Franco Harris Franco Harris ( born March 7 , 1950 ) is a former American football player . He played his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks . In the 1972 NFL Draft he was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round , the 13th selection overall . His selection by the team was considered controversial at the time , as many thought the team would select his Penn State teammate , Lydell Mitchell . ( Mitchell was later selected by the Baltimore Colts in the draft . ) He played his first 12 years in the NFL with the Steelers ; his 13th and final year ( 1984 ) was spent with the Seattle Seahawks . He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 . He was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011 . Early life . Harris was born in Fort Dix , New Jersey . His African - American father served in World War II ; his mother was a " war bride " from Italy . Harris graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly Township , New Jersey and then attended Penn State University . While playing for Penn State ' s Nittany Lions , Harris served primarily as a blocker for the All - America n running back Lydell Mitchell , though he amassed 1 , 359 yards rushing ( 21st in PSU history ) with 14 touchdowns and averaged over 5 yards per carry , while also catching 29 passes for 358 yards and another touchdown . He led the team in scoring in 1970 . Professional career . In his first season with the Steelers ( 1972 ) , Harris was named the league ' s Rookie of the Year by both " The Sporting News " and United Press International . In that season he gained 1 , 055 yards on 188 carries , with a 5 . 6 yards per carry average . He also rushed for 10 touchdowns and caught 3 touchdown passes . He was popular with Pittsburgh ' s large Italian - American population : his fans dubbing themselves " Franco ' s Italian Army " and wore army helmets with his number on them . In his 13 professional seasons , Harris gained 12 , 120 yards on 2 , 949 carries , a 4 . 1 yards per carry average , and scored 91 rushing touchdowns . He caught 307 passes for 2 , 287 yards , a 7 . 4 yards per reception average , and 9 receiving touchdowns . Harris ' s 12 , 120 career rushing yards rank him 12th all time in the NFL , while his 91 career rushing touchdowns rank him 10th all time tied with Jerome Bettis . Harris was chosen for 9 consecutive Pro Bowl s ( from 1972 through 1980 ) , and was All - Pro in 1977 . Harris rushed for more than 1 , 000 yards in 8 seasons , breaking a record set by Jim Brown . The tandem running package of Harris and Rocky Bleier combined with a strong defense to win four Super Bowl s in the 1974 , 1975 , 1978 , and 1979 seasons . In 1975 he was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl IX ; in that game he rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries for a 16 - 6 win over the Minnesota Vikings . Harris was the first African American as well as the first Italian - American to be named Super Bowl MVP . Harris was a major contributor for the Steelers in all of their first four Super Bowl wins . His Super Bowl career totals of 101 carries for 354 yards are records and his 4 career rushing touchdowns are tied for the second most in Super Bowl history . Critics , including Jim Brown , have complained about Harris ' tendency to run out of bounds instead of taking on tacklers for extra yards . Harris responds that he extended his career and thus his contribution to the team ' s objectives ( including four Super Bowl victories to Brown ' s single pre - Super Bowl NFL Championship ) by avoiding unnecessary contact . Critics have highlighted Harris ' running back record of 90 total career fumbles – often leaving out the fact that his career spanned many seasons and he had 3 , 256 touches , giving him a fumble percentage of only 2 . 7 % , which is not considered high by NFL standards . Following the 1983 season , Harris and Walter Payton were both closing in on Jim Brown ' s NFL rushing record , and Harris had asked the Rooney family for a pay raise . The Rooney family refused , believing that Harris was on the downside of his career , and Harris threatened to hold out . The Steelers released Harris in training camp in 1984 , which would start similar patterns years later with Rod Woodson and Alan Faneca both asking similar demands before leaving in free agency . ( Free agency , as it is seen today in the NFL , was not in existence at the time of Harris ' s release . ) Harris would sign with the Seattle Seahawks during the 1984 season and would play eight games with the team , earning only 170 yards before retiring ( 192 yards short of Jim Brown ' s record ) . Harris and the Rooneys reconciled after Harris retired ; in 2006 , during pre - game ceremonies for Super Bowl XL ( the Steelers ' second SB appearance - and first championship - since his retirement ) honoring the MVPs of the previous 39 games , Harris waved a Terrible Towel while being introduced , much to the delight of the overwhelmingly pro - Steeler crowd . While the Steelers no longer officially retire uniform numbers , they have not reissued his number 32 since he left the team , and it is generally understood that no Steelers player will ever wear that number again . Harris was a key player in one of professional football ' s most famous plays , dubbed " The Immaculate Reception " by Pittsburgh sportscaster Myron Cope . In a 1972 playoff game , the Oakland Raiders were leading the Steelers 7 - 6 with 22 seconds to play when a Terry Bradshaw pass was deflected away from intended receiver John " Frenchy " Fuqua right as defender Jack Tatum arrived to tackle Fuqua . Harris snatched the ball just before it hit the ground and ran it in to win the game . The Raiders challenged the touchdown , claiming that Fuqua had handled the ball before Harris , which would invalidate the score because at that time it was against the rules for two offensive receivers to touch the ball . The Steelers maintained that the ball had touched Tatum instead . According to a recounting by the Pro Football Hall of Fame , the film of the play is inconclusive . Raiders linebacker Phil Villapiano attempted to criticize Harris ' achievement by stating that he was only in position to catch the ball because he was lazy , but replays show that Harris headed downfield when the Raiders forced Bradshaw out of the pocket , and can be clearly seen running before catching the deflected ball . In 1999 , he was ranked number 83 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players . In 2006 , The Heinz History Center , home of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum , installed a life - size figure of Harris in the grand concourse of Pittsburgh International Airport . The statue is a recreation of Harris ' " Immaculate Reception . " Post - football . Harris and Lydell Mitchell , successful college teammates at Penn State , now own Super Bakery , a company founded in 1990 to produce nutrition - oriented foods for schoolchildren . The business was renamed to RSuper Foods in 2006 . RSuper foods produces the Super Donut that has been served to students at public schools in the eastern United States . Harris and Mitchell also partnered in 1996 to rescue the Parks Sausage Company in Baltimore , the first African - American owned business to go public in the U . S . Harris is also a paid representative for the Harrah ' s / Forest City Enterprises casino plan for downtown Pittsburgh . This association has earned him the tongue - in - cheek nickname , " Franco Harrahs " . On July 9 , 2006 , Harris made an appearance in the 2006 Taco Bell " All - Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game " at PNC Park in Pittsburgh . In August 2008 , Harris attended the 2008 Democratic National Convention , in Denver , Colorado , as part of the Pennsylvania delegation . Harris voted for Obama on December 15 , 2008 , as one of Pennsylvania ' s 21 Democratic presidential electors . In January 2011 , Harris became co - owner of the Pittsburgh Passion ; the world ' s # 1 female football team . In John Grisham ' s 2008 novel " Playing For Pizza " , the fullback of the Parma Panthers is nicknamed Franco as a tribute to his hero , Franco Harris , who he refers to as the " greatest Italian football player " . This is a reference to Franco ' s mixed racial heritage . Harris briefly worked with The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in 2011 , before the casino suspended the relationship after Harris ' comments in support of Joe Paterno , his coach while at Penn State , during the Penn State sex abuse scandal . Personal . Harris ' brother Pete Harris , a collegiate All - America n football player , died on August 15 , 2006 , of a heart attack at the age of 49 . On July 27 , 2009 Harris ' son , Franco " Dok " Harris , officially announced his candidacy for Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh . He placed second in the general election on November 3 of that year , capturing over 25 % of the vote . Franco has served as part of the advisory board at Penn State ' s Center for Food Innovation , and was recently named a Conti Professor by Penn State ' s School of Hospitality Management . Harris is involved and provides funding to Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship , a group aimed at ousting the members of Penn State ' s board that fired football coach Joe Paterno .