It’s a shame Franco Harris won’t be there Saturday night to hear one last roar from Steelers Nation, one final stadium-unifying chant of his name.
and raised to the rafters at Acrisure Stadium on Christmas Eve.
When Coach Mike Tomlin says, “the standard is the standard,” he’s taking about the nothing-but-the-best bar Franco helped raise in Pittsburgh. “What an honor for me to have my No. 32 jersey hang alongside Ernie Stautner and my longtime friend and teammate, Joe Greene,” Harris said. “I’m blown away with this honor.”Said Rooney: “The Immaculate Reception marked the turning point in franchise history. My grandfather was quoted once, ‘Before Franco got here, we didn’t win much. Since he got here, we didn’t lose.’ "
The game to mark Franco’s iconic play now becomes a special occasion for Pittsburgh to pay solemn tribute to the man who helped propel the city’s pro football team from “Loveable Losers” to the absolute pinnacle. How fitting. There are just two football plays with this kind of divine intervention imagery. The other – the Hail Mary – is a generic moniker for simply throwing it up and praying. Ninety-plus percent of the time, those prayers are never answered.
“It’s hard to believe it’s 50 years,” a reflective, appreciative, somewhat astonished Harris said just a day ago. “To have it so alive and still thrilling and exciting really says a lot and means a lot.”
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