Franco Harris was born on 7 March 1950, in Fort Dix, New Jersey USA, of African-American and Italian descent. Franco is a retired professional American Football player, best known for playing in the National Football League (NFL) with the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Franco Harris? As of mid-2016, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $3 million, mostly earned through his success in professional football. He earned a significant amount of money during his time as a player, and has been involved in numerous business ventures after retiring. He’s also made many television appearances, and all of these ensured the position of his wealth.
Franco Harris Net Worth $3 million
Harris matriculated from Rancocas Valley Regional High School in 1968 and then attended Penn State University, starting his college football career. He played with the Nittany Lions and led the team in scoring in 1970.
Franco joined the 1972 NFL Draft and was selected as the 13th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The pick was controversial as many believed that it was supposed to be his Penn State teammate Lydell Mitchell who was going to be picked. However, Harris proved everyone wrong when he became the Rookie of the Year during his first year with the Steelers, in so doing developing a fan base that consisted largely of the Italian-American population in Pittsburgh. During his 13 year career, Harris became the 12th all-time in the NFL in terms of rushing yards and 10th all-time in rushing touchdowns. He was also part of the Pro Bowl for nine consecutive seasons from 1972 to 1980. He broke records and was able to help the team win four Super Bowls, in 1975, 1976, 1979, and 1980. He was also named as the MVP of Super Bowl IX, becoming the first African-American and Italian-American to be earn that distinction. After 12 years with the Steelers, they refused an request to raise Harris’ pay, so he was released and then he signed to his final year with the Seattle Seahawks, but playing only eight games with them. Since his retirement, the Steelers have never reissued his jersey number 32.
After retiring, Franco and Lydell Mitchell started the Super Bakery Company, which aims to produce nutrition-focused food for children. In 2006, the business was renamed to RSuper Foods and they are responsible for the Super Donut often served in eastern US schools. During this time, they also helped the Parks Sausage Company, and then Franco would go on and appear in commercials for Taco Bell. He also briefly worked with The Meadows Racetrack and Casino and then became the co-owner of the Pittsburgh Passion football team.
For his personal life, Franco is married to Dana Dakmanovich, and they have a son – ‘Dok’ Harris – who ran for mayor of Pittsburgh in 2009. He also had a brother who was a well-known college football player who unfortunately passed away due to a heart attack in 2006.
