Franco Harris
Franco Harris (born March 7, 1950) was an American football player.
Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, attended Rancocas Valley Regional high school in Mount Holly, New Jersey and attended Penn State. He was drafted in 1972, 1st Round, 13th overall. He played his first 12 years in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers; his 13th and final year (1984) was spent with the Seattle Seahawks. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. Harris is 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall and weighs 225 lb (102 kg).
Franco Harris was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1972 and was named the league's rookie of the year by both The Sporting News and United Press International In this first year he gained 1,055 yards (965 m) on 188 carries, with a 5.6 average. He also rushed for 10 touchdowns and caught 3 touchdown passes.
Harris was the key to what is widely regarded as the most famous play in football, the Immaculate Reception, so dubbed by Pittsburgh sportscaster Myron Cope. The Oakland Raiders were up 7-6 with 22 seconds to play when a Terry Bradshaw pass was deflected off of Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum. Harris snatched the ball from the air and ran it in to win the game.
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 (914 m) 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. He was the Most Valuable player in Super Bowl IX (1975, following the 1974 season); in that game he rushed for 158 yards on 34 carries for a 16-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Harris played with the Steelers until 1983 and spent his final season with the Seattle Seahawks.
In his 13 professional seasons, Harris gained 12,120 yards on 2,949 carries, a 4.1 average, and scored 91 rushing touchdowns. He caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards (2091 m), a 7.4 average, and 9 touchdowns.
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.
