Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
A P R I L 2 0 2 4 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M placing another Penn State great. Curt Warner, one of the stars of PSU's 1982 national championship team, had led the AFC in rushing his rookie year, to- taling 1,449 yards and earning a starting nod in the Pro Bowl. The Seahawks had Super Bowl ambi- tions after reaching the AFC champi- onship game in 1983, but when Warner suffered a torn ACL in the '84 season opener against Cleveland, those hopes faded. The team needed immediate help as it sought to replenish its backfield. Who better to sign than a guy with four Super Bowl rings? The day after Warner's injury was diagnosed as season-ending, the team inked Harris to a contract reportedly worth $300,000. At his introduction to the Seattle media, he embraced the lofty expectations, telling reporters, "Our goal here is the Super Bowl." 'It Just Wasn't For Me' In his first game with Seattle, Harris rushed 14 times for 46 yards and helped lead the Seahawks to a 31-17 come- back win over the San Diego Chargers. Three weeks later, he had 52 yards and a touchdown on just 9 carries in a 20-12 victory at Minnesota. But otherwise, Harris' tenure in Seattle was uneventful. After the win against the Vikings, he totaled just 36 yards in the team's next four games. With the passing attack having developed into a strength, Harris saw his role diminish as the season went on. He played his final NFL game on Oct. 29, rushing 3 times for 3 yards in a 24-0 victory over the Chargers. Harris was released on Oct. 31. He played only eight games with the Se- ahawks, rushing for 170 yards on 68 carries. As happy as he had been for an opportunity to continue his career in the Pacific Northwest, his heart was still in Pittsburgh. "I wasn't ready to play for another team," he told the Associated Press in 2006. "I really couldn't envision myself in another uniform. Even though I felt good physically and thought I was in really good shape, I just wasn't ready mentally, and mentally is what it's all about. … Seattle, they were great people, great teammates, and I liked the town. The town was good to me. It just wasn't for me." As for breaking the league's all-time rushing record, that wasn't meant to be, either. Harris fell 192 yards short of Brown. By the time he retired, he was in third place in league history, having been passed by Chicago's Walter Payton during a game between the Bears and Seahawks on Sept. 23. Harris had wanted the record, of course, but something didn't feel right about resuming his pursuit in colors other than black and gold. "I just couldn't see myself doing it in a Seahawks uniform," he told the AP. "Even though I tried to, I just couldn't do it." Mr. Pittsburgh Long before Harris headed to Seat- tle, his NFL legacy was secure. During his time in Pittsburgh, he was a nine- time Pro Bowler, four-time Super Bowl champion and MVP of Super Bowl IX, in which he rushed for 158 yards against Minnesota to bring the Steelers the first of their six Lombardi trophies. Harris finished his career with 12,120 rushing yards, a total that now ranks 15th in league history. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990, the first year in which he was eligible. When he died on Dec. 20, 2022, at age 72, he was eulogized as the embodiment of the Steelers' rise to greatness. Fel- low Hall of Famer Joe Greene called him "Mr. Pittsburgh." Prior to the NFL Draft in 1972, Harris had said, "Wherever I go play, I want to live in that city and get involved in that city, become that city." Today's NFL is a very different league than the one Harris entered more than half a century ago. With the average ca- reer lasting just 3.3 years, players don't have much of a chance to put down roots, and even those who do enjoy lengthy pro tenures often end up shut- tling from city to city via free agency. Barkley is one such player. He once said he wanted to be a "Giant for life," but now he's off to pursue his ambitions while playing for one of the Giants' big- gest rivals. His move to Philadelphia goes to show that nothing is forever in today's NFL. But as Franco Harris' 56 days in Seattle attest, nothing was for- ever in yesterday's NFL, either. ■ Harris won four Super Bowl rings during his tenure in Pittsburgh. He was named MVP of Super Bowl IX after rushing for 158 yards in the Steelers' 16-6 victory over Minnesota. PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH STEELERS