OT RIP Franco Harris

tlongII · Dec 21, 2022

Or is it Frank O'Harris? I never was sure if he was Italian or Irish... Great ballplayer and part of the greatest play in NFL history.

Shaboid · Dec 21, 2022

How Steelers legend Franco Harris’ statue came to overshadow George Washington

Inside Pittsburgh International Airport, travel-weary passengers have long been greeted by a pair of statues that honor two of the most influential figures in American history.

There’s George Washington — inspiring military general, champion of democracy, first President of the United States.

And the other? Steelers great Franco Harris.

“It was obvious as soon as we installed them in about 2005 that everybody recognized Franco Harris,” said Andrew Masich, the president and CEO of the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. “’And who’s that pirate guy next to him?’”

Anywhere else in the world, this would be an almost comical juxtaposition. But this is Pittsburgh we’re talking about. A famed football player can do more than just stand on the same footing as the first president. Anyone from the area knows that Harris very much overshadows Washington (and, more recently, journalist and renowned traveler Nellie Bly, whose statue was installed alongside the other two in May).

“I feel a little bit bad for George,” Masich said. “But then I remember, boy, he’s standing next to Franco Harris.”

Statues of Franco Harris and George Washington next to each other in 2019. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)
One afternoon several years back, a group of travelers gathered around the statue of Harris, who is depicted with outstretched arms reeling in the Immaculate Reception. This familiar scene unfolds countless times every day at the airport, as people hand over cell phones to strangers or pose for selfies.

This particular group turned to the first passerby they saw and asked for a photo. The 6-foot-2 bearded gentleman with broad shoulders and a running back’s build began to focus the camera when … hey. Wait a minute. That’s Franco Harris himself, in the flesh!

That story, in some ways, sums up what that airport statue has come to mean to Pittsburghers.

Harris is one of the most beloved figures in Steelers history. As Pittsburgh celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception this week, the former running back will have his No. 32 retired, becoming just the third player in a franchise full of Hall of Famers to officially receive the honor.

GO DEEPER

Steelers will retire Franco Harris' No. 32

His storybook career began to take off on Dec. 23, 1972 with that miraculous catch. In an AFC divisional round game against the hated Oakland Raiders, all hope appeared lost on fourth-and-10 with 22 seconds remaining and the Steelers trailing 7-6. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw uncorked a prayer of a pass intended for Frenchy Fuqua. When the ball, Fuqua and Raiders safety Jack Tatum collided, Harris snagged the deflected ball out of the air, just before it touched the turf, and raced it into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

“You look at this (statue), you realize that everything looked dire at that time,” Harris told The Athletic. “Jack Ham was taking the tape off his shoes. Fans were starting to leave. It goes to show you until that whistle blows, there’s a chance. You don’t give up.”

The play catapulted the Steelers to their first playoff win in franchise history and began to transform the identity of an organization that was so lowly for so long that even Harris and fellow Steelers legend “Mean” Joe Greene didn’t want to join the club after they were drafted. Although the Steelers’ 1972 playoff run ended the following week at the hands of the undefeated Miami Dolphins, the Immaculate Reception is often considered the moment a dynasty was conceived.

“In hindsight, we can look back, we know that after ’72, we went on to win four Super Bowls in six years (in 1974, ’75, ’78 and ’79),” Greene told The Athletic. “I can say because I was a part of it, I think it gave us the confidence and the level of expertise and experience that we could play against anybody at any time and compete for a championship.”

For these reasons, the play and the person behind it will always hold an important place in NFL and Pittsburgh history.

And the statue itself? Well, it has become iconic in its own right, taking on a life of its own to the point that most everyone overlooks the first president of the United States and — on at least one occasion — even the real-life Harris himself.

To those who lived through the dominant days of the 1970s, that statue transports them back to the proudest moments of a storied franchise. And for recent draft picks, it’s become a rite of passage. Najee Harris, Kenny Pickett and many more before them have posed for photos alongside Franco Harris’ likeness moments after landing in their new NFL city.

But in so many ways, the statue has come to represent much more than sports.

It’s a welcome back for the college freshmen returning for the holidays after a first semester away. It’s a comforting sight for the jet-lagged businessmen and women who haven’t seen their families in weeks. It’s an opportunity for grandmothers to tell a new generation about the glory days. And for families who have moved away from Western Pennsylvania (but still make certain to swaddle their baby in a Terrible Towel), it’s a reminder of the unspoken connection forged through shared experiences.

In a word, that Franco Harris statue is home.

“There’s something positive and hopeful about it,” said Masich, the man who came up with the idea for the airport statues. “First of all, it’s a very tenuous grasp, just receiving the ball, one foot in the air kind of off balance.

“But he’s looking up. He’s looking to where he’s going to go. And so I think that it is emblematic, maybe, of the hope that Pittsburgh feels for its city, for its team and for its people.”

Back in 2004, Harris’ bearded face was covered in plaster, dental alginate and casting resin inside the Heinz History Center.

The red brick building in Pittsburgh’s Strip District has told the stories of the people who shaped the region since it opened in 1996. When the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, which is co-located inside the history center, opened in the mid-2000s, Masich decided they needed some iconic figures at the airport to help brand and promote it.

One name came to mind.

“I was quite surprised,” Harris said. “They approached me, and no way was I thinking something like that. But to capture the moment that happens to be a special moment in Pittsburgh history for our sports teams, what it means to fans and to greet people coming into the city, I think that’s special.”

Harris might have had second thoughts once the process of creating the statue began.

“This isn’t going to hurt, is it?” Harris asked Masich.

“Oh no, Franco, we do this all the time,” Masich said.

What Masich didn’t tell the former running back was that they’d never actually tried the process on someone with a beard. They placed some Vaseline on Harris’ facial hair, hoping it would help. But when they pulled off the mask, some of those whiskers got ripped out. When they poured the positive into the mold for two statues — one at the airport and an identical one at the sports museum — some of those beard hairs were transferred into the statues.

“In that figure is Franco Harris DNA,” Masich said, with a laugh. “If we ever have to clone Franco, we know where to go.”

From left to right, George Washington, Franco Harris and Nellie Bly. (Mike DeFabo / The Athletic)
After Masich selected Harris as the subject, he had to choose a pose. Should it be Harris running with the ball under his arm into the end zone? Maybe Harris celebrating with teammates after the victory?

“Then we realized that, no, the moment that shoestring catch was made, the moment of reception, that’s the moment to capture,” Masich said.

That moment, actually, had never truly been frozen in time. There is no known photograph of the reception itself from that angle. The only images that exist from that angle are grainy stills from video. Even those depictions don’t fully show the entire football.

However, since the airport statue debuted, the image has since been replicated in a variety of forms. Christmas ornaments. Sweatshirts. Miniature figurines. Likewise, the pose itself has become almost famous.

“Now it’s become a thing. People around the world send us pictures of doing a Franco,” Masich said. “That’s what we call it: ‘Doing a Franco.’

“When my first grandson was born, my wife at the hospital did a Franco with the baby. People have sent them in from the Great Pyramids, from the Eiffel Tower, from the White House. People love that story and that moment in time that’s captured in the figure at the airport.”

Over the years, Harris has created his own favorite airport memory. One of his buddies was traveling through Pittsburgh and, at the same time, talking with the former Steeler on his cell phone.

“He’s not holding any phone or anything because he has an earpiece on, right?” Harris said. “On the phone, he’s like, ‘Hey, Franco.’ He’s talking to me, but people think he’s talking to the statue. Finally, he realizes, oh, people are looking at me.”

That moment reveals the other unique thing about the statue and why Harris has become the right person to welcome outsiders into the city and Pittsburghers back home.

Here in Pittsburgh, Harris is seen as approachable enough that even those who have never met him feel like they know him. He’s almost always referred to by his first name only, Franco, as if he’s a family member or friend.

So, talking to the statue? Chances are Harris’ buddy isn’t the first one to do it.

“He is the most humble guy you can imagine,” Masich said. “If you’re going to have a symbol, a representative for Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers, I can’t imagine a better model or exemplar than Franco Harris.”
Click to expand...

RIP

crandc · Dec 21, 2022

Not exactly popular in Oakland. But it was an iconic NFL moment.

yankeesince59 · Dec 21, 2022

Yeah, Harris broke my heart more than once when he played for the Steelers, especially with the "**&^%$# immaculate reception" against my Raiders...very dependable and durable RB.

RIP, Franco...though you were a Steeler, you were always a class act.

Hoopguru · Dec 21, 2022

Ive heard he was even a greater person! RIP Franc

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