Franco Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Hall of Fame running back, has passed away at age 79. Here’s a look at the NFL icon’s family and parents. Back in the day, Franco’s fans banded together and called themselves Franco’s Italian Army. They also wore World War II-inspired helmets with text written on them, to support the star. However, Franco’s parents were the reason that the name came to be in the first place.

Franco was born on March 7, 1950, to African American father Cad Harris, who was a soldier, and an Italian mother, Gina Parenti. The New York Times notes that Gina hailed from Pisa, Italy, where Cad was stationed as an army medic. He returned home from World War II with his Italian war bride, Gina. The NFL icon was the third kid in a family of nine. The other eight were Daniella, Mario, Marisa, Alvara, Luana, Piero, Giuseppe, and Michele.