Franco Harris used his voice and fame to champion Pittsburgh-area charities
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Franco Harris could have been known only as the star player in what's considered the most iconic play in football history.
But instead, he used that fame to help others, especially across the Pittsburgh region.
Harris was a cheerleader for those who needed help. He used his voice and his fame to champion charities around our region.
He spread a message of hope to athletes in the Special Olympics, helping raise money for the non-profit organization at its annual run at Penn State University every year since 2010.
"Franco cared about his community more than just himself and more than his own personal benefit," Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said.
Andrew Fee with the Special Olympics said Harris used his celebrity to help raise money for the organization's mission of inclusion of all athletes.
"He was not there because the camera was there," Fee said. "There was not usually a camera there when he was there."
Harris was known for visiting schools across the region, spreading the word for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and serving as chairman of the Pittsburgh Promise, which gives scholarships to Pittsburgh Public Schools graduates.
But this was only a small portion of the many causes he supported, lending his name, time and passion.
"He cared about this community, he cared about kids, he cared about opportunities," Fitzgerald said.
And we should add that Harris' wife, Dana, was almost always by his side supporting these charities, and so many expressed their thanks to her as well.