“He Used to Ride to Work on the City Bus”: Days After Death of Legend Franco Harris, Steelers Teammate Recalls Emotional Past

Pittsburgh legend Franco Harris passed away this week and the entire NFL world is in mourning. Franco died of natural causes days before the 50th anniversary of his ‘Immaculate Reception’ play against the Oakland Raiders on December 23, 1972. And his former Steelers teammates are especially hurting since they knew Harris up and close.

Running back Franco Harris gave the Pittsburgh Steelers their first divisional playoff win with the immaculate reception catch in his rookie year. After that, the black and yellow army marched on to win four Super Bowl championships in the next decade. With an offensive powerhouse comprising Harris and QB Terry Bradshaw, the Steelers were the force of the NFL in the 1970s. Also on the team was DT Joe Greene. And the news of Franco’s passing devastated Greene.

Greene recalled just how important Franco was to the Pittsburgh team, going from a bottom-ranker to one of the greatest dynasties in the NFL. However, ‘Mean’ Joe Greene was always more in awe of his teammate’s special nature as a human being. Belonging to a military home, Franco Harris developed honorable traits quite early. Harris didn’t even buy a car.

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“He used to ride to work on the city bus. Once he bought him a house across on the North Side, two blocks or so from the stadium after home games, he would walk home and the kids in the neighbourhood would walk behind him. He’d look like the Pied Piper,” Greene said on Sirius Radio.

Joe Greene also said that the Steelers weren’t a threat before Franco Harris arrived

Franco Harris’ kindness always fascinated Joe Greene. “Franco was always positive. He never got negative. I never saw him negative. I never heard him say anything negative about anything or anyone. He’s just a special guy,” the Pro Football Hall-Of-Fame DT said. Harris made his HOF entry in 1990 after finishing his career with the highest rushing yards record in Super Bowl history. And Greene, who was known for terrorizing opposition offenses leading the Steel Curtain defense and was also the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year twice, thought Franco was everything for the Steelers.

“We were effectively called the ‘Armpit of the National Football league prior to ’72,” Greene said on the NFL Now. He also claimed that Franco’s arrival was the true catalyst and the immaculate reception turned the fortunes of the Steelers Nation.

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Franco Harris will live on in the memories of not just Pittsburgh, but every ardent NFL fan. Pittsburgh International airport commemorated the legend by erecting his Immaculate Reception catch statue. Fans and friends will sorely miss him at the Las Vegas Raiders game on Sunday to mark 50 years of the unbelievable play.