Two seasons removed from an abysmal 1-13 record, the Pittsburgh Steelers were making progress in an effort to once again become competitive. Their young quarterback, Terry Bradshaw, was still not showing the promise expected of a #1 overall draft pick, but the Steelers has improved to 6-8 in 1971. Steelers management felt Bradshaw could eventually blossom into a star, but needed a premier runner to force defenses into respecting the ground game and keeping Bradshaw from enduring constant blitzes. With their first round selection (#13 overall) of the 1972 NFL Draft, the Steelers bypassed Penn State sensation Lydell Mitchell, opting instead for his college teammate, Franco Harris.
In his first season with the Steelers, Harris was named the league's Rookie of the Year, gaining 1,055 yards, with a 5.6 yards per carry average, and ten touchdowns. With Harris providing the backfield threat that the Steelers lacked in previous years, Pittsburgh charged to an 11-3 record and captured the AFC Central Division Championship, losing to the Miami Dolphins 21-17 in the Conference Championship, with Miami going on to win the Super Bowl and completing the "perfect season." After the 1974 NFL Draft, which would bring four more future Hall of Famers (Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Jack Lambert, and Mike Webster) on board, the remainder of the 1970s belonged to Pittsburgh. Led by the tandem running package of Harris and Rocky Bleier, combined with the "Steel Curtain" defense, the Steelers went on to win four Super Bowls in '74, '75, '78, and '79. Harris was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl IX, rushing for 158 yards and a touchdown in a 16-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings, becoming the first African-American as well as the first Italian-American to be named Super Bowl MVP. A major contributor in all four Pittsburgh Steeler Super Bowl victories, his career totals of 101 carries for 354 yards are still Super Bowl records. In his 13 professional seasons, Harris gained 12,120 yards (#13 all-time) and scored 91 rushing touchdowns (#10 all-time), while being selected to nine Pro-Bowls. In 1990, he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Presented is an amazing game-used and autographed Pittsburgh Steelers jersey, worn by Hall of Fame runner Franco Harris during the 1983 season, his last 1000-yard performance in the NFL. This surreal white road jersey exhibits nice game use, with various scuffs and blood stains spattered across the jersey front, with the Sand-Knit size 46 label (removed and replaced with a late 1970s style label), Pittsburgh Steelers exclusivity label (re-stitched with reinforcing zig-zag), and original, team tagged "83" year swatch stitched onto the front left tail. The reverse has a white nameplate with "HARRIS" in yellow on black lettering, and a MINT silver sharpie "Franco Harris 32", boldly penned on the black "2" in Harris' jersey number. LOA from Lou Lampson, JSA, and Mile High Card Co.