| Art Rooney | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 27, 1901 |
| 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. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) In American football, each team has 11 players on the field at one time This is a List of Athletic Conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. professional American football, the Super Bowl is the Championship game of the National Football League (NFL Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California to decide the National Football Super Bowl XIII was an American football game played on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami Florida to decide the National Super Bowl X was an American football game played on January 18, 1976 at the Orange Bowl in Miami Florida to decide the Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans Louisiana to decide The American Football Conference Championship Game, otherwise known as AFC Championship Game, is one of the two Semi-final matches of the National Football League The American Football Conference Championship Game, otherwise known as AFC Championship Game, is one of the two Semi-final matches of the National Football League The American Football Conference Championship Game, otherwise known as AFC Championship Game, is one of the two Semi-final matches of the National Football League The American Football Conference Championship Game, otherwise known as AFC Championship Game, is one of the two Semi-final matches of the National Football League Athletics (track and field Indoor Competition March 6 &mdash Tom O'Hara sets a new world record for the indoor Mile (January 27, 1901 - August 25, 1988) was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise in the National Football League. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American 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 the city's most popular as well as beloved resident.
Contents |
Early life
The son of Irish Catholic immigrants from Newry in County Down Rooney was a lifelong resident of the Pittsburgh area having been born in Coulterville, Pennsylvania and raised on the North Side of Pittsburgh. Irish Catholics is a term used to describe people of Roman Catholic background who are Irish or of Irish descent. Newry ( short form An tIúr, "The Yew" is the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland and eighth on the island of Ireland. County Down, ( Ulster Scots: Coontie Doun. is one of the nine counties that form the province of Ulster and one of six counties that form prod concern = Non-notable former unincorporated village that doesn't appear on maps or on google search (save for this article month = October day = 7 year = 2008 time = 1452 timestamp = 20081007145213 He graduated from Duquesne Prep (later Duquesne High School, which closed in 2007). In keeping with his Catholic background, he then went on to Duquesne University. Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Since then, many members of the Rooney family have graduated from Duquesne and have made many endowments to the university.
Pittsburgh Steelers
His affiliation with the NFL began in 1933 after he traveled to Saratoga Race Course in New York and won at least $2,500 in a parlay of longshot winners. History John Hunter who became the first chairman of The Jockey Club, and William R He soon used that $2500 to pay the required National Football League franchise entrance fee for a club based in the city of Pittsburgh, which he had named the Pirates (also the name of the city's long-established Major League Baseball club, which Rooney was a fan of as a child). The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since the league's founding in 1920, the NFL had wanted a team in Pittsburgh due to the city's already-long history with football as well as the popularity of the Pittsburgh Panthers football team, an NCAA national championship contender during this period. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with The Pittsburgh Panthers football teams traditionally the most popular sport at the University of Pittsburgh, have represented the University in competition since 1889 The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations The league was finally able to take advantage of Pennsylvania relaxing their blue laws that prior to 1933 prohibited sporting events from taking place on Sundays, when most NFL games take place. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern A blue law is a type of law in the United States and Canada designed to enforce moral standards particularly the observance of Sunday as a day of worship
Rooney sent shockwaves through the NFL by signing Byron "Whizzer" White to a record-breaking $15,000 contract in 1938. Byron Raymond White ( June 8, 1917 &ndash April 15, 2002) won fame both as a football Running back and as an associate justice of This move, however, did not bring the Pirates a winning season, and White left the team for the Detroit Lions the following year. The Detroit Lions are an American football team based in Detroit Michigan. The club did not have a season above . 500 until 1942, the year after they were renamed the Pittsburgh Steelers.
During World War II, the Steelers had some financial difficulties and were merged with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1943 and the Chicago Cardinals in 1944. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The "Steagles" is the popular nickname for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League (NFL teams the Pittsburgh Steelers The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. Card Pitt was the name for the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League (NFL teams the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Cardinals
After the War, Rooney became team president. He longed to bring an NFL title to Pittsburgh but was never able to beat the powerhouse teams, like the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers. The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay Wisconsin. Although the Steelers were reasonably popular in the city during this time, they would remain second-fiddle to the Pittsburgh Pirates until the 1970's and were known in the NFL as the "lovable losers". The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team also made some questionable personnel calls at the time such as cutting a Johnny Unitas in training camp (Unitas would go on to a Hall of Fame career with the Baltimore Colts. John Constantine "Johnny" Unitas ( May 7, 1933 &ndash September 11, 2002) nicknamed The Golden Arm and often called The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the Hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis Indiana. ) and trading their first round pick in the 1965 draft to the Chicago Bears (The Bears would draft Dick Butkus, with the pick. The 1965 National Football League Draft took place on November 28 1964 The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. Richard Marvin "Dick" Butkus (born 9 December 1942) is a former American football player widely regarded as the greatest Linebacker ), among others.
Nevertheless, Rooney was popular with owners as a mediator, which would carry over to his son Dan Rooney. For the fictional television character please see Dan Rooney (General Hospital Daniel M 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 at the time. The New York Yanks American football team started in the National Football League in 1949 after Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins The 1951 NFL season was the 32nd Regular season of the National Football League. List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive (Ultimately, the Dallas Texans failed after one year, and the rights were moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where the team became the second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts. The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League for one season 1952 with a record of 1–11 The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis Indiana. ) 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. George Stanley Halas Sr ( February 2 1895 &ndash October 31 1983) nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr In American football, there is considerable controversy over whether the Pottsville Maroons should have been awarded the 1925 National Football League Championship Boston Bulldogs (NFL redirects here For the Boston Bulldogs team that competed in the first American Football League see Boston Bulldogs (AFL The Pottsville
Later life
Following the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the Steelers agreed to leave the NFL Eastern Conference and joined the AFC Central Division. The AFL-NFL merger of 1970 was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues
Through expert scouting, the Steelers did become a power. In 1972, they began a remarkable 8-year run of playoff appearances. In Rooney's 41st season as owner, the club won the Super Bowl. professional American football, the Super Bowl is the Championship game of the National Football League (NFL They followed up with Super Bowl victories following the 1975, 1978 and 1979 seasons. professional American football, the Super Bowl is the Championship game of the National Football League (NFL In between those championships, during the 1976 season, the team allowed only a staggering 28 total points in the final 9 games of the season, including 5 shutouts.
After the 1974 season, Rooney reliquished the day-to-day operation of the club to his son Dan. For the fictional television character please see Dan Rooney (General Hospital Daniel M He remained Chairman of the Board of the club until his death in Pittsburgh in 1988. 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. The 1988 Pittsburgh Steelers began the season with the death of Hall of Fame team founder & owner Art Rooney at age 87 less than two weeks before the start of the The 1969 Pittsburgh Steelers is what many consider to be the turning point of this once-moribund franchise
Legacy
Art Rooney received many awards during his career. In 1964, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the Hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL Duquesne University named their football field in his honor in 1993. Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. In 1999, The Sporting News named him one of the 100 most powerful sports figures of the 20th century. Sporting News (previously The Sporting News, and known colloquially as TSN) is an American -based Sports
A statue of his likeness graces the entrance to the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heinz Field. Heinz Field is an American football Stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He also has a street named in his honor on Pittsburgh's north side.
During his life, Rooney would usually have the Steelers use a late-round draft pick on a player from Pitt, West Virginia, and/or Penn State to give some of the local fans a player from one of the local college football teams, although that particular player rarely made the team. The Pittsburgh Panthers football teams traditionally the most popular sport at the University of Pittsburgh, have represented the University in competition since 1889 The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of College football. Penn State Nittany Lions football is a College football program that competes in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference. This is a trait the team occasionally still practices, but very seldomly do so nowadays and mainly focuses on talent in the entire draft as opposed to just the earlier rounds. Rooney also supposedly liked players from Notre Dame due to his Irish Catholic background, hence why he allegedly had the team keep Notre Dame alumni & wounded Vietnam veteran Rocky Bleier around. Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, United States Irish Catholics is a term used to describe people of Roman Catholic background who are Irish or of Irish descent. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Robert "Rocky" Bleier (born March 5 1946 in Appleton Wisconsin) is a former National Football League fullback who played Bleier would go on to become one of the key members of the team's success in the 1970's; however, Bleier was ironically a German Presbyterian. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity
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. Pittsburgh Public Theater is a professional theater company based in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 's Cultural District. All productions have starred Tom Atkins as Rooney. Tom Atkins (born November 13, 1935) is an American television and film Actor.
Today, Rooney is probably the city's most beloved figure. Few are talked about with as much reverence as Rooney. At Steeler games, (Especially during the Super Bowl XL season) there is a sign that shows a picture of Rooney with his beloved cigar and under the photo, the word "Believe". Super Bowl XL featured the American Football Conference (AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC champion Seattle
External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
- Ruanaidh - The Story of Art Rooney and His Clan
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