(Reuters) – Franco Harris, the Pittsburgh Steelers running back who caught what became known as the ‘Immaculate Reception’ has died, said the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday. He was 72.
Harris rushed for 12,120 yards in 13 NFL seasons and won four Super Bowl rings with the Steelers but it was a single catch off a ricocheted pass from Terry Bradshaw that turned into a game winning 60-yard touchdown that is the signature moment in a Hall of Fame career.
That catch on Dec. 23, 1972 at Three Rivers Stadium helped the Steelers to their first-ever playoff win, a 13-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders, and has become NFL folklore known by American gridiron fans as the Immaculate Reception.
Pittsburgh is scheduled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception on Saturday when the Steelers host the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve, when Harris’s famous number 32 is also to be retired.
“We have lost an incredible football player, an incredible ambassador to the Hall and most importantly, we have lost one of the finest gentlemen anyone will ever meet,” said Hall of Fame president Jim Porter in a statement.
“Franco not only impacted the game of football, but he also affected the lives of many, many people in profoundly positive ways.
“The Hall of Fame and historians everywhere will tell Franco’s football story forever. His life story can never be told fully, however, without including his greatness off the field.”
Harris was first selection for the Steelers in the 1972 draft and quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s best running backs, rushing for more than 1,000 yards claiming rookie of the year honours.
He would rush for 1,000 yards or more eight times and more than 100 yards in 47 games earning nine selections to the Pro Bowl.
Harris was a cornerstone of the Steelers dynasty that won four Super Bowls in the 1970s.
In Super Bowl IX, when the Steelers won their first-ever league title with a 16-6 victory over Minnesota, Harris rushed for 158 yards, compared to just 17 yards for the entire Viking team.
He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by Christian Radnedge)
