His son, Franco “Dok” Harris, confirmed his death to The Associated Press. No cause of death was given.
Harris’s death comes days before
the 50th anniversary of the “Immaculate Reception,” which Mike Tomlin, the current Steelers coach,
said this week was “the most significant play in the history of the game.” The Steelers
planned to retire Harris’s jersey number, 32, during a halftime ceremony at their game on Saturday.
The 6-foot-2 running back won four Super Bowls with the Steelers as they established themselves as the N.F.L.’s dominant team of the 1970s, and he was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first nine seasons. But it was a single, heads-up play that more than anything defined his career.
On Dec. 23, 1972, the Steelers were trailing, 7-6, in a divisional round playoff game against the Oakland Raiders. With less than 30 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, the Steelers quarterback, Terry Bradshaw, lofted a desperation pass to John “Frenchy” Fuqua, only to see the ball deflect toward the ground. But Harris scooped the ball out of the air just inches from the turf and ran for the game-winning touchdown, a miraculous finish that has been replayed thousands of times since.
