Dec 23, 2022 5 min read

Some former professional athletes fade into anonymity, content to no longer be in the public eye. Others crave the spotlight, missing the attention they received during their playing days.

Still others use their fame for the betterment of all.

Franco Harris, who died Wednesday morning at the age of 72, was part of the latter crowd.

Harris didn’t necessarily crave the attention he received for orchestrating the greatest play in NFL history, winning four Super Bowls or earning a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But Harris was unique in that he often used his fame for good. He cared about Pittsburgh, loved the community and relished his role as a mentor to younger players.

In that respect, he’s not all that much unlike many other former Steelers players.

The difference for Harris is that play. While Joe Greene is Joe Greene and Mel Blount is Mel Blount – you get the idea – Franco Harris was forever tied to the greatest play in NFL history.

There likely wasn’t a day that went by in his life where he wasn’t asked questions about the Immaculate Reception. And Harris always treated those questions with the utmost respect, with a smile on his face.

In many ways, being Franco Harris was like being a rock star. Except the rock stars can pick and choose when they want to sing their greatest hits. Harris had to talk about his greatest hit every day of his life.

“I just admire and loved the man,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of Harris. “There was so much to be learned from him in terms of how he conducted himself, how he embraced the responsibilities of being Franco. For Steelers Nation, this community, the Penn State followers, he just embraced it all and did it with grace and class and patience and time for people.”

The responsibilities of being Franco were great. But you never heard anyone talk about a bad experience meeting him.

That’s just who he was. That he didn’t live long enough to see the Steelers retire his No. 32 at halftime of their game Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders or make it to the 50th anniversary celebration of the Immaculate Reception is a great tragedy.

But Harris didn’t need to relive the Immaculate Reception again. He had done so every day of his life.

And he had done so with grace, class and patience.

This week’s games

Raiders (plus 3) at Steelers: In a vacuum, this is a tough game for the Steelers. The Raiders have the league’s leading rusher, a top wide receiver and just got Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller back. The defense isn’t good, but the Raiders can score, while that’s something with which the Steelers have struggled. But the Steelers aren’t losing on the 50th anniversary celebration of the Immaculate Reception, certainly not with the passing of Harris this week. Take the Steelers, 24-20

Bengals (minus 3) at Patriots: New England’s offense is limping toward the finish line – not nearly fast enough for quarterback Mac Jones. Who didn’t know – outside of Bill Belichick – that having defensive-minded Matt Patrcia call offensive plays wasn’t going to work? The Bengals are a little banged up on defense, but they should win against New England’s popgun offense. Take the Bengals, 23-17.

Saints (plus 2½) at Browns: The Browns have scored 23 points in Deshaun Watson’s first two starts. They scored 50 points in the two games prior to that with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. But this will be a dome team playing outside in frigid weather. In those instances, you always go with the team that should be better prepared to handle the conditions. That’s Cleveland. Take the Browns, 16-13.

Falcons (plus 7½) at Ravens: The Falcons went to rookie Desmond Ridder coming out of their bye last week and he failed to throw for 100 yards. Meanwhile, the Ravens have produced 230 passing yards in their past two games without Lamar Jackson. Both teams want to run the ball. This game should be over in well under three hours. But don’t expect a lot of points. Take the Falcons to cover in an 18-13 loss.

Packers (plus 4) at Dolphins: The Dolphins have lost three in a row, but all three came on the road. They should get back on track this week at home on Christmas Day against the Packers, who have won their past two. But those wins came over the Bears and Rams. Miami’s offense should be too hot to handle. Take the Dolphins, 27-20.

Last week: 3-2 ATS; 4-1 straight up.

Overall: 36-35-4 ATS; 49-26 straight up.