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Franco Harris, Steeler who caught Immaculate Reception, dies

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris gives the thumbs up sign as he runs off the field into the locker room following Pittsburgh's 27-3 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Dec. 16, 1974. Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored “The Immaculate Reception,” considered the most iconic play in NFL history, died Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. He was 72. (AP Photo/GRG, File) FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris twirls a Terrible Towel during a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of his "Immaculate Reception" catch in the 1972 playoff game against the Oakland Raiders, during the halftime of an NFL football game between the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored “The Immaculate Reception,” considered the most iconic play in NFL history, died Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. He was 72. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) FILE - NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris waves a terrible towel mask during the second round of the NFL football draft Friday, April 30, 2021, in Cleveland. Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored “The Immaculate Reception,” considered the most iconic play in NFL history, died Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. He was 72. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File) FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris (32) picks up 10 yards as he turns the corner as Houston Oilers' Robert Brazile (52) tries to make a dive to latch on to Harris to make the stop, during an NFL football game in Houston on Dec. 3, 1978. Harris died on Wednesday morning, Dec. 21, 2022, at age 72, just two days before the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception. (AP Photo/Ed Kolenovsky, File) FILE - Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., from left, accompanied by former Pittsburgh Steelers NFL football players Jerome Bettis and Franco Harris, holds up a towel as they leave the Soldiers and Sailors Museum and Memorial in Pittsburgh, Pa., on March 28, 2008. Harris died on Wednesday morning, Dec. 21, 2022, at age 72, just two days before the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) FILE - Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steeler Franco Harris announces a draft pick during the second round of the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 29, 2011, in New York. Harris died on Wednesday morning, Dec. 21, 2022, at age 72, just two days before the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, File) FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers' Franco Harris (32) eludes a tackle by Oakland Raiders' Jimmy Warren as he runs 42-yards for a touchdown after catching a deflected pass during an AFC Divisional NFL football playoff game in Pittsburgh on Dec. 23, 1972. Harris died on Wednesday morning, Dec. 21, 2022, at age 72, just two days before the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck, File)
Franco Harris, Steeler who caught Immaculate Reception, dies