Statement from President Joe Biden on the Passing of Franco Harris.
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Almost everyone mentions the catch, the Super Bowls, and the glory he gave to football when you mention Franco Harris.
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But over the course of our fifty-year friendship, I frequently mentioned his integrity and compassion.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers had just won their first division title after a strong regular season fifty years prior.
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They celebrated Christmas only a few days after defeating the Oakland Raiders thanks to one of the most iconic plays in NFL history, Franco Harris' last-second Immaculate Reception.
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While Franco went on to have a Hall of Fame career and lead the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles in six years as the dominant club of the 1970s,
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the Steelers would narrowly lose the conference championship game to the unbeaten Miami Dolphins.
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But that's not the reason Franco and the Pittsburgh Steelers are dear to my heart.
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This week fifty years ago, my first wife and baby daughter died in a vehicle accident when we were out buying a Christmas tree, and my two young kids suffered serious injuries.
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received the call while I was in Washington, where I had just been elected to the U.S. Senate, and I immediately left for Delaware.
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