russo had a live interview with Franco late yesterday afternoon.  I was listening to it.  They were talking about the immaculate reception of course and this coming weekend.  Franco sounded kinda' tired and was sniffling a bit but said at the beginning he felt good.  RIP.

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

46 minutes ago, Rico said:

RIP Franco. I remember watching that Steelers-Raiders game as a kid, what a shocker!

as did I. my step father was a huge raiders fan.

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, Greg S said:

RIP. The immaculate reception. One of the most famous plays in NFL history. 

And controversial. Just like Tuck Rule. 

 

RIP...

[buffaloboyinATL]

So sad. The timing of it makes it even worse. 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

RIP Franco.

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

And the 'A Football Life' episode on him premiers on Friday

[JMM]

 I remember watching the immaculate reception as a kid with my Dad. And he went wild because he had bet on the Steelers. 😊  Franco was a great back and a class act. So sad this happened before Sat with his number being retired. RIP Franco!

[frostbitmic]

I was 10 years old when I saw the immaculate reception. Franco was one of my favorite players as a kid.

 

Rip Franco

[Logic]

1 hour ago, Big Turk said:

Damn...50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception was coming up and ironically the Steelers and Raiders were playing on it...so that means he was 22 when that play happened??

 

RIP...to one of the true legends.

Just looked it up. Apparently, yes, the play happened in Franco's rookie season. 22 years old. 

[Big Turk]

11 minutes ago, Logic said:

Just looked it up. Apparently, yes, the play happened in Franco's rookie season. 22 years old. 

 

Talk about everything all being downhill from there...how could you ever live up to your status in the years after?  Impossible...no matter what he did from that point on it would never be good enough.

[Logic]

6 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Talk about everything all being downhill from there...how could you ever live up to your status in the years after?  Impossible...no matter what he did from that point on it would never be good enough.

I totally hear what you're saying.

Looks like Harris did pretty well living up to those expectations, though. After a statistical dip in his second year, he posted 6 straight seasons of at least 1,000 rushing yards. He scored at least 10 touchdowns in four of those six years. He made 9 straight Pro Bowls (!) and was a key part of four Super Bowl winning teams.

Quite the career.

[Gugny]

When I was a kid in the late 70s, it seemed like everyone my age was either a Steelers fan or a Cowboys fan.  I gravitated toward the Steelers and it was primarily because I loved Franco Harris, Mean Joe Greene and Lynn Swann.

 

RIP, Franco.

[Big Turk]

5 minutes ago, Gugny said:

When I was a kid in the late 70s, it seemed like everyone my age was either a Steelers fan or a Cowboys fan.  I gravitated toward the Steelers and it was primarily because I loved Franco Harris, Mean Joe Greene and Lynn Swann.

 

RIP, Franco.

 

No Raider fans?  Wasn't that at the high point of the "Raider Mystique"?

Edited December 21, 2022 by Big Turk

[Ethan in Cleveland]

In reading this I didn't realize the Steelers lost the following week to the Dolphins. I had always thought that was one of their SuperBowl years. 

Franco's reputation was he was solid but not spectacular.  He was not as big and strong as Jim Brown, not as fast as OJ or Tony Dorsett, and did not have anything to compare to Walter Payton. Some folks claimed he was soft and avoided contact.  I only started watching football in 1980 so I only saw him when he was in decline. 

I beleive when he retired he was #2 all time rush leader behind Brown. 

[Gugny]

3 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

No Raider fans?  Wasn't that at the high point of the "Raider Mystique"?

 

Yeah, there were some Raiders fans, too.  I'm going back to when I was 8 or 9 years old, so I wasn't overly-attentive at the time.  I do vividly remember a lot of Cowboys, Steelers and Yankees fans, generally speaking.

[Big Turk]

2 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Yeah, there were some Raiders fans, too.  I'm going back to when I was 8 or 9 years old, so I wasn't overly-attentive at the time.  I do vividly remember a lot of Cowboys, Steelers and Yankees fans, generally speaking.

 

Seems like even back then, lots of frontrunning bandwagon fans. Funny how we haven't heard much from Pat fans recently...what happened to all of them?? They scurry back under the rug after 20 years in the open?

Edited December 21, 2022 by Big Turk

[ExWNYer]

I heard this just a few minutes ago. So sad. Sucks that he was mere days away from the 50th anniversary of his 'Immaculate Reception'. I never liked the Stillers and can't stand them to this day but he was an all-time great.

 

RIP, Franco

[Gugny]

2 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Seems like even back then, lots of frontrunning bandwagon fans. Funny how we haven't heard much from Pat fans recently...what happened to all of them?? They scurry back under the rug after 20 years in the open?

 

I live an hour north of Albany.  This area is loaded with Yankees, Cowboys and Celtics fans.  Almost all bandwagon jumpers from the 70s-90s.  But I will give it to them ... they seem to have stuck with their teams.

 

And yes ... during the Pats dynasty, I did see a ton of NE gear around here .... now?  Nothing.  Hilarious.

 

[Stroke 17]

The one and only day in my life I was glad the Steelers won. Made my Dad's Christmas.

 

 

[LabattBlue]

RIP Franco.