Franco and Me

I walked outdoors with Helen and there he was, this tall attractive man helping the volunteers with the chairs. It was a warm evening, and he must have been sweating in his sportscoat. When he saw Helen and I, he walked over with a genuine smile on his face. At this point, he was living up to my "hero" standards.

With a firm handshake, I was introduced to Franco Harris, living legend in Pittsburgh sports. He told me that I would be following him around, taking photo's of the people he wanted shots of. He then said he wanted some candid and setup shots - I went to work with a cherished camera, Pete's.

I moved around the room taking in the sights and smells this event was throwing at me. The flowers on the 50 foot bar were so fragrant I could imagine the bees starting to congragate wanting some of the sweet nectar.

There was Chinese food and summer wraps for dinner complimented with only the best wines and liquors. Dessert consisted of bananas foster with delicious ice cream. Unfortunately, I had no time for food, neither did Franco.

We started the evening off by greeting people at the door. I hung around for about half an hour, then he shooed me away. The line needed to move faster and with me taking photo's, it wasn't.

When he was done with the meet and greet, I started following him around, staying about 10 feet away at all times. It is really strange, but he knew where I was at all times. When he wanted a shot, he motioned to me and I tookd the shot.

This took place from 7:30 to midnight and the entire time I was worried about whether or not the photo's would turn out. My feet hurt, but I kept at it.

The entire time I was with him, I kept thinking what a wonderful marriage he and his wife, Dana, have. Here is this man, that women flock to be around, and his wife seemed fine with it. He always made sure to include her in the festivities (they had an auction) and even took time out from dancing with the hot women to dance with his wife.

At the end of the evening, I lost him but heard he was out on the terrace. I packed up my stuff (I was really tired and had an hour drive ahead of me) and went outside for one last photo. See, at the beginning of the night, he promised me a picture of him and I together, I wasn't leaving without that picture.

As I walked outside, he asked if I was leaving. I told him I would stick around if he needed me to, but he said "no." I asked him for that photo and he was more than happy to oblige. So here I was, around around my hero, his arm around me. I felt so important at that moment that I couldn't help but smile.

As I walked to the car, my feet started really hurting, but all I could think about was what a great time I had. I was given a dream job for a night and I was glad I didn't pass it up.

Some of you may or may not know, but Franco was a Steeler in the 1970's. He was responsible for the emaculate reception sending us to our first Super Bowl. He is a hero in the city of Pittsburgh and to all in the Steeler Nation.