A True Winner... the man who brought it to fruition.

Fan Tribute to Franco Harris "Franco Harris is what every football player wants to be when he grows up..." Submitted by Nat LaBorde Send us your thoughts & memoirs about perhaps the greatest running back of all time.

The following articles are listed in the order they were received (with the most recent entries at the top). This isn't a "guestbook" format... I read and manually insert every message, so you may not see your submission show up immediately. Thanks a million for your comments, people! Submitted by Shawn Meier Happy 50th Birthday, Franco!!! I've been a big fan ever since I saw him play for the first time back in '72. I was just 10 years old, but he made a big impact on my life and on how I played football. I remember the glory years with the 4 Super Bowls. Being from North Dakota, I had to weather a lot of flack for being a Steelers fan in the middle of Viking/Packer country. I also remember when Jim Brown took it on himself to literally ruin all Franco had accomplished, by threatening to come out of retirement if Franco was to be the one to break his record. Jim Brown should take lessons from Franco on how to be a man. Jim should be in jail where he belongs. I also remember how down I was when the Steelers refused to sign him to a 2 year contract at the time Walter Payton was signing something like a 35 year contract. I was devastated. I watched Franco play a few games for Seattle, but it just wasn't the same. We all know Franco is a great man and I would sure like to meet him someday! Anyhow, Happy Birthday Franco!! Shawn Meier Submitted by Tom Bragg Franco was truly a blend of grace and power that in my opinion is unmatched to this day. I would never take anything away from the rest of the Steeler greats because each one played a huge part in the teams success during the seventies. However, sometimes I feel like Franco gets lost in the shuffle when compared to Bradshaw, Lambert and Swann. Harris was the guy that got the ball rolling in 1972 and started making the Pittsburgh Steelers a household word! Everyone talks about the "Immaculate Reception," but that was only one play in one game out of a whole career. Don't get me wrong, the "Immaculate Reception" was one of the all-time greatest plays. But Harris made these same types of plays over and over again during his career as a Steeler. I will never forget the day in 1983 when I turned on the TV and I heard that the Pittsburgh Steelers had just released long time running back, Franco Harris. It literally made me sick to my stomach! More give and take was needed on both sides during those negotiations, but the Steelers should have made a bigger attempt to re-sign the man that started the dynasty in Pittsburgh. One of the most awful memories that I have in my life was watching Franco Harris finish his career in a Seattle Seahawks uniform. My friend, that should never have been allowed to happen. The man should have finished his career in a Steeler uniform and he should have broken Jim Brown's career rushing record. It's a TRAVESTY that neither happened. One of the most sickening comments that ever came out of Chuck Noll's mouth was during training camp in '83 when Harris had not reported yet and when Noll was asked about his feelings on the subject, he sarcasticly replied to the media, "Franco who?" On that day I lost a lot of respect for Chuck Noll. This guy that Noll refered to as "Franco who?" damn sure made Noll look good over the eleven years Harris spent in Pittsburgh! Tom Bragg http://community.webtv.net/francoharris/TomsPittsburgh Send Us YOUR Comments!

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