Steelers legend Franco Harris recreates iconic catch at airport
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris shared a funny post on social media Saturday night about his missing statue at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The Hall of Fame fullback posted to a photo to Instagram of himself mimicking his “Immaculate Reception” catch with the note, “This is NOT what I had in mind when they offered me a ‘position’ at the Pittsburgh Airport!“
Next to Harris in the photo is a sign explaining that his statue, as well as that of President George Washington, have been removed for a “much-deserved break for touch-ups.” The statues have been in place for 10 years at the airport.
Earlier this month the airport, along with workers from the Senator John Heinz History Center, which maintains them, removed the statues for cleaning and refurbishing.
The statutes will be reinstalled at the airport this summer, where “Franco” and “George” will remain for the foreseeable future. The removal comes as the airport prepares for its own $1.1 billion makeover.
Harris followed up with a cryptic tweet Sunday afternoon in a response to Pittsburgh comedian Billy Gardell, “Remind me to tell you about our experience trying to get to Hawaii @united. I still can’t believe it.”
Remind me to tell you about our experience trying to get to Hawaii @united. I still can’t believe it.
— Franco Harris (@francoharrishof) March 31, 2019
Hopefully Harris got to his destination.
Frank Carnevale is the TribLive multimedia editor. He started at the Trib in 2016 and has been part of several news organizations, including the Providence Journal and Orlando Sentinel. He can be reached at fcarnevale@triblive.com.
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