Four-Time Super Bowl Champion Running Back Franco Harris Has Passed Away

Franco Harris, a four-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers who was briefly the NFL's second all-time leading rusher behind only the incomparable Jim Brown (before Walter Payton surpassed both players during the 1984 season), passed away yesterday at the age of 72. Harris was the key participant in the most famous play in NFL history, the "Immaculate Reception," but his career was characterized not just by one great moment but rather by sustained greatness as he accumulated eight 1000 yard rushing seasons and earned nine Pro Bowl selections plus the Super Bowl IX MVP.

Harris made a big impact as a rookie in 1972, rushing for 1055 yards while averaging 5.6 yards per attempt and scoring 10 rushing touchdowns. He ranked second in the league in yards per attempt, third in the league in rushing touchdowns, and sixth in the league in rushing yards en route to winning the AP Rookie of the Year award and finishing eighth in MVP voting. The Steelers improved from 6-8 in 1971 to 11-3 in 1972, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 1947; the Steelers won at least 10 games in six of the next seven seasons, capturing four Super Bowl titles along the way (1974-75, 1978-79).

Although the 1972 playoff run did not culminate in a Super Bowl title, it was still quite memorable. In the Divisional Round, the Steelers faced 4th and 10 while trailing the Oakland Raiders 7-6 with 22 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Terry Bradshaw threw a deep pass to running back Frenchy Fuqua, who collided with defensive back Jack Tatum as the ball arrived. The ball flew back through the air before Harris caught it just inches above the turf and raced to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Raiders fans insist to this day that the play was illegal under the rules at the time--which would be correct if the ball hit Fuqua before Tatum touched the ball (an illegal "double touch" by the offense until that rule was changed in 1978)--but the point here is not what the officials called but rather that Harris put himself at the right place at the right time to make the game-winning play. Local sportscaster Myron Cope is credited with terming the play the "Immaculate Reception." 

The Steelers lost 21-17 in the AFC Championship Game to the soon to be 17-0 Miami Dolphins, but Harris' arrival signified the beginning of the Steelers' dynasty that dominated the NFL for the next several years. Before Harris joined the team in 1972, the Steelers had never won a playoff game. The Steelers went 14-5 in the playoffs with Harris (he missed one playoff game due to injury, a 24-7 loss to the Raiders in the 1976 AFC Championship Game). Former Steelers defensive lineman John Banaszak declared, "For me, Franco was one of the greatest money backs of all time. When the game was on the line, when the games got more important, when the championship was on the line the better Franco Harris was."

Harris' numbers back up Banaszak's statement. Harris set the Super Bowl single game rushing record (since broken) with 158 yards as Pittsburgh defeated Minnesota 16-6 in Super Bowl IX. He scored at least one touchdown in three of Pittsburgh's four Super Bowl wins, and his 354 career Super Bowl rushing yards remains the all-time record nearly 40 years after he retired. Harris retired as the NFL's career postseason rushing leader with 1556 yards, a total that has only been surpassed by Emmitt Smith (1586 yards).

Harris was a big, powerful runner who did most of his damage between the tackles, but he also had breakaway speed (he had a 75 yard run as a rookie, and he also had a 71 yard run in 1979). He never won a regular season rushing title, but he ranked in the top 10 eight times, including a second place finish in 1975 when he accumulated a career-high 1246 yards and only trailed O.J. Simpson (1817).

The 50th anniversary of the "Immaculate Reception" is this Friday, and the day after that the Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Las Vegas Raiders. Prior to Harris' passing, the Steelers had already planned to retire Harris' number 32 during that game (it is very surprising that his number had not been retired a long time ago). It is sad that Harris did not live long enough to celebrate that anniversary and see his jersey being retired.

The first football season that I remember clearly is 1978, and the first Super Bowl that I remember clearly is Super Bowl XIII, when the Pittsburgh Steelers won their third Super Bowl in five years by defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 35-31. Harris did not put up gaudy numbers in that game (20 carries for 68 yards), but his fourth quarter 22 yard touchdown run pushed the Steelers' lead to 28-17. That Super Bowl featured many dramatic plays and moments, and ranks high on the list of most memorable Super Bowls of all-time.

As a Cleveland Browns fan, I did not like Harris or the Steelers, but I respected their greatness, and I feared them as an opponent; it seemed to me as a kid that he saved some of his best performances for the Browns, and the numbers support my recollections: for example, his two top rushing performances in the 1979 regular season (153 yards and 151 yards) both came against the Browns.

As a child, sports superstars seem bigger than life, and indestructible. When I think about sports in the 1970s, many players dance across my mind, including Julius Erving, Pete Maravich, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a host of my favorite Cleveland Browns (including Brian Sipe, Greg Pruitt, Mike Pruitt, and Ozzie Newsome), Bjorn Borg, Mario Andretti, and Pete Rose, but if I had to name one team that defined the 1970s I would probably pick the Pittsburgh Steelers--and it is impossible to think of the Pittsburgh Steelers without picturing Franco Harris. I can still see in my mind's eye his hip pads sticking up out of his yellow pants as his big thighs broke tackles and piled up yardage. 

I never rooted for Harris and the Steelers, but I have many childhood memories of watching in awe at their excellence. With Harris' sudden and unexpected passing, it feels like a part of my childhood is gone, or at least somewhere beyond reach.

Baker Mayfield Leads the L.A. Rams to Improbable Comeback Win Over the Las Vegas Raiders

The L.A. Rams' 17-16 Thursday Night Football win over the Las Vegas Raiders is one of the most improbable comebacks in sports history--and that is not hyperbole, it is demonstrable fact: according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Rams' game-winning 98 yard drive was the longest go-ahead touchdown drive that began in the final two minutes of an NFL game in the past 45 seasons.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Rams stumbled into the game with a 3-9 record en route to what will likely be the worst season ever by a Super Bowl winner; the only other Super Bowl winners to lose at least nine games in the next season are the 1987 New York Giants (6-9 in a strike-shortened season), and the 1999 Denver Broncos (6-10). On Thursday against the Raiders, the Rams were down to their third string quarterback Baker Mayfield in the first quarter, because injured second string quarterback John Wolford only played the first series. Mayfield had just joined the Rams on Tuesday after being waived by the Carolina Panthers, who had demoted him to third string. 

The Raiders are not a powerhouse, but they had just won three straight games, and after a 36 yard field goal by Daniel Carlson increased their lead over the Rams to 16-3 with 12:25 remaining in the fourth quarter no one expected Baker Mayfield to transform into Tom Brady; just four days earlier, Brady led his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 17-16 Monday Night Football win over the New Orleans Saints after trailing 16-3 with 5:21 remaining in the fourth quarter--but Brady is a seven-time Super Bowl champion and that was his record-setting 44th comeback in the fourth quarter or overtime, while Mayfield's NFL resume is shorter and much less distinguished.

Mayfield does not fit either of the main prototypes for an NFL quarterback: he is not a big, strong, and tall quarterback who stands in the pocket until the last second, absorbing a bone-crunching hit before delivering an accurate 50 yard bomb, nor is he an elite runner who can threaten defenses with both the pass and the run. He is an undersized quarterback with good arm strength who uses his mobility to buy time to throw, but prefers not to run (he has never rushed for more than 165 yards in a season). 

Mayfield's best qualities are leadership and toughness. There is no question that his teammates rally around him, believe in him, and genuinely like him. There is also no question that he is tough, as shown by his willingness to play through injury (see below), and by his overall durability (he appeared in at least 14 games in each of his first four seasons).

When A.J. Cole's 65 yard punt rolled to the two yard line with two minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Raiders leading 16-10, Mayfield faced the daunting task of leading the Rams 98 yards for a touchdown with no timeouts. The drive did not begin well: Mayfield had two incompletions, and then his third pass was intercepted, but the interception was nullified by a pass interference call (the pass would probably have not been intercepted but for the pass interference against intended receiver Van Jefferson). After the automatic first down because of the penalty, Mayfield was sacked on first down, but the sack was wiped out by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Jerry Tillery, who knocked the ball out of Mayfield's hand after the play was over and the Rams were trying to hurry up to run the next play.

Mayfield hit Ben Skowronek with a 32 yard completion, placing the Rams at the Raiders' 40 yard line. Mayfield then completed two short passes to advance the ball to the 23 yard line before spiking the ball with :16 left in regulation. On the next play, Mayfield connected with Jefferson for the game tying touchdown. The Rams took the lead with a successful extra point kick, and they guaranteed the win with an interception on the Raiders' first play from scrimmage after the ensuing kickoff.

Mayfield is 0-22 in his career as a starter when his team trails by at least 13 points, but this was the second time he has led a 13-point comeback after coming off of the bench; he overcame a 14-0 deficit in his NFL debut in 2018.

That debut took place when Mayfield played for the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield's departure from Cleveland has engendered resentment and mockery from at least some Browns fans. I am a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan, but I am not a Browns fan who feels any animosity toward Mayfield. The Browns have been a dysfunctional franchise ever since returning to the NFL in 1999, and some of the team's best moments during that dreadful period have come with Mayfield at the helm. In 2018, Mayfield set an NFL single season rookie record (since broken) with 27 touchdown passes, leading the Browns to a 7-8-1 record. A seven win season may not seem impressive, but that was the Browns' best record since 2007, which says a lot not only about Mayfield but also about the decrepit state of the franchise. Mayfield threw 22 touchdown passes in 2019 and became the first Browns quarterback to start all 16 regular season games since Tim Couch in 2001, but Mayfield's interception total increased from 14 to 21, and the Browns' record slipped to 6-10.

In 2020, Mayfield tossed 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions as the Browns went 11-5, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Mayfield again started all 16 regular season games. The Browns then defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 48-37 in the Wild Card game, posting the third highest single game playoff scoring total in franchise history while notching the team's first road playoff win since 1969 and first playoff win overall since January 1995, when Bill Belichick coached the Browns. The Browns' playoff run ended with a 22-17 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Mayfield led the Browns to a 3-1 record to start the 2021 season, but he had partially torn the labrum in his left shoulder in the second game, and that injury limited his effectiveness for the bulk of that campaign. Mayfield showed his toughness by playing in 14 out of 16 games, but the team should have protected him from himself and given him the opportunity to fully recover. Mayfield finished with 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, the Browns went 8-9 as the schedule expanded to 17 games, and the team traded Mayfield to Carolina after the season.

In sum, Mayfield had a very good rookie season, he led the Browns to their first playoff win in almost 30 years, and he fought through a painful injury to try to help the team win in 2021 (that may not have been the smartest thing to do, but no one can question his heart or his toughness). The Browns' problems--as evidenced by the team's 5-7 record this season--run much deeper than Mayfield's real or perceived shortcomings; he deserves a lot of credit for any success that the Browns had during his stint with the franchise, and not much blame for problems that existed for decades before he arrived and, sadly, persist after his departure.

I am neither a Rams fan not a Raiders fan, but I enjoyed watching Mayfield show his doubters and critics that he can still play. In terms of quarterback evaluation, I trust Super Bowl-winning coach Sean McVay a lot more than I trust any of the coaches or talent evaluators for the Cleveland Browns or Carolina Panthers (who have had four coaches but just one playoff appearance since losing the Super Bowl after the 2015 season). If McVay thinks that Mayfield can contribute to a winning program he is probably right, and on Thursday night Mayfield did his part to justify McVay's belief in him.