Several Steelers discuss winning the game for Franco Harris

‘It was incredibly special. I don’t think you could write it any better’
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PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – As Cam Heyward tells it Mike Tomlin didn’t want to dedicate it before the game because it can go one of two ways, but make no mistake the Steelers were driven to represent Franco Harris the right way Saturday night.

“You try to keep your emotion together,” said Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. “You got to stay even keeled. The magnitude of the game with all of the outside reasons. We wanted to go out and get the win for him (Franco). Everyone kind of kept it together. After the game an incredibly special moment in the locker room.”

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“Safe to say I’m going keep this jersey (Franco Harris’ 32, all were wearing) and probably give it to my parents and have them hang it up. It was a really special night.”

“Just being a part of this history, this legacy, this situation,” said Steelers corner Cam Sutton. “This is bigger than us… Just being a part of that is special for me.”

“It’s cool to play for an organization that’s had guys like that in the past.” said Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith. “Everyone is thankful for what he did. Not just the player that he was, but the person, as well… I’ll always remember him for the person that he was.”

“It was very special,” said Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. “Franco did so much for this team, this organization. The least we could do was gut it out and win and play hard for him.”

“Everybody in the building that had a good relationship with him did a good job all week long explaining not only what he meant to this organization, but to this city as a whole,” said Steelers linebacker TJ Watt.

“We had a chance to be a part of Steeler history tonight and, man, we don’t take that lightly,” Tomlin said. “We’re just so appreciate of the ground that’s been laid by those that have come before us, the men like this man’s jersey (tugs at a Franco Harris jersey he’s wearing) that I’m wearing right here.”

“We just want to honor him, his teammates, and all the men that have come before us, man, that’s made the black and gold what it is.”

It was Pat Freiermuth’s idea to have everyone wear the Franco Harris jerseys to the game, he said they talked about it on Wednesday. Freiermuth had a relationship with Harris as a pair of Penn State stars.

They didn’t go to the same school, but they played the same position and each were first-round draft picks. Najee Harris also had a relationship with Franco.

“When I first got here, me and Franco, we’ve been cool ever since,” Harris said. “We’ve been really close, and texted. He came to a lot of my charity events. He left his alumni dinner to come to (my charity event). We text and had that sit-down interview to break down each other’s film. Me and his wife, too, are really close. So Mike (Tomlin) said that I’m going to present his wife with the game ball. For me to even be in that position, I’m honored to do that.”

Probably no one on the current roster had the relationship Cam Heyward had with Franco.

“It was a tip of the cap to not only a Steelers legend, but a great man,” Heyward said. “A person in the community you could always count on. A guy that even when he retired, he wanted to be your teammate.”

“I can say from the time being here, Franco opened me with open arms. With everything building up to this and getting a chance to talk to Franco. There were so many joyous moments we had with him. It hurt so many in the community to lose a guy like that, but you know he lived a full life. You knew he was loved by so many people. There’s so many outstanding men that loved him-Mean Joe, Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Mike Tomlin, Najee Harris, myself.”

“Decades and decades will go on, but we still care for a man that brought so much to us. We loved him. We will continue to love him and we appreciate all he’s done for us.”

“You can’t make it up,” Pickett said. “How the game went. The conditions it was. How we won. It was incredibly special. I don’t think you could write it any better.”

“There were a lot of things that happened tonight that were heavy,” Tomlin said. “We knew it. We just wanted to be a part of it. There’s some nights you get an opportunity to etch your small place in Steelers lore. I’m so happy our young guys had an opportunity to do that in some small way tonight.”

Franco count

On the fourth-and-one play in the second quarter television mics picked up Pickett yelling out ‘Franco, Franco’ and that was indeed what he was saying. The drive ended in the Steelers first points, a Chris Boswell field goal.

“It was a dummy count until I said ‘Franco’ and then I was going to be live,” Pickett said. “It was a huge play in the drive.
We added that in, it was special to convert. We had it twice, we didn’t do it a second time because obviously they heard it the first time. I didn’t do it twice. It was cool to have it in for him this week.”

Franco ceremony

Hall of Famers Joe Greene and Mel Blount headlined his former teammates in attendance as Franco Harris’ number was retired at halftime.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” said Steelers President Art Rooney on a stage on the field with wife Dana Harris and son Dok Harris on each side. “The big man was supposed to here right beside me.”

“I officially declare number 32 retired.”

The team then played a video with Franco’s highlights plus comments from Rocky Bleier, Jack Ham, Greene and Terry Bradshaw.
Before the game, a moment of silence for Harris.

Also in attendance, the man who the Immaculate Reception pass bounced off of, running back Frenchy Fuqua. He led the Terrible Towel twirl to a loud ovation at the start of the game.

Heyward was the last starter introduced before the game, after a brief pause, he ran out of the tunnel carrying a large black flag with Franco’s number 32. He ran onto the field, through a tunnel of teammates while the announced attendance of 64, 761 stood, waving Terrible Towels.

Even the bitter cold couldn’t stop a special night for a special man.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports