Brandon Short was one of the first people to arrive Tuesday morning at Acrisure Stadium. A McKeesport native and former NFL player, Short had to be here for Franco Harris because Franco had been there for Short so many times throughout his life.
Short and Harris were close friends. They met 33 years ago when Short played in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that Harris sponsored. Short would go on to star in football at McKeesport High School and earned a scholarship to Penn State — where Harris played two decades earlier — and then followed in Harris’ footsteps into the NFL.
In the years since he retired from the NFL, through their mutual love for Penn State and Pittsburgh, Short became close with Franco and his wife, Dana.
