30 Seconds With Franco Harris: ‘It Was a Great Time to Be in Pittsburgh’
By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI
Running back Franco Harris helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls during his 13-year Hall of Fame career. As a rookie 40 years ago, he caught a deflected touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw that instantly became known as the Immaculate Reception; it gave the Steelers their first playoff victory, against Oakland. Harris, 62, appeared at a fund-raiser last month for the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation at Yankee Stadium.
Q.
Do you still get goose bumps when you think about the Immaculate Reception?
A.
I have to admit that catch keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. When people look back at the great success that the Steelers have had the last 40 years and wonder where it all started, well, it all began right there. If not for that catch, all the success that followed might not have ever happened.
Q.
What were your thoughts heading into that 1972 season with a franchise that had never won a playoff game?
A.
From 1933 to 1971, the Steelers were the worst team in N.F.L. history, and that’s the team I was going to play for, so I really didn’t go in with so much hope. But that 1972 season was phenomenal, and the fans went crazy. For 40 years, it was like our fans had this pent-up energy and frustration; they never had an outlet to cheer. But that year, it all came out, and in the decade that followed, it never let up. It was a great time to be in Pittsburgh.
Q.
When you came out of Penn State, did you think the Steelers would draft your college teammate Lydell Mitchell ahead of you?
A.
I didn’t know who the Steelers were going to pick, but I was hoping it wouldn’t be me. In my wildest dreams, I never would have thought I would have been the first running back taken in the draft that year, I still can’t comprehend that.
Read more: http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2...in-pittsburgh/
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