Friends, fans, former teammates, Pittsburghers and football fans around the world are remembering Franco Harris, who died at the age of 72, just a couple days before the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.
One of those Steelers fans mourning today is Late Night host Seth Meyers.
While he may have grew up on the New England area, thanks to his father, Meyers has been a lifelong Steeler fan.
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He joined Joe Starkey on Wednesday afternoon to talk about his personal interactions with the legendary running back, who died at 72.
He says he met Harris during the NFL Honors in 2014 and after talking about his love of the Steelers in his monologue, Harris asked to see him backstage.
“I couldn’t believe but after the show someone came back and said Franco and his wife Dana want to come back and say hi,” said Meyers. “You know, you meet your heroes at your own peril and it was just the most wonderful thing to meet Franco and everything you ever heard he was, he was the nicest guy, Dana was the nicest person as well.”
Meyers adds Harris gave him his phone number and told him to let him know when he was in Pittsburgh so they could get dinner.
Meyers says he was a little hesitant to do it, but he texted him when he was in town for his mother’s birthday and a Steeler game.
So Seth, his mother, father and brother got to have dinner with Harris and his family.
“It was such a special dinner, it was so great that he shared his family with us and you know, he obviously told us all his stories and I was just watching him tell them, and listening and realize how many times over the years he’d given this gift to people of telling them the story they wanted to hear . . . it was the best,” said Meyers.
Meyers adds his family, especially his dad is such a Steelers fan, when he was introduced to the President in 2011, Mr. Meyers told his son it didn’t top meeting Franco Harris.