Steelers Legend Franco Harris to be Honored June 13 at Yankee Stadium Fundraiser

The Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation pay tribute to Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris at their 3rd annual fundraising event to strike out poverty, A Celebration of Shining Moments in Yankee History, June 13, 2012 at Yankee Stadium.
 
April 16, 2012 - PRLog -- Pittsburgh Steelers Legend Franco Harris to be Honored at
“A Celebration of Shining Moments in Yankee History” Fundraiser for the
Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation, June 13 at Yankee Stadium

New York, NY – The Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation will pay tribute to Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris, their long-time board member and NFL Hall of Famer at their third annual fundraising event to strike out poverty, A Celebration of Shining Moments in Yankee History on Thursday, June 13, 2012 from 6-10 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.

Yankee greats Goose Gossage, Tommy John and Bobby Richardson and Babe Ruth’s granddaughter Linda Ruth Tossetti will also be on hand as Harris is honored for his dedication to eradicate poverty in this, the 40th anniversary of his rookie season in the NFL which included his Immaculate Reception in the Steelers playoff game against Oakland on December 23, 1972, one of most memorable plays in NFL and sports history. Mr. William A. Kozy, Executive Vice President of BD will serve as the event’s Honorary Chairman.  Noted baseball broadcasting personality Ed Randall will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

The evening presents a unique opportunity to pay tribute to Harris, and relive magic moments in Yankee history while supporting the programs of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation.  Today, the Foundation is the principal funding source for the programs of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in marginalized communities around the world.  They provide healthcare, food, shelter, education, vocational training and advocacy in Brazil, Italy, the Philippines, Senegal and the United States.

“We are so very grateful for Franco’s friendship and long-standing commitment to the work of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor around the world. We are fortunate to have him as a member of our team,” said Linda Christian, Executive Director of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation. “With BD’s ongoing  leadership as our corporate sponsor and Yankee stars Goose Gossage, Bobby Richardson and Tommy John, the evening promises to be a memorable Yankee Stadium experience,”  Christian said.

Tickets to the event, which includes a tour of the Stadium are $400 for parent and child and individual tickets are $250. Held on an evening when the Yankees are playing on the road, the event, held in the Yankee Stadium is designed to give attendees the opportunity to experience Yankee Stadium in a unique and memorable way. All ticket holders will enjoy breathtaking views of the Stadium from the DeltaSKY 360° Suite; an open bar and gourmet baseball fare throughout the evening; name in lights on the jumbo scoreboard; a silent auction of baseball memorabilia and an autographed celebrity keepsake, as well as the chance to watch the Yankees game that night on the scoreboard.

Special Sponsorship and VIP packages are also available:

GOLD (10 tickets; gold page in commemorative journal) $   10,000
SILVER (6 tickets;   silver page in journal)                                 6,000
BRONZE  (2 tickets; bronze page in journal)                              2,000                                    
VIP  (one ticket)                                                                        1,000
Perks:
* Exclusive pre-event cocktail reception and personal photos  with celebrities and World Series Trophy  in  H&R Block Suite
* Private tour of Clubhouse, Dugout, Monument Park
* Name and corporate logo on the jumbo scoreboard        
* Recognition in program, promotional materials and on the Foundation website

Reservations are being accepted through June 6. No tickets will be mailed. Reservations will be held at the Delta Sky 360° Suite.
           
Harris played 13 years in the NFL and led the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories and was named the MVP of Super Bowl IX. In his first season with the Steelers (1972), Harris was named the league's Rookie of the Year by both The Sporting News and United Press International. During that season he gained 1,055 yards on 188 carries. In his 13 professional seasons, Harris gained 12,120 yards on 2,949 carries.  He gained 12,120 career rushing yards and had 91 career rushing touchdowns. He was chosen to nine consecutive Pro Bowls from 1972 through 1980 and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in eight seasons, breaking the previous record set by Jim Brown. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

Elected the Baseball Hall of Fame in 20008, Rich “Goose” Gossage played 21 seasons for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, before retiring in 1994. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, Goose Gossage was one of the earliest manifestations of the dominating closer, with wild facial hair and a gruff demeanor to go along with his blistering fastball.

During his career, Gossage pitched in 1,002 games and finished 681 of them and earned 310 saves. He made nine All-Star appearances and pitched in three World Series. He led the American League in saves in 1975 (26), 1978 (27) and 1980 (33). He holds the New York Yankees career record for ERA (2.14) and hits per nine innings (6.59). One difference between Gossage and more recent closers is that Goose often pitched as many as three innings to finish a game, while modern closers typically pitch the ninth inning only. Perhaps his most memorable finish was closing out the Yankees thrilling one-game divisional playoff over the Red Sox in 1978 getting Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski to pop up to end the game.

Bobby Richardson was the second baseman during the dynasty years of the Yankees from 1955 through 1966. He compiled 1,432 career hits and was an eight-time All-Star. He played on three World Champion teams (1958, 1961 and 1962) and seven World Series total for the Bombers, including earning MVP honors in a losing cause in the 1960 World Series, during which he put together one of the greatest single innings of offense in the history of baseball. In an inning, he hit a two-run single and followed it up with a grand slam. Richardson drove in 12 runs in that World Series to win the World Series MVP honor. The Yankees, however, lost to the Pirates in seven games. Richardson also led all batters with a .391 average in the 1961 World Series and made the final catch of a screaming Willie McCovey line drive to end the 1962 Fall Classic.

Tommy John won 288 games in his 26-year Major League career, which ended in 1989. He joined the Yankees as a free agent for the 1979 season after pitching against them in the World Series in 1977 and 1978 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He won 20 games his first two seasons as a Yankee and was traded to the Angels during the 1982 season. He rejoined the Yankees in 1986 for his final four years of his career.  He is well known for the revolutionary surgery now named after him, which was performed on a damaged ligament in his pitching arm in 1974.  

Linda Ruth Tosetti, the granddaughter of Babe Ruth will be making a special appearance at the event, commemorating the anniversary of her grandfather’s final public appearance on June 13, 1948 at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees retired his uniform #3 at a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the ballpark.

All of the sports celebrities will participate in signing autographs for the event attendees, taking photos and participating in a roundtable discussion of their Yankee Stadium memories hosted by Ed Randall, host of the popular radio show Ed Randall’s Talking Baseball which airs on WFAN-AM on Sunday’s in New York and nationally on Sirius XM Radio’s MLB Home Plate on Saturdays.

To learn more about the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Foundation visit www.franciscanfoundation.org.

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