PITTSBURGH — Moments before Franco Harris made the most improbable play in NFL history, maybe in pro sports history, his mom sensed something was wrong, even from nearly 300 miles away.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' 1972 season was on the brink, and Harris, their star rookie running back, knew he was probably lining up for his final play that year. In an AFC divisional playoff game Dec. 23 — only the franchise's second postseason game — the Steelers trailed the Oakland Raiders 7-6 with 22 seconds left and faced fourth-and-10 at Pittsburgh's 40-yard line.
"At home in Jersey, my brothers and sisters and my dad are watching the game," Harris — whose death at age 72 was announced by his son Wednesday — said in an interview with The Times last month. "My mom, being from Italy, didn't know much about football, so she's in the kitchen drinking coffee. She could feel that something wasn't right, though, so she went and got her Italian album out and put it on.
