Steelers-Raiders Likely To Be More Remembrance Than Celebration Following Franco Harris’ Death

Saturday night was shaping up to be one of the most memorable nights in Acrisure Stadium’s 22-year history.

The NFL scheduled the Christmas Eve game between the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders back for a very specific reason. Dec. 24 falls 50 years and one day after the Immaculate Reception, perhaps the most memorable play in sports history.

The night was to be all about Franco Harris, the Steelers’ rookie running back who caught the deflected pass in the final seconds of a 1972 AFC first-round playoff game at Three Rivers Stadium and sprinted to the end zone past the stunned Oakland Raiders defense for the game-winning touchdown.

When the NFL marked its 100^th anniversary in 2020, the Immaculate Reception was chosen as the greatest play in league history.

The play by Harris gave the Steelers their first-ever postseason victory after four mostly dismal decades.

In many ways, the Immaculate Reception also opened the door to one of the NFL’s great dynasties. The Steelers went on to win four Super Bowls in a six-year span from 1974-79.

The Steelers will retire Harris’ No. 32 in a halftime ceremony, something the franchise rarely does despite its rich history. Harris joins fellow Hall of Famers Ernie Stautner (70) and Joe Greene (75) in that elite club.

However, the mood is likely to be a little more somber than festive on a night when the temperature is supposed to fall into the single digits on the banks of the Allegheny River.

Harris died unexpectedly Wednesday morning at 72. The ceremony will proceed but Harris, sadly, will now be honored posthumously.

The Steelers have obviously had many popular players throughout their history, especially during the dynasty years. However, it would not be a stretch to say that Harris was the most beloved of all.

That devotion started in 1972, the year the Steeles drafted Harris in the first round from Penn State.

The son of an African American father and Italian mother became so popular that a fan club called Franco’s Italian Army was founded. Seemingly, everyone within a 100-mile radius of Pittsburgh had a Franco’s Italian Army T-shirt.

The Immaculate Reception sealed Harris’ legend less than one year into his career but he was more than a one-play wonder. Harris became one of the greatest running backs in NFL history as he was selected to nine Pro Bowls and retired as the league’s third all-time leading rusher behind Walter Payton and Jim Brown.

Harris stayed in Pittsburgh following his retirement and his popularity even increased. He became involved in countless charities in the area, was a confidant of some of the most important people in the region, and always seemed to make himself extremely accessible to the fans.

Social media isn’t always the greatest indicator of things. However, when I scrolled through my Facebook feed in the hours after Harris’ death Wednesday, it was as if every person in the world had their picture taken with him at some point.

The day before Harris died, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin talked about the importance of the Immaculate Reception and what an honor it would be to be in the stadium for the retirement of No. 32.

“It’s just one of those beautiful things in the history of our game,” Tomlin said. “It’s humbling to be in close proximity to it, to work for this organization, to understand its impact on this organization, the career that it spawned, Franco’s gold jacket career. What it’s done for this franchise.

“There are many things that make it the play that it is and the most significant play in the history of our game. It’s just an honor to be in proximity to it. To know the man involved. To call Pittsburgh home. It’s awesome to be a part of and to witness.”

Sadly, the man who made it all possible won’t be there to celebrate the moment.