Franco Harris
| Franco Harris | |
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Position (s): running back |
Jersey numbers: 32, 34 |
| born on March 17, 1950 in Fort Dix , New Jersey | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1972 - 1984 | |
| NFL Draft : 1972 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13 | |
| College : Penn State | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Rushing yards | 12,120 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 91 |
| Games | 173 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Franco Doc Harris (* 7. March 1950 in Fort Dix , New Jersey ) is a former American American football poker players in the position of running backs . He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League (NFL).
Before the NFL
Harris' father, Chad, fought in World War II . During the war he met his future wife in Italy and took her to the USA. After graduating from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, he attended Penn State University and played college football for Penn State Nittany Lions . During this time he was mostly used as a blocker for the All-American running back Lydell Mitchell .
NFL
Pittsburgh Steelers
Harris was in 1972 when NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted in 13th place in the first round. He was able to establish himself as an important player very quickly. In his rookie season, he managed to gain more than 1000 yards of space by running plays . At the time, he was only the fourth rookie to do this. The Steelers reached the play-offs this season . In the second round of the play-offs, Harris was involved in one of the most legendary moves in NFL history, the Immaculate Reception (German: immaculate acceptance ). This is in English, a pun on the term of the Immaculate Conception (English: Immaculate Conception ).
During his second season, 1973, his productivity dropped somewhat and he was only able to run 698 yards of space and three touchdowns . In the 1974 season , the Steelers managed to reach the Super Bowl . Harris ran 1006 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season . During the Super Bowl against the Minnesota Vikings , Harris managed to run for 158 yards and score a touchdown. In contrast, the Vikings only scored 17 yards from running plays throughout the game. Because of his outstanding performance, he was elected Super Bowl MVP . With the victory in Super Bowl IX , the Steelers managed to win the NFL league title for the first time in their club history.
The following year, the 1975 season , Harris' statistics improved. He was able to reach his career record in terms of space gain by running plays and he scored 1246 yards and ten touchdowns. The Steelers managed to reach the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. Again, the team managed to leave the place as the winner and win Super Bowl X against Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys .
The Steelers also managed to reach the play-offs in the next two seasons, 1976 and 1977 . However, both times they were unable to advance to the Super Bowl. Harris reached his career high in 1976 for touchdowns achieved by running plays with 14, 1977 he reached 11. It ran at 1,128 (1976) and 1,162 (1977) yards. Following the 1978 season , Harris gained 1,082 yards of space and eight touchdowns in the regular season, with the Steelers returning to the Super Bowl. As with his two previous Super Bowl appearances, Harris and his team won the game, Super Bowl XIII . Again, the cowboys were beaten with trainer Tom Landry. Harris managed to score a touchdown with a run in the fourth quarter.
The next season, 1979 , Harris won 1,186 yards of space and eleven touchdowns. He made it to a Super Bowl for the fourth and final time. This Super Bowl, Super Bowl XIV , could also be won by the Steelers. This time the Los Angeles Rams were beaten, with Harris scoring two run touchdowns.
In total, Franco Harris played in four Super Bowls, all for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He won all four games and achieved 354 yards of space (3.5 yards per run) and four touchdowns in 101 runs. There are also five receptions (German passport acceptance ) for 114 yards.
In the 1980 and 1981 seasons , the Steelers failed to reach the play-offs and Harris ran less than 1000 yards of space gain, 789 yards (1980) and 987 yards (1981), respectively. 1982 was a shortened season due to a players' strike and the Steelers reached the play-offs but not the Super Bowl. In 1983 Harris reached the play-offs for the last time and was able to exceed the 1000 yard mark once again in his last full season (1007), a fifth Super Bowl participation was denied him. Harris played a total of 19 play-off and Super Bowl games, he ran 1556 yards and 17 touchdowns.
After the 1983 season, Harris was very close to hitting the NFL record for most yards scored by running plays, which was then held by Jim Brown at 12,312 yards. Harris then asked the Steelers' management for a raise. He was denied this - on the grounds that Harris had passed his career high point. In response, he threatened a strike and was fired.
Seattle Seahawks
Upon his release, Harris signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks . It turned out that the Steelers' management had made the right decision with the dismissal, as Harris only gained 170 yards of space and no touchdown in eight games in his only season with the Seahawks. Just 192 yards from Brown's NFL record, Harris ended his career following the 1984 season after 13 years in the NFL with 12,120 yards of space, 91 touchdowns, 2,287 receiving yards, 9 receiving touchdowns and 100 total touchdowns.
Off the football field
Franco Harris and his college teammate Lydell Mitchell were involved in a few deals together after Harris' career. The two run the company RSuper Foods, formerly Super Bakery, which produces nutrition-conscious school meals. They also helped save the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore.
Harris is a Democratic Party supporter and was one of the 21 Pennsylvania state electorate to elect Barack Obama in the 2008 US presidential election .
In addition, Franco is the nickname of a character in John Grisham's novel Touchdown , which is set in Italy, in memory of Harris partly of Italian origin.
Franco Harris was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Web links
- Franco Harris in nndb (English)
- Harris in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Franco Harris in the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame
Individual evidence
- ^ Black And Gold Soul With Italian Legs
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HarrFr00/super-bowl/
- ↑ http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/economics/images/bakery1.pdf
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harris, Franco |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Harris, Franco Dok (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 17, 1950 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fort Dix , New Jersey |