RICHMOND, Va. -- There’s not a lot of value that a schmuck such as myself can say about an icon like Franco Harris, outside of what I place in those yellow caption boxes. But since this is just the sort of occasion that inspires reflection and reminiscence, here’s mine.
I was born in late 1971, so of course, the Immaculate Reception was already the stuff of legend by the time I became aware of it just a few years later. As far as I could tell with my young eyes, NFL football was the Pittsburgh Steelers first and foremost, and then everyone else. And Franco was THE GUY. He was the first football player whose name I knew, and the player every kid pretended to be while playing in the backyards of my neighborhood.
The audible gasp I let out when I read the alert on my phone informing me of Mr. Harris’ passing on Wednesday morning was so loud that it startled my wife. Such inexplicable timing, too.
It’s difficult to fathom a world without him.
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ROB ULLMAN / DKPS
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