Hundreds turn out for public viewing for Steelers legend Franco Harris

Hundreds of fans of Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris braved the cold Tuesday afternoon to pay their respects to the Hall of Famer, who died last week.

The Steelers hosted a viewing at Acrisure Stadium, where any member of the public could view Harris’ closed casket.

The viewing inside the PNC Champions Club started at 1 p.m. and was scheduled to last four hours. The Harris family greeted everyone who came.

Fans socialized while waiting in line, sharing stories about Harris and the Steelers. One group of fans even tailgated in the parking lot outside the stadium during the first half of the viewing, seemingly paying homage to Harris in the way Steelers fans know best.

Ginny Campbell of Gibsonia and her husband, Reed, waited in line for about 45 minutes.

Ginny Campbell said she was in the same class as Harris at Penn State University. She recalled watching him excel for the Nittany Lions before going on to stardom in the NFL with the Steelers. She said she was at the 1972 playoff game where Harris caught the Immaculate Reception, widely regarded as the greatest play in NFL history.

She recalled meeting Harris earlier this year at a Penn State event and said Harris stood for hours taking photographs with fans — and he smiled the entire time.

“He was just a fantastic person for Penn State and the Steelers. He was just a wonderful guy,” said Campbell, who left a Penn State card at the Immaculate Reception plaque outside Acrisure Stadium.

Kevin Cooper, a retired magistrate judge from Homewood, said he came to pay respects to Harris because he was a constant and positive presence in the community.

Cooper said he met Harris many years ago and he was always personable and relatable.

“You could call Franco and ask him to do something for you, and he never acted like it was a chore,” Cooper said.

During halftime of Saturday’s game, about two dozen of Harris’ former teammates and other Steelers alumni honored the Hall of Fame running back with a ceremony retiring his jersey number.

Steelers President Art Rooney II said Saturday he was thankful the Steelers organization was able to share more than 50 years with Harris.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The big man was supposed to be here tonight beside me,” Rooney said. “Franco brought us joy for 50 years. In recognition of his many contributions both on and off the field, it’s my honor to declare No. 32 officially retired.”

The viewing brought Steelers fans from beyond the Pittsburgh region. The viewing book showed fans came from St. Louis and other cities across the country.

Ted Maes grew up in New Mexico and lives in Gibsonia. He said he became a Steelers fan after watching the Immaculate Reception on television as a child.

He said he respected the Harris family for greeting those who came to the viewing.

Maes, who attended the Steelers game Saturday when Harris’ No. 32 jersey was retired by the team, said losing Harris is hard for fans like him.

“Losing Franco was like losing part of my childhood,” he said.