Pittsburgh International Airport to Make Adjustments in the Franco Harris Exhibit

THE IMMACULATE RECEPTION AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. | PHOTO BY DAVE DICELLO

Stats are incredibly important to sports fans, so the scoring details on Pittsburgh International Airport’s new expanded exhibit on Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception from Dec. 23, 1972 appeared to passersby as more fumble than fact.

The score in the exhibit — Raiders 7, Steelers 12 — was the score with 5 seconds left on the clock in the 4th quarter — not 00, as depicted. The Steelers kicked a successful field goal bringing the final score to 13-7 before the end of the game.

PHOTO BY DAVE DICELLO

Airport officials say they’ll be making adjustments to the exhibit, which honors one of the greatest plays in American football history. For the Steelers, Harris’ catch and run to a game-winning touchdown against the Oakland Raiders led to a decade that included four Super Bowl championships in which he played a key role in each.

“We know the Franco Harris statue is incredibly important to greeting Pittsburgh travelers, which is why Franco was in place on Day One of terminal operations,” according to an airport statement.

“The current background is meant to be a collage of several moments in time depicting the immaculate reception and celebratory moments afterward. We know the details are important to Pittsburghers and in order to make the background clear, we will adjust the clock to depict how much time was left when Franco scored — prior to the extra point — and other adjustments as needed.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with the Heinz History Center and Harris family, ensuring that Franco will continue to greet travelers to Pittsburgh for generations to come.”

The new exhibit is behind the Information Desk in the new terminal before you reach the TSA security lanes. It was moved from the lobby of the old terminal, where it shared space with statues of investigative journalist Nellie Bly and George Washington. Harris, at age 72, died just a few days before the 50th anniversary ceremony in 2022 of the famous Steelers play.