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While the airport's iconic Franco Harris statue may be temporarily displaced, visitors can still visit the tribute to the Steelers player inside the landside terminal under the ticketing center. Pit Terminal Update March 2023 01 Garret Roberts / USA TODAY NETWORK

Pittsburgh Airport Relocates Iconic Steelers' Franco Harris Statue

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Nov 17, 2025 6:30 PM ET

As the Pittsburgh International Airport gets set to open its new terminal, the statue of a Pittsburgh Steelers legend has officially been relocated and will be accessible to anyone walking through.

On X, the airport's official account revealed that Hall of Famer Franco Harris' was just moved to the new terminal and will be in place to greet passengers on opening day, which will be November 18.

FRANCO IS ON THE MOVE! He was relocated to our new terminal last night, so you’ll be able to say hi and take all the selfies with our main guy on opening day this Tuesday!

It wouldn’t be PIT without him greeting passengers pic.twitter.com/DMjkwcWQ7y
— Pittsburgh International Airport (@PITairport) November 15, 2025

History of Harris' Statue

Harris' statue, which depicts him making one of the most famous plays in NFL history with the Immaculate Reception, has been at the Pittsburgh International Airport for just about two decades at this point.

From the moment the statue had been introduced until 2023, it had only been accessible to individuals who had tickets, as it resided in the Airside Terminal.

The statue was later placed in the Landside Terminal behind the information desk and close to the TSA checkpoint in early 2023. Harris' statue was right next to ones of journalist Nellie Bly and the first President of the United States in George Washington.

While speaking with The Athletic's Mike DeFabo for a feature about his statue in 2022, Harris said he was initially caught a bit off-guard by the idea of his statue going in the airport before discussing the importance of the Immaculate Reception and what it means to fans of the Steelers.

“I was quite surprised,” Harris said. “They approached me, and no way was I thinking something like that. But to capture the moment that happens to be a special moment in Pittsburgh history for our sports teams, what it means to fans and to greet people coming into the city, I think that’s special.”

Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images

Harris' Legendary Steelers Career

After playing collegiately at Penn State, the Steelers selected Harris in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft at No. 13 overall.

He'd go on to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year while snagging the Immaculate Reception that same year, which led to a playoff win over the Oakland Raiders.

Harris remained with the Steelers through the 1983 campaign while racking up quite the list of accolades. He won four Super Bowls with the franchise while being named the MVP of IX against the Minnesota Vikings in addition to making nine Pro Bowls and being named a first-team All-Pro in 1977.

He played in a total of 165 games for Pittsburgh, rushing for 11,950 yards and 91 touchdowns to go with 2,284 receiving yards over that span. Harris retired after spending the 1984 season as a member of the Seattle Seahawks and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 1990.

Harris passed away at the age of 72 on December 20, 2022, and tributes for the Steelers legend poured in from all corners of the football world as well as from fans.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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