Franco Harris

High school

Rancocas Valley Regional High School

College

Penn State University

Pro team(s)

Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks

Hall of Fame

⭐ Pro Football Hall of Fame

Franco Harris was born on March 7, 1950, at Fort Dix, New Jersey, the son of Cad Harris — an African American U.S. Army soldier — and Gina Parenti, an Italian war bride his father had met during the Second World War. He grew up in the Mount Holly area and attended Rancocas Valley Regional High School, where he was a standout running back before going on to Penn State under Joe Paterno. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him 13th overall in the 1972 NFL Draft, and Harris became the centerpiece of the Steelers' dynasty — a bruising, durable back who carried the ball with extraordinary vision and balance and who complemented the Steelers' legendary Steel Curtain defense. He won four Super Bowl championships with Pittsburgh (IX, X, XIII, XIV), was the Super Bowl IX MVP, and rushed for 12,120 career yards. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection. The moment that defines him is one of the most celebrated in American sports history: "The Immaculate Reception," on December 23, 1972 — with the Steelers trailing Oakland 7-6 with 22 seconds left, a deflected Terry Bradshaw pass ricocheted near the turf and Harris scooped it barely off his shoe tops and raced 42 yards for a touchdown that stands as the most miraculous play in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. He died on December 20, 2022 — two days before the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception — in Pittsburgh. Born at Fort Dix, New Jersey; raised in the Mount Holly area.