Art Rooney
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Art Rooney | |
|---|---|
 The statue of Art Rooney outside Heinz Field. |
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| Date of birth | January 27, 1901 |
| Place of birth |  Coulterville, Pennsylvania |
| Date of death | August 25, 1988 (age 87) |
| Place of death | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Position(s) | Owner |
| 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 was a lifelong resident of the Pittsburgh area having been born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburb Coulterville. He graduated from Duquesne Prep, then went on to Duquesne University before founding the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rooney (nicknamed "The Chief") is a beloved figure in the city of Pittsburgh. 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. 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). He actually had already bought the team and used the money from his winnings to pay salaries and costs for a number of years during the depression. Rooney sent shockwaves through the NFL by signing Byron "Whizzer" White to a record-breaking $15,000 contract in 1938. This move, however, did not bring the Pirates a winning season. 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.
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. After forty seasons, it seemed as the Steelers would always be destined for the second division. Following the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the Steelers agreed to leave the NFL Eastern Conference and joined the AFC Central Conference.
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. They followed up with Super Bowl victories following the 1975, 1978 and 1979 seasons. 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. He remained Chairman of the Board of the club until his death in Pittsburgh in 1988.
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.
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.
[edit] External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
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