PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It’s been quite a week when thinking about Franco Harris’ legacy. The stories of his generosity have been so well told and make up so much of the man(if you missed any, please scroll through or check out our show podcast pages). What is also synonymous with Franco is the Immaculate Reception, but Franco was also a great running back.
Here is a snapshot of his on-field career showing he’s more than just one catch as his number will be the third ever retired by the Steelers Saturday night.
A 1972 first-round pick out of Penn State, the 6’2”, 230-pound tailback had the size to run you over, the feet and vision to find a hole and the deceptive speed to run by you.
“He made things look so easy he made you think you could do it, because he was so smooth and grace personified as a running back,” former NFL GM Doug Whaley told the Fan Morning Show. “I thought I could do that, but you can’t.”
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He had eight, 1,000 yard-seasons and five of those playing in 14 or fewer games. He had six seasons with at least 200 yards receiving. A dozen years into his professional career playing essentially on cement, his final season with the Steelers he rushed for 1,007 yards and a near career high of 278 receiving yards. His third highest total yards finish of his career.
Harris was durable along with all of the other qualities that made him a Hall of Famer. He also played the biggest at key times.
Nothing trumps rivalry games in the regular season, against the Browns in his career Franco Harris rushed for 1,928 yards, 4.4yds carry, 17 TD rushing and 2 TD receiving. His rookie year against Cleveland he let them know the tide had turned in the rivalry, Harris rushed for 238 yards with three touchdowns.
Outside of the division, any matchup against the Cowboys was huge. They were the other team of the 1970s, so-called America’s Team. They eventually drafted Pitt Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, but it was Harris rushing for a career-best 5.4 yds a carry against the Cowboys with four touchdowns in four games.
In his regular season career, 31 of his rushing touchdowns gave the Steelers the lead. Only three times in 173 games did he have more than 30 carries in a contest, yet finished with 12,120 yards.
Harris made nine Pro Bowls, was in the top 10 in rushing nearly every season. Then there was the post-season. Playing against the best-of-the-best he rushed for 1,556 yards with 504 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns with one lost fumble in his playoff career. The New Jersey native was the MVP of the Steelers first Super Bowl championship. Here are some highlights:
1972
· 1st playoff game 160 total yards vs Oakland, Immaculate Reception, TD
· 2nd, 16-76 yards in 21-17 loss to Miami
1974
· 111 yards v Oakland in 24-13 AFC Championship win
· Super Bowl MVP with 158 yards and a TD v Minnesota (7 runs for 1st down or TD)
1975
· 153 yards and TD v Baltimore in 28-10 win
· 137 total yards, TD v Oakland in AFC title win 16-10
· 108 total yards v Dallas in 21-17 Super Bowl win (6 runs resulted in 1st downs)
1976
· 132 yards in 40-14 win v Baltimore (7.3 per carry) then missed the rest of the post-season due to injury
1978
· 2 TD in win over Denver and 105 yards
· 90 total yards and a TD in Super Bowl win over Dallas, 35-31
1979
· 115 total yds v Miami, TD
· 135 total yards v Houston, TD in AFC Championship 27-13 victory
· 112 total yds v Rams, 2 TD in winning fourth Super Bowl
1982
· 106 total yards in 3-point loss to San Diego
1983
· 64 total yards, averaged 5.5 yds per run in loss to the Raiders
16 rush TD and a receiving TD in 19 playoff games-2,060 total yards
Franco Harris was more than just one catch, he was one of the best to ever play the game. What makes Franco so unique is you think about him more as an ambassador for mankind than a football player. He was great at both.