The people who knew him remember Franco

What they’re saying after the death of Franco Harris:

“The minute I throw the ball, Franco takes off. And I ask him, ‘What made you run downfield?’ And he said at Penn State, Joe Paterno

told the running backs that when the quarterback releases the ball, to run to the play. Run to the ball. And had he not been taught that by Paterno, he would not have released and gone downfield. And that’s exactly what he did, and that’s why he caught that pass. It’s just a good story. We add a little to it as time goes on because it’s better. I had so much fun messing with him about his blocking and catching the ball. We hardly ever threw the ball to him. He was just such a good man. I can’t get past that. Always smiling. Always smiling. Such a humble giant. Superstar. I’m just going to miss his friendship.”

— Retired QB Terry Bradshaw, who threw the “Immaculate Reception” pass caught by Harris

“We did so many things together. I can’t remember all these things over the last 50 years. It’s crazy. We were always doing the Immaculate Reception story and it got bigger and bigger. He would invite me to places he needed me. I would invite him to places I needed him and our friendship just grew and grew.”

— Former Raiders linebacker Phil Villapiano, who was covering Harris during the Immaculate Reception

“Woke up this morning to the devastating news that my friend Franco Harris passed away during (Wednesday) night. One of the kindest, gentlest men I have ever known. He was a great person & great teammate. Hall of Fame player but so much more than that. A tremendous role model for me!”

— Tweet from Hall of Fame coach and former Steelers player Tony Dungy

“(Harris) always said yes to helping our food banks, blood drives, and youth sports leagues. He loved this city — and his memory will always be a blessing for the people of Pittsburgh.”

— Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey

“He wasn’t fun to play against, I can tell you that. At Baltimore, we played them in the playoffs there the first year. A great player. A great person. A big loss.”

— New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick

“We never won before Franco got here. We never lost after he did.”

— Former Steelers owner Art Rooney