Franco Harris
Franco Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, United States on March 7th, 1950 and is the Football Player. At the age of 74, Franco Harris biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 74 years old, Franco Harris has this physical status:
Franco Harris (born March 7, 1950) is a former American football running back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League (NFL).
In the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft, he was the 13th pick overall.
He spent his first 12 years with the Steelers; his 13th and final year with the Seahawks were spent with the Seahawks.
In 1990, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Early life
Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Cad Harris, his father, died in World War II and was stationed in Italy during the war. Gina Parenti Harris, a native Italian, became a "war bride" and moved with her husband when he returned to the United States after the war ended. Harris graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, in 1968, then attending Penn State University. Harris played for the Nittany Lions mostly as a blocker, but he did a lot more for the All-American running back Lydell Mitchell, throwing 4,002 yards and an average of over 5 yards per carry, while still intercepting 28 passes for 352 yards and another touchdown. In 1970, he led the team in scoring.
Personal life
Pete Harris, a collegiate All-American football player, died on August 15, 2006, at the age of 49.
Harris' son, Franco "Dok" Harris, officially announced his candidacy for Mayor of Pittsburgh on July 27, 2009. He came in second in the general election on November 3 of that year, receiving 25 percent of the vote.
Franco has been a member of Penn State's Center for Food Innovation's advisory board, and Penn State's School of Hospitality Management named him a Conti Professor in the fall of 2009.
Harris is involved in, and provides funding to, Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, a group that aims to exclude members of Penn State's board of trustees.
In the season 3 premiere episode of the show This Is Us, Harris is depicted.
Professional career
Both The Sporting News and United Press International announced Harris as the league's Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Steelers (1972). He went 1,055 yards on 188 attempts in his first season, with a 5.6 yards per carry average. He also ran for ten touchdowns and caught four touchdown passes. He was popular with Pittsburgh's large Italian-American population: his followers, including "Brigadier General" Frank Sinatra, dubbed themselves "Franco's Italian Army" and wore army helmets with his number.
Harris was selected for nine straight Pro Bowls (1972–1988), and he was All-Pro in 1977. Harris completed more than 1,000 yards in eight seasons, smashing Jim Brown's record of more than 1,000 yards in eight seasons. Harris and Rocky Bleier's running back pair won four Super Bowls combined with a solid defense to win four Super Bowls following the 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979 seasons. He was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl IX on January 12, 1975, and the Minnesota Vikings won by 16–6. Harris was the first African American and first Italian-American to be named Super Bowl MVP. Harris was a key contributor to the Steelers' first four Super Bowl victories. His Super Bowl career totals of 101 passes for 354 yards are all records, and his four career rushing touchdowns are tied for the second-most in Super Bowl history.
Harris claims he has extended his career and thus his contributions to the team's success (including four Super Bowl victories) by avoiding unnecessary contact.
Harris became the career rushing leader among active players after O. J. Simpson's retirement after the 1979 season. Following Jim Brown's NFL record, Harris and Walter Payton were both ending on him, and Harris requested that the Rooney family be paid more. The Rooney family protested, arguing that Harris was on the decline of his career, and Harris threatened to hold out. Harris was drafted in 1984 during training camp and later signed with the Seattle Seahawks during the 1984 season. He appeared in just eight games with the club, but gained only 170 yards before retiring (192 yards short of Jim Brown's record).
Harris completed 12,120 yards (then 3rd all-time) on 2,949 yards, a 4.1 percent carry average, and scored 91 touchdowns (then also 3rd). He had 307 passes for 2,287 yards, an 8.4 percent reception average, and nine touchdowns. Harris' 12,120 career passing yards rank him 12th in the NFL, while his 91 career rushing touchdowns rank him 10th, tied with Jerome Bettis.
Harris and the Rooneys reconciled after Harris retired in 2006; at pre-game ceremonies for Super Bowl XL (the Steelers' second SB appearance and first championship since his retirement) honoring the MVPs of the previous 39 games, Harris waved a Terrible Towel when being introduced, much to the delight of the largely pro-Steeler crowd. Although the Steelers have only officially retired two uniform numbers (Ernie Stautner's number 70 and Joe Greene's number 75), they haven't issued his number 32 since he left the team, and it is likely that no Steelers player will ever wear that number again. The Steelers announced on September 6, 2022, that they would no longer wear his iconic #32 until December 24, 2022.
Harris was a key role in one of professional football's most popular scripts, dubbed "The Immaculate Reception" by Pittsburgh sportscaster Myron Cope. With 22 seconds to play, the Oakland Browns were leading the Steelers 7–6 as defender Jack Tatum came to face Fuqua. Harris snatched the ball right before it collided with the ground and ran it into the endzone to win the game. The Raiders challenged the touchdown, arguing that Fuqua had handled the ball before Harris, negating the score because it was against the rules for two offensive receivers to touch the ball at that time. The Steelers maintained that the ball had touched Tatum instead. According to a Pro Football Hall of Fame retold, the film of the play is inconclusive. Phil Villapiano, a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, attempted to smear Harris' career by claiming that he was only in position to catch the ball because he was lazy, but replays reveal that Harris was running before the Raiders forced Bradshaw out of the pocket, and he was clearly seen screaming before catching the deflected ball.
He received the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award in 1984. He was ranked 83 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999. In 2006, The Heinz History Center, home of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, installed a life-size statue of Harris in Pittsburgh International Airport's grand concourse. The monument is a recreation of Harris' "Immaculate Reception." In 2011, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.