Shortly after waking up on the cold December 19th morning, I checked the news headlines on my mobile phone and there it was, “Steeler Great, Franco Harris, Dead at 72”.
I have never been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, even though there were times when I cheered for them as underdogs, prior to the 1970s. By the mid-1970s, I quickly learned to respect the team as part of a transformed organization. The team learned how to win. Eventually, they won consistently. I learned that their roster was composed of men of character, chosen because of qualities most football fans did not always hear about or realize. That is what made the Pittsburgh Steelers, and team members like Franco Harris, so special.
In 2022, Franco Harris joined a lengthy list of celebrities and public figures who passed away. Many on the list had not given much thought to dying, it just happened. Some, on the other hand, ended their lives via suicide. Death, like birth, is one thing we all have in common. The joy a newborn brings to family and friends is matched only by the sadness experienced when a loved one dies. It pings the heart when we lose someone we love or someone we've admired from afar. Such was the emotion I attach to Franco Harris.
Franco Harris, the Penn State and Steelers’ Hall of Fame star, was just 72 years old. By all accounts, Harris was much more than just a football player. He was a complete person.
As I listened to radio interviews by media and Pittsburgh community personnel, I was taken by how interested he always seemed to be in others. He loved giving his time and energy to non-profit organizations which supported the growth and development of kids, education, and community development. Mr. Harris maintained a busy schedule. A calendar full of giving.
I learned that Franco’s quiet, unassuming style of giving was a significant highlight of the tribute President Joe Biden shared on social media on the day of Harris’ death. Fifty years ago, Mr. Biden’s first wife and daughter were killed in an automobile accident shortly after Mr. Biden was elected to serve his first term in the House of Representatives. The Biden’s two young sons, also passengers in the vehicle, survived the deadly crash. Later, I learned that among the people who engaged the Biden family, and the seriously injured young boys, was Franco Harris. Quiet. Unassuming.
I reviewed the list of individuals who passed away in 2022. I noted that many of the people on the list were known for how they carried themselves, the way they spoke, and for what they stood. Many were pioneers in their field. But most were simply good people. Good people who gave openly to others.
NAME AGE
Ronnie Hillman 31
Franco Harris 72
Stephen “tWitch” Boss 40
Maury Wills 89
Christine McVie 79
Irene Cara 63
Olivia Newton-John 73
James Caan 82
Leslie Jordan 63
Ray Liotta 67
Guy Lafleur 70
Emilio Delgado 81
Ronnie Spector 78
Bob Sagat 65
Dan Reeves 77
Sidney Poitier 94
Madeleine Albright 84
Bill Russell 88
Barbara Walters 93
Pele 82
Later that day, I turned on the television. I tuned to a sports channel. I recall thinking aloud to myself, “Wait a minute, Franco Harris is the same man who will be honored in the 50th anniversary celebration of the Immaculate Reception later this week. Franco Harris is dead. Just two-years older than me.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense was nicknamed “The Steel Curtain”. On December 20, 2022, Franco Harris’ curtain went down for the last time.
That steel curtain will protect his legacy from now until the end of time.
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