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Will weigh in on Mr. Rooney later on this thread with personal observations--a note to Steeler fans----The NFL Channel will broadcast the Steelers past SB victories starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. I don't know if they are going with the NFL Films one hour specials on those games or if they will broadcast the games in their entirety.
Excerpt: "Rooney’s most important win, however, might have been off the field with the introduction of what became known as the “Rooney Rule,” which provides a platform on which minority coaches can their chance to coach in the NFL. Now employed by all the league’s franchises, the Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least one minority coach when filling a head coaching vacancy."
The Rooney's were, of course, synonymous with Pittsburgh, multi-generationally so. The Rooney family saw some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time come out of the Pittsburgh area, incredibly determined people as hard as the millions of tons of steel they made.
The Rooney's knew them all and helped most of them along in their careers....Jim Kelly, Joe Namath, George Blanda, Babe Parilli, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and Johnny Unitas. They drank Rolling Rock or Iron City Beer and all had the western Pennsylvania ethic of hard work, hard work, hard work. Virtually all of them were devout Catholics. Their fathers often worked 2 or 3 jobs during the Great Depression and these were their sons who worked just as hard at a sport that got them out of the mines and out of the mills.
Probably the singular blunder the Rooney's ever made was cutting Johnny Unitas from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Along about 1961, Dan Rooney had these words to say about Johnny Unitas: "How could we root against him. He was our guy. He was one of us. He was Pittsburgh."
RIP to Dan Rooney. He was Pittsburgh.
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From the standpoint of being successful, you have to look at Art and Dan Rooney for not making hasty decisions, for not being too "hands on", if you will. One stat about the Steeler organization that is most impressive is giving a new coaching staff time to build a program. From 1969 to 2017 there have been a total of three men who have been the head coach; Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin. Nearly a half century--three men! The result is 6 Super Bowl rings.
Last edited by DOUBLE H; 04-14-2017 at 07:39 AM..
Reason: correction, spelling
Dan Rooney was responsible for a variety of things for the betterment of the league. Here's a couple:
The merger with the American Football league teams had its contentious moments, with one of them being who is going to move to the AFC. You had 10 teams in the AFC and 16 in the NFC. You had to have an equal balance here. Rooney was instrumental in how the divisions were going to line up.
Rooney talked Art Modell to move the Browns to the AFC, by including Cincinnati in that division was a no brainer as you had Paul Brown in charge of the Bengal franchise. It was a natural fit.
When Modell moved his club to Baltimore Rooney had a big hand in regards to getting a franchise set up in Cleveland ASAP. The Browns left Cleveland after the 1995 season. The stadium was built, and the Browns returned to the NFL. Rooney had a hand in all this. He felt it was good for the area, and good for the league.
Excerpt: "Except for a stint as ambassador to Ireland in the Obama administration, Mr. Rooney was part of the Steelers almost from birth, having been born the year before his father, Art, bought the team in 1933....Mr. Rooney started out as a water boy and held nearly every job in the team’s front office, eventually becoming chairman."
There's so much info in the newspaper article that I'd have to quote the whole thing to illustrate the stature of the man, his family, his times, his game, his city and his nation. I hope you do read it.
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It says a great deal about the man, the Steelers organization when probably every other team has representatives at the funeral. In spite of players returning to GB today, Mike McCarthy, other coaches and team CEO will attend. The season starting is important but not more important than honoring Dan Rooney.
A well respected man, and from the days of working your way up rather than having something handed to you. He will be missed and R.I.P.
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