Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490816
6 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M He never raised his voice. He was one of the nicest people you could ever run into. I never met anybody like him in that regard." A Fateful Decision Harris' NFL success story is unusual in that he was more pro- ductive as a pro than as a collegian. At Penn State, the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder was primarily a blocking back charged with open- ing up holes for Charlie Pittman and later Lydell Mitchell. A dynamic runner, Mitchell contended for the Heisman Trophy in 1971, finishing fifth in the balloting as a senior. Harris rushed for 2,002 yards in his three varsity seasons from 1969-71. That relatively modest total was mostly because Mitchell was the team's primary ball carrier, but also because Harris had a tendency to run afoul of Paterno. "He didn't practice well," Prato said. "Joe believed the way you practiced was the way you played." Whatever misgivings Paterno might have had, Harris was part of three Penn State teams that went 29-4 in his varsity career, and he helped Mitchell rush for 2,934 yards and 38 touchdowns. Harris ended up being drafted 35 picks ahead of Mitchell, who went to the Indianapolis Colts late in the second round. It was a fateful turn of events that landed Harris with the up-and-coming Steelers, but his NFL career could easily have been very different. Steelers head coach Chuck Noll wasn't sold on Harris head- ing into the 1972 draft, in which Pittsburgh held the 13th overall pick. As recounted in author Michael MacCambridge's biog- raphy, "His Life's Work," Noll wanted Robert Newhouse of the University of Houston. Team owner Art Rooney and his son Art Rooney Jr. had been pushing for Harris, and the disagreement continued up until the start of the draft. With their first-round pick approaching and no time left to dither, Noll relented. "Let's go with the Penn Stater," he said. Looming Large Harris ranks 19th in career rushing yardage at Penn State, but he occupies an outsized place in Nittany Lion football lore. That's partly because of his NFL success, of course; he's one of six former Nittany Lions in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, hav- ing been enshrined two years after his former college and pro teammate Jack Ham. But if he looms large in Penn State history, it's also because he continued to stay involved with his alma mater long after he left. "Every time I had a chance to be around him, I was just so impressed with him and his wife," coach James Franklin said. "Obviously, he was very involved with a lot of different causes throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Just an amazing, amazing human being." Occasionally, Harris' roles as an ambassador for both Penn State and the Steelers intersected. When Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth was chosen by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2021 draft, it was Harris who announced his selection. The two former Nittany Lions got to know each other in the months that followed, with Franco and Dana inviting the young tight end over for dinner. "He's a big figure everywhere in the state of Pennsylvania," Freiermuth said. "His picture is in the [Lasch] Building at Penn State. Every Penn Stater knows Franco Harris, and he claimed Penn State as his roots." The Nittany Lions paid homage to Harris before the Rose Bowl. When the team buses pulled up to the stadium ahead of their game against Utah, players and coaches all were wearing PSU road jerseys bearing No. 34, Harris' number in college. Around that same time that Penn State was getting ready to face the Utes, an email reply showed up in Prato's inbox. It was from Dana Harris and it read simply, "Thanks, Lou." The condolences that Prato offered in December were echoed by an entire city and by a Penn State community that regarded the Fort Dix, N.J., native as one of its favorite sons. "Franco was a true steward of the blue and white," Franklin said. "He will be sorely missed." ■ James Franklin and his players all donned No. 34 jerseys prior to the Rose Bowl in honor of Harris. The Lions also wore helmet stickers bearing the letters "FH." PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS