Steelers/NFL category, Page 202
Editorial: Franco Harris and how to play the game
Sports heroes don’t have much say in where they end up playing. It comes down to things like what team is highest in the draft and what positions that coach has to fill. By the same token, the cities that play host to those teams don’t have a say in...
T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick to represent Steelers at Pro Bowl Games
A pair of Pittsburgh Steelers were selected for February’s Pro Bowl Games, which will feature a new format. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick were named when the rosters were revealed Wednesday. The voting system featured equal input from fans, players and coaches. Fitzpatrick, the top vote-getter...
Numerous current Steelers players formed special bond with Franco Harris
It quickly became clear after practice Wednesday that Franco Harris had made impressions on players up and down the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. From stalls in all corners of the locker room, players talked not about this week’s opponent but of the interactions they had with Harris, the Hall of Fame...
Pair of Immaculate Reception anniversary events canceled in wake of Franco Harris’ death
The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum has canceled its public event Thursday honoring Pittsburgh Steelers great Franco Harris following his death Wednesday. The program, entitled “Franco Harris and the Immaculate Reception: 50 Years Later” was set to take place at 6:30 p.m. The sports museum said ticket holders will receive further...
Kenny Pickett returns to full practice, but Terrell Edmunds sits out for Steelers
Three days after missing a start because of injury for the first time in his NFL career, Kenny Pickett on Wednesday was back as a full practice participant for the Pittsburgh Steelers. As coach Mike Tomlin had alluded to during his weekly news conference Tuesday, Pickett was cleared from NFL...
Fans flock to Immaculate Reception marker, airport to remember Franco HarrisVideo
Lifelong Steelers fan Don Kinnamon, 65, came all the way from Santa Cruz, Calif., with plans to attend ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception on Friday afternoon. Then, he planned to witness the retirement of Franco Harris’ No. 32 at the Steelers-Raiders game Saturday at Acrisure Stadium....
Joe Greene: Death of Steelers teammate Franco Harris is like ‘having a nightmare’
Joe Greene dreamed of welcoming his good friend Saturday into the small fraternity of Pittsburgh Steelers players who have had their numbers retired by the franchise. Then, Greene was awakened Wednesday morning to the news that Pro Football Hall of Fame contemporary Franco Harris had died in his sleep. Harris,...
Steelers’ Franco Harris timeline: From Rookie of the Year to the Hall of Fame
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris embodied the Steelers teams of the 1970s. His career and the team’s success were intertwined for many years. Here are some highlights from his illustrious career. Feb. 1, 1972 The Steelers selected fullback Franco Harris in the first round, 13th overall, after...
Charges dropped against ex-NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — No charges will be filed against former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown following an apparent domestic incident at a Tampa, Fla., home in late November, prosecutors said Wednesday. Investigators completed a review of all available evidence and decided to drop the misdemeanor battery charges, the Hillsborough...
Dick Hoak recalls Franco Harris’ early days with the Steelers
Dick Hoak’s phone doesn’t often ring early in the morning. So, when Hoak heard the phone Wednesday morning, and it was his son on the other end, his first thought was “What the heck? What’s going on?” The news wasn’t good. Franco Harris had died. What hurt Hoak most about...
Terry Bradshaw in ‘state of shock’ over Franco Harris’ death
Terry Bradshaw said he was in a “state of shock” Wednesday morning after hearing that his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate and partner on the Immaculate Reception, Franco Harris, had passed away. “I’ve talked about it so much this morning, it’s kind of like therapy,” Bradshaw said in a phone interview...
Steelers players, fans remember Franco Harris
Pittsburgh Steelers great Franco Harris has died, just days before the Steelers’ 50th anniversary celebration of the Immaculate Reception. Harris was 72. Steelers players, current and former, as well as people from all walks of life — fans, mayors, celebrities — turned to social media to share their condolences, memories...
Pitt basketball alum Curtis Aiken recalls friendship with Franco Harris, how he’d want to be remembered
Pitt basketball alum Curtis Aiken was supposed to see his friend Franco Harris on Thursday — a day in advance of celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Steelers legend’s “Immaculate Reception.” On Tuesday, Aiken was on the phone with Harris’ wife, Dana Dokmanovich. Aiken could hear the NFL...
Photos: Steelers great Franco Harris through the years
Pittsburgh Steelers great Franco Harris has died, just days before the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the play considered the greatest in NFL history. Harris was 72. Harris served as the face of the franchise for many years following his retirement from his playing days. Here’s a collection of...
Video: 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception
TribLIVE talked with former Pitsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris on Oct. 13, 2022, about the 50th anniversary of The Immaculate Reception, one of the most famous plays in the history of football. It took place on Dec. 23, 1972, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. More on Franco Harris...
Steelers great Franco Harris dies at age 72Video
Two days before the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception and three days before his number is scheduled to be retired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris died. He was 72. No cause of death was revealed, but family friend Curtis Aiken — the former...
First Call: Steelers lose reserve LB; Ravens reclaim WR; praise for Minkah Fitzpatrick; Penguins part of Metro movement
Wednesday’s “First Call” gives us news of a Steelers departure and Ravens return. We also have some more recognition for Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. There’s movement atop the Metropolitan Division, and the Penguins are involved. Plus, it’s a busy day for college basketball at one of the local schools. Bidding...
Tim Benz: If Mike Tomlin says Steelers non-losing-season streak is ‘little, silly’ sidebar, then let’s treat it that way
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003. After 18 consecutive years of being at least .500 or better, the team currently has a 6-8 record. So that streak will end if the team loses any of its remaining three games against the Las Vegas Raiders (Dec. 24),...
Mike Tomlin not providing ‘pound of flesh’ in his handling of Marcus Allen penalty
If fans were hoping Mike Tomlin would criticize Marcus Allen at his weekly news conference Tuesday, they came away disappointed. Tomlin declined to discuss specifics about Allen’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty between the third and fourth quarters Sunday in the Steelers’ 24-16 win at Carolina. He also wouldn’t talk about personal...
Mike Tomlin humbled to coach in Immaculate Reception 50th anniversary game vs. Raiders
Mike Tomlin joked Tuesday that he was sitting in section 135 at Three Rivers Stadium on Dec. 23, 1972, when running back Franco Harris caught a ball above his shoe top and ran for a 60-yard touchdown to complete what has been voted the greatest play in NFL history. In...
Kenny Pickett expected to start Steelers-Raiders matchup on Christmas Eve
Barring a late setback, quarterback Kenny Pickett will return to practice Wednesday and start for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night against the Las Vegas Raiders at Acrisure Stadium. Pickett did not play last Sunday in the Steelers’ 24-16 win at Carolina while dealing with concussion symptoms. He was limited...
Tim Benz: Steelers better remember recent history against Raiders as they celebrate fabled pastVideo
Fortunately, the NFL scheduling format allowed for the Pittsburgh Steelers to host the Las Vegas Raiders this year. It’s also fortunate that the NFL schedule makers placed the Raiders in Pittsburgh during Christmas week to reprise the matchup that led to the Immaculate Reception 50 years ago. Fortunate from a...
First Call: Minkah Fitzpatrick tops AFC free safety voting; Ravens deal with more injuries; Pens-Rangers renew rivalryVideo
Tuesday’s “First Call” tells us which Pittsburgh Steeler is tops among his peers in Pro Bowl votes. Meanwhile, a few Ravens are dealing with bumps and bruises on the defensive side of the ball. On the hockey front, the Penguins finally get a crack at avenging last year’s playoff loss...
Steelers prep for threat that is Raiders WR Davante Adams
While most everyone else views Saturday as special because it’s Christmas Eve, Davante Adams will be celebrating it because he will be turning 30. If Adams’ birthday gift is a win, it might be by way of leaving his hosts with a lump of proverbial coal. Adams’ production could go...
Steelers notes: Saturday could be franchise’s coldest game since 1989
Saturday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders, both 6-8, isn’t necessarily one for the history books. It could be, though, and not just because of the accompanying celebration of the Immaculate Reception or because it’s the NFL’s latest-ever kickoff for a Christmas Eve game. What might...
