December 22, 2022

RIP Franco Harris: An icon and hero of my adolescence.

Heading into the 1972 Draft, Franco was seen as a workhorse and his Penn State backfield mate Lydell Mitchell was seen as the skill stud.

It was stunning when the Steelers drafted Franco well ahead of Mitchell, but they knew what they were doing.

Lydell did OK for the Colts, but Franco ascended to the pantheon of immortals.

He was a major tone setter for the great 1970's Steeler rosters, which caused great pain to Cowboys fans and others.

I was somewhat ambivalent about the team until they handled the Fran Tarkenton Vikings in the Super Bowl. Then I got on board. Anyone who took care of Tark was deserving of a thumbs up in my book.

With several teammates and coaches already deceased, I'm glad that Terry Bradshaw is still around and able to clearly articulate his thoughts and feelings in great detail as people reminisce about Franco and those Pittsburgh teams.

posted by beaverboard to football at 11:41 AM - 2 comments