PITTSBURGH—The ball fluttered in the air and all but one of the 22 players on the Three Rivers Stadium turf on that cold December day 50 years ago essentially stopped.
Franco Harris never did.
The Pittsburgh Steelers running back kept right on going, the instincts that carried him through his life both on and off the field during his Hall of Fame career taking over, shifting the perception of a moribund franchise and a reeling region in the process.
The Steelers rarely won before his arrival in 1972. The moment his shoe-top grab known as the “Immaculate Reception” entered the lexicon, they rarely lost….