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Hours Before Death, NFL Legend Franco Harris’ “Lonely” Restaurant Story Swept His Fans

Published 12/23/2022, 2:58 PM EST

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The American Sports fraternity was shocked to hear about the untimely demise of the football Legend Franco Harris on Tuesday. He was 72 and departed from this world in sleep. Just a few hours before his death, the veteran attended several interviews, including the last one from Cam Heyward where they discussed the “Immaculate Reception” and their silent celebrations after the victory.

The Pittsburgh legend Franco Harris helped the franchise win four Super Bowl titles, but he is mostly known for one iconic moment that happened in December of 1972. Fifty years have passed, but the “immaculate reception” remains a bone-chilling moment for NFL fans Worldwide.

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The Steelers tour of 1972 had much significance, especially for the franchise that found themselves in the playoffs after eight straight losing seasons. Moreover, they had never won a playoff game and were desperately waiting for touchdowns in such crucial games.

That’s when Harris bulldozed with an unrealistic reception, progressing toward the end zone, and bang! The first ever playoff touchdown for the Steelers in the most iconic way possible. Only five seconds were left on the clock, and Harris nailed the game-winning drive.

Although the play continues to remain an unsolved controversy, the timing at which Harris collected the ball and scored a six made the fans remember it for a longer time.

Recently, the NFL world has been busy preparing for the 50th anniversary to commemorate this play. To spice it up, Harris sat with the Steelers’ defensive tackle Cam Heyward for a fun session recalling those days of glory.

When asked about the reception, Harris claimed that he remembers nothing of it. “50 years. C’mon, that’s a long time, but I’m still around to enjoy it, so that’s good,” 72-year-old Harris said with a big smile, per TMZ.

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Moreover, he also remembered the celebrations they had following the game, spending some time alone with the Raiders team in a restaurant. Just two days were left for all these memories to hit the banners again; however, fate had something else planned.

The Celebrity world mourns the loss of Franco Harris

Harris happened to be the living legend of American Football since the league was incorporated as a fully-fledged tournament. As a result, the relationships he fostered during this tenure included former President Barack Obama and the current US President Joe Biden. They couldn’t get off the grief that transpired through this news.

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As they say, legends never die. Similarly, Harris shall forever remain the true ambassador of the game, and his legacy will be cherished, through the generations to come. May the noble soul rest in peace.

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Written by:

Deepesh Nair

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Deepesh Nair is an NFL author at EssentiallySports. Having started his career in journalism as a trending news writer, he has published around 500 articles for various media portals. Although Deepesh comes from a Computer Science background, his fondness for writing has persuaded him to create his career in it.
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Edited by:

Hitesh Nigam