Pittsburgh Steelers President Art Rooney II has released a statement regarding the sudden death of Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris at the age of 72.
"It is difficult to find the appropriate words to describe Franco Harris' impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers, his teammates, the City of Pittsburgh and Steelers Nation," Rooney said. "From his rookie season, which included the Immaculate Reception, through the next 50 years, Franco brought joy to people on and off the field. He never stopped giving back in so many ways. He touched so many, and he was loved by so many."
Harris passed overnight just two days before the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. The Steelers were set to retire his number during halftime of their Christmas Eve matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. A moment Harris got to reflect on in September.
"It wasn’t something top of mind that you think about," Harris said. "You just know that the Steelers don’t retire numbers, so you don’t have any thoughts about it. When they said it to me I was blown away. It was such a ‘wow’ moment."
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