Art Rooney

Art Rooney
Date of birth	January 27 1901(1901-01-27)
Place of birth	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date of death	August 25, 1988 (age 87)
Place of death	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Position(s)	Founding Owner, Pittsburgh Steelers
College	Duquesne
Career Highlights
Super Bowl       Wins	1979 Super Bowl XIV 1978 Super Bowl XIII 1975 Super Bowl X 1974 Super Bowl IX
Championships       Won	1979 AFC Championship 1978 AFC Championship 1975 AFC Championship 1974 AFC Championship
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1933-1988	Pittsburgh Steelers
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1964

Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. (January 27, 1901 - August 25, 1988) was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise in the National Football League. Rooney began his life and career as a marginal player in the history of Pittsburgh, but by the time of his death, he was one the city's most beloved residents.

Not only did Rooney devote his life to Pittsburgh and football, but he also actively endorsed rising sports such as boxing and horse racing and was instrumental in taking them to new heights. More than anything, Art Rooney was fondly remembered for his jovial nature, his Catholic family values, and his ability to make the city of Pittsburgh, and its people, feel like they were all a part of the Steelers family.

Rooney suffered for 40 years without an NFL championship, but when the Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s and were acclaimed the greatest professional football team to that time, sports columnists nationwide said Rooney's good fortune was proof that nice guys don't always finish last.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.

Early life

The son of Irish Catholic immigrants, Daniel and Margaret Rooney, from Newry in County Down, Art Rooney was a lifelong resident of the Pittsburgh area. He was born in Coulterville, Pennsylvania and raised on the North Side of Pittsburgh with his eight siblings. Rooney graduated from Duquesne Prep (later Duquesne High School, which closed in 2007). He then went on to Duquesne University. Since then, many members of the Rooney family have graduated from Duquesne and have made many endowments to the university.

Sports had been an integral part of Rooney's youth as he starred on the college baseball team and played halfback on the football team at Duquesne University. He was also an amateur boxing champion in his youth, which lead to his investment in the sport of boxing during his later life. Growing up, Rooney and his brother Dan were both well-known local athletes. Rooney attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which was then known as Indiana Normal School, for two years, graduating in 1920. He was twice offered a football scholarship to Notre Dame by Knute Rockne but did not accept.

Rooney was always popular with owners as a mediator, which would carry over to his son Dan Rooney. He was the only owner to vote against moving the rights of the New York Yanks to Dallas, Texas after the 1951 season due to concerns of racism in the South. Ultimately, the Dallas Texans failed after one year, and the rights were moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and later the team became the Indianapolis Colts.)

In 1963, along with Bears owner George Halas, Rooney was one of two owners to vote for the 1925 NFL Championship to be reinstated to the long-defunct Pottsville Maroons.

Decade of Dominance

Following the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the Steelers agreed to leave the NFL Eastern Conference and joined the AFC Central Division.

Through expert scouting the Steelers finally became a power. In 1972, they began a remarkable eight year run of playoff appearances. The Steelers finally came to dominate professional football with a vengeance in the 1970s with the arrival of Joe Greene, Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris.

In Rooney's 41st season as owner, the club won their first Super Bowl in 1975. They followed up with Super Bowl victories in 1976, 1979 and 1980. During the 1976 season, the team allowed only a staggering 28 total points in the final nine games of the season, including five shutouts.

In 2006 the Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21–10, to join the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers as the only franchises to win five Super Bowls.

Passing the Reins: Rooney's Family

Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League, appears at the White House with President George W. Bush on the occasion of the commemoration of the Steelers winning Super Bowl XL.

"By the late 1960s, Rooney had turned over day-to-day operation of his sports enterprises to his five sons." After the 1974 season, Rooney relinquished the day-to-day operation of the club to his eldest son Dan. He remained Chairman of the Board of the club until his death in Pittsburgh in 1988.

After his death, Dan Rooney became team president and chairman while younger brother Art Jr. was appointed vice president of the team. Third son Tim manages Yonkers Raceway, the family harness track in New York. Pat operates Palm Beach Kennel Club, the dog-racing track in Florida, and Green Mountain Kennel Club in Vermont. Pat's twin brother John also was involved with the family track operations for years and now handles family oil, gas and real estate interests. The family also operates Shamrock Stables, a farm in Woodbine, Maryland, and once owned Liberty Bell thoroughbred track in Philadelphia. Rooney's wife of 51 years, the former Kathleen McNulty, died in November 1982 at the age of 78. He had 34 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren."

Family values

At a tribute in 2006 Bishop Donald Wuerl said, "Art Rooney, ‘the Chief,’ was a legendary figure, a dedicated Catholic whose acts of charity defined the man."

The Rooney family was loved not just for their contribution to football lore but for their long time support of local Catholic education. Father Kris Stubna, diocesan secretary for education, said of Dan Rooney, "He loves children and youth and has been for them a model of everything that is good about being a person of faith. He models for all he meets his love for the church, especially the Eucharist, and his desire to serve the needs of others in whatever way he can. Dan Rooney is a man of tremendous faith and great compassion, and it is always a joy to interact with him."

Thirty-six years after Art's induction into the Football Hall of Fame his son Dan was inducted into it in 2000.

Dan's son, Tom Rooney, in 2008 was running as a Catholic pro-life candidate for the Republican nomination in Florida's 16th Congressional District. In addition to his father, Dan, and mother, Sandy, Rooney has four uncles, four brothers, two sisters, and 35 first cousins. Almost all of them have pitched in to help his campaign.

Death

Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. lived a fitting life of dedication to his city and Pittsburgh Steelers; however, in death too he could not detach himself from the Steelers. He collapsed on August 17th, 1988 in the team office and was rushed to Mercy Hospital where, after showing signs of improvement, Rooney succumbed to age on August 25, 1988. This was not the death of just another famous and successful man, but an iconic figure, the face of Pittsburgh since the 1920's.

Legacy

In memory of "The Chief," Steelers wore a patch on the left shoulder of their uniforms with Rooney's initials AJR for the entire season. The team ended up finishing 5-11, their worst record since a 1-13 showing in 1969.

Art Rooney received many awards during his career. In 1964, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Duquesne University named their football field in his honor in 1993. In 1999, The Sporting News named him one of the 100 most powerful sports figures of the 20th century.

A statue of his likeness graces the entrance to the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heinz Field. He also has a street named in his honor on Pittsburgh's north side.

There's also the Rooney Dormitory at St. Vincent College, the Rooney Hall at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. There's the Rooney Middle School on the North Side, and the Rooney Scholarship for North Side students, the Rooney Catholic Youth Association Award, the Rooney 5K race and the Rooney Pace at Yonkers racetrack.

Art Rooney is the subject of, and the only character in, the one-man play The Chief, written by Gene Collier and Rob Zellers. The play debuted at the Pittsburgh Public Theater in 2003, and has been revived on three occasions since then. All productions have starred Tom Atkins as Rooney.

Today, Rooney is probably the city's most beloved figure. Few are spoken of with as much reverence as Rooney. At Steeler games, particularly during the Super Bowl XL season a sign was spotted that showed a picture of Rooney with his beloved cigar and under it read the word "Believe."

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• O'Brien, Jim. 2001. The Chief: Art Rooney and his Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh, PA : James P. O'Brien Pub. ISBN 1886348065
• Rooney, Art Jr., and McHugh, Roy. 2008. Runaidh: the story of Art Rooney and his clan. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ISBN 0981476023
• Sahadi, Lou. 1980. Super Steelers: the making of a dynasty. New York : Times Books. ISBN 081290950X

External links

• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile.
• Ruanaidh - The Story of Art Rooney and His Clan.
• Steelers Fever. Retrieved June 25, 2008
• Arthur J. Rooney.
• Steeler Gridiron: Art Rooney.
• Steelers' Art Rooney in Retrospect Retrieved
• Dan Rooney Star of the County Down and the Pride of Pittsburgh Irishpennsylvania.com.
• Steelers looking to restructure team ownership Messengernews.com.

Template:1964 Football HOF

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Art Rooney  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Art Rooney"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.