NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris is best known for catching an improbable pass that let the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders in an AFC divisional playoff game in 1972. The catch was nicknamed "The Immaculate Reception."

A longtime entrepreneur, Harris now runs an athletic apparel company called Silversport, which promises to keep your socks, shirts and towels odor-free. You only have to wash the clothing when it's dirty, not because it smells. He's pitching the products as a great way to help conserve water during a drought. But how is this possible? Is this some sort of Immaculate Deception? Immaculate Perspiration? Franco Harris said the secret is silver. "Silver just has a long and interesting history," he told CNBC. Tiny silver components in the clothing bind to odor-causing bacteria and destroy it. "I used to wash my towel every time I got off my treadmill," he said. "Now I leave that towel on the treadmill for long periods of time, I don't even think about, 'Oh, maybe I'll wash that towel.'"

Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Baltimore Colts, in November 1983. Focus on Sport | Getty Images

Harris has been selling the products online to consumers, trainers and gyms. He's hoping to expand. "I've had people ask me, 'why not for kids?'" he said. Children's products may be next (especially socks for boys ...).

We decided to put a pair of Silversport socks through their paces. This reporter wore them nearly every day for a week. During that time, I went for a two-hour hike, spent 30 minutes on a treadmill, walked the dogs and covered news events—including a full day in the hot sun at a dam construction site. At the end of the week, I removed the socks ... and smelled them. Nothing. They were dirty, but they smelled like nothing. Then I held them out to Franco Harris. "Are you ready?" I asked. "I'm ready," he replied, bracing himself. After one sniff, Harris said, "You did all that, and no smell." Then he smelled them again.

During the '70s, we knew we definitely had to work after football, we didn't make the type of salaries that they make (now), we weren't even close. We always knew that we had to work, interact with people, build networks ... but I've always loved business, I just loved it. Franco Harris NFL Hall of Famer, former Pittsburgh Steeler

Harris said he tested the Silversport products himself long before producing them for the market. He wanted to make sure if he started an athletic apparel company, it would stand out. "We can't compete just doing another sports line," he said. "OK, what are we doing it for? We're doing it to have odor-free workouts." The desire to do something different with a traditional product is something Harris carried with him after football. "During the '70s, we knew we definitely had to work after football, we didn't make the type of salaries that they make (now), we weren't even close," he said. "We always knew that we had to work, interact with people, build networks ... but I've always loved business, I just loved it." Now the former fullback leads a team of business partners. "I always wanted to be a quarterback." Other business ventures have included Super Bakery in Pittsburgh, where Harris still lives. The bakery is now 25 years old. "We make a doughnut called the 'Super Donut.' There are lots of doughnuts, but we're the doughnut that has vitamins and minerals and protein—we're the nutritional doughnut."