One of NFL’s most iconic figures, Franco Harris, has died at the age of 72 it has been confirmed.
The tragic news comes just days before the Pittsburgh Steelers were set to retire Harris’s famous no. 32 jersey in honor of the legendary running back.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said:
“I was in Section 135 that day. I was eight months old. I think it’s funny. Surprisingly, I’ve probably met 75,000 people that were there that day,” Tomlin said. “It’s just one of those beautiful things in the history of our game. It’s humbling to be in close proximity to it, to work for this organization, to understand its impact on this organization, the career it spawned in Franco [Harris], a gold-jacket career, what it did for them that season in terms of changing the trajectory of that season, what it’s done for this franchise …”
“There are many things that make it the play that it is and the most significant play in the history of our game. It’s just an honor to be in proximity to it. To know the man involved, to call Pittsburgh home, and so it’s awesome to be a part of and to witness. But at the same time, we understand that we’ve got business, we’ve got present-day business and the best way we can honor him and that is by performing. We’re going to work extremely hard to prepare ourselves leading up to it.”
The cause of death has not yet been revealed.
