Why was the Franco Harris statue moved? Pittsburgh International Airport changes location of Immaculate Reception bust
Last December, the world lost Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris. Prominent in the 70s and 80s, Harris is easily one of the most iconic NFL players ever. However, months after his death, his statue at the Pittsburgh airport was moved.
For around 20 years, Franco Harris' statue has been a part of the Pittsburgh International Airport, celebrating his contribution to the NFL in its own way. Now, as per popular demand, the statue will be made more accessible to the public.
Apparently, people want to be able to see their favorite Steelers icon without needing to buy a plane ticket. Earlier, the statue was placed in the airside terminal, making it impossible for anyone to see it. It will now be placed at the landside terminal, along with statues of George Washington and Nellie Bly.
It's a beautiful scene at @PITairport.
Totally unplanned and unscripted, the statue of the late Franco Harris in the Center Core of the Airside Terminal has been turned into a memorial filled with Terrible Towels, flowers and personal notes 😢
📸 @richeisen https://t.co/Z44NZg4KpH
The Pro Football Hall of Fame shared the image, referring to it as a beautiful scene. What's more, is that people have turned it into a small memorial with flowers and personalized notes.
"Franco Harris was a man of the people, and we wanted to give fans access to him regardless of whether they're traveling or not," said Keny Marshall, the airport arts and culture manager.
"He represents so many of the best parts of Pittsburgh, and now his statue is doing that in a much more prominent position."
The Franco Harris statue was going to be there as a temporary feature only
In his final interview, Harris admitted that the airport statue was just a temporary feature. The four-time Super Bowl winner was speaking to Steelers' defensive lineman Cam Heyward, who released it on the podcast, "Not Just Football with Cam Heyward."
"They talked to me about putting the statue up, and they wanted one iconic play, so they decided on the Immaculate Reception," Harris said. "They told me, 'Well, I guess it will probably be there for 6-9 months.' I said, 'Oh, OK, that's fine.' Now, (it's still there) like 18 years later or something like that."
"It's a lot of fun having that (statue). It's a good thing that people want to take pictures. A lot of times when I'm going by, I snap pictures with people. Those are some good memories. Life's all about memories and connections."
Spending most of his career in Pittsburgh, Harris passed away days before the team honored him by retiring his No. 32 jersey.
With his Super Bowl wins and countless other allocades, Harris will always be remembered for the immaculate reception and his work with the community.