A statue at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) celebrating a much-loved local football hero became an impromptu public memorial to his life and career Wednesday.
The airport, operated by the Allegheny County Airport Authority, is home to a sculpture of Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris; it depicts him making the “Immaculate Reception” play in 1972 that has been deemed the greatest in NFL history.
The Franco Harris statue at Pittsburgh International Airport. PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Harris passed away suddenly Tuesday night. His death came just days before he, the city of Pittsburgh and football fans everywhere were getting ready to mark the 50th anniversary of the famous play.
Since the statue’s installation in 2005, arriving passengers have stopped to take photos next to the sculpture. On Wednesday however, passengers began leaving flowers, Pittsburgh Steelers caps, yellow “terrible towels” and other items in memory of Harris by the statue.
To make it easier for people to pay their respects, PIT airport staff moved the statue from its post-security spot by the train on Level 1. It’s now in a more accessible post-security spot in front of the airport’s holiday tree in the airport’s center core. There is a condolence book on a table nearby, and the airport plans to pass the book and messages from fans along to Harris’ family.
Franco Harris statue. PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
We are shocked and saddened at the passing of Steelers legend Franco Harris. For all of his amazing accomplishments on the field, we appreciated even more the kindness and humility he displayed off of it. We hope his family finds peace and comfort in the coming days and weeks. pic.twitter.com/4WVrYwpWXp
— Pittsburgh International Airport (@PITairport) December 21, 2022
The Immaculate Reception was a deflected pass that Harris scooped up and ran with for a touchdown on Dec. 23, 1972. It gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a surprise playoff victory over the Oakland Raiders. Before Harris died, PIT and the NFL had been celebrating the upcoming 50th anniversary of the play with a “#Francoing” social media campaign that asked people to post pictures of themselves posing like Franco.
Harris himself had an interview with the folks at PIT to mark the anniversary and promote the campaign.
On Saturday, the Steelers are scheduled to play the (now Las Vegas) Raiders at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The plan was to celebrate the anniversary of Harris’ Immaculate Reception play and retire Harris’ jersey number, 32, during a halftime ceremony. That celebration is still on the agenda, but it will now include a special memorial ceremony to honor Franco Harris.
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For those who want to see the Immaculate Reception, here is an NFL video of the play.
