Getty ImagesThe Steelers announced the death of team chairman Dan Rooney at the age of 84 on Thursday afternoon.
As the eldest son of franchise founder Art Rooney, Dan Rooney spent his entire life around the Steelers and steadily took on more of the responsibility for running the franchise throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. He was named team president in 1975 amid the team’s run of four Super Bowl titles in six years behind coach Chuck Noll, who Rooney had a heavy hand in hiring, and players brought into the franchise under his direction.
Rooney assumed the chairman role when his father died in 1988 and remained heavily involved with the team until being named the United States Ambassdor to Ireland by President Obama in 2009. He served in that role until 2012. That long and stable run in control of the team was duplicated on the sideline as Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin are the only men to coach the Steelers since 1969. All three coached Super Bowl winners and the Steelers have had just 10 losing seasons since Noll took over.
His impact on the league can be felt with the existence of the Rooney Rule, which was instituted in 2000 and requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and General Manager jobs. He was active in several other aspects of league affairs, including negotiating television deals as far back as the early 1960s and working to end work stoppages in the 1980s.
Our condolences to the Rooney and Steelers families on their loss.
Rest in peace. You lived a great life. Thanks for bringing the heart, love, and devotion to my favourite sport
Agreed. Hopefully the patriots fans stay classy here.
His impact on the league can be felt with the existence of the Rooney Rule, which was instituted in 2000 and requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and General Manager jobs.
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Should have been known as the Al Davis Rule.
He is the originator of this practice and its overlooked
Godspeed, Mr. Rooney.
Definition of class.
RIP, Mr Rooney. All the best to the family.
NFL’S GREATEST OWNER
Niners fan here, and I’m heart-broken. Great owner. Great man.
Sad day for Stiller Nation. Condolences. He was great for the League.
-Pats Fan
R.I.P. Solid ownership top to bottom from that organization. DECADES of fluidity.
-Patriots Nation.
Rooney turned the Steelers around when he talked his father Art into hiring Chuck Noll. The Steelers would not be constant contenders year after year (it’s been well over a decade since they had a losing season) without his efforts and decisions. And he was great for the league and the city of Pittsburgh too.
RIP. Condolences to his family and Steeler Nation.
Cowboys fan
Sad sad day. Huge loss for everyone who loves football. RIP.
Tony Romo sends his condolences.
Don Rickles, Charlie Murphy , J Giles now Mr. Rooney. What a crazy week!
Thank you Mr. Rooney and thank you all for the awesome memories!
A great owner – last of a great generation.
Sad day for all NFL fans. He was a class act.
Mr. Rooney rest in peace from a Pat’s fan.
The NFL is built on the shoulders of men like Dan.
That rare man whose father was a legend and who managed to exceed the father’s accomplishments. He leaves huge cleats to fill and will be missed.
Great football presence and his impact on the game will be felt for decades. Condolences to the Steeler organization and their fans.
RIP.
He and his family deserve to be recognized as pioneers of the modern NFL. He will be missed. RIP!
Rest in peace. Great owner, great ambassador for the game.
One thing that has not been mentioned about Rooney was his enormous respect for his opponents…other teams, other players, fans and other owners. Whether you agreed with him or not, he wanted to do what was best for the league.
I once covered Steelers training camp, for just a couple of weeks, for a few seasons in a row. Dan Rooney made a point to walk over and introduce himself, and came to me to shake my hand, every year. When he saw me in the morning—one year, I stayed in a dorm on-site—he waved at me from across the field and came over, for a few minutes, to talk. I was from the smallest newspaper in the world. He was all class.
Class Act all the way. Being a Ravens fan you always had respect for the Rooney Family and the way they ran the organization. Don’t change coaches every 5 years and the loyalty from the coaches to the players shows.
That rare man whose father was a legend and who managed to exceed the father’s accomplishments. He leaves huge cleats to fill and will be missed.
Very well said!
He was one of the good ones. RIP Sir. Condolences from Cowboys Nation.
He and his father juiced their players to the gills for decades now. Good riddance to a classless cheater.
A sad day for Steelers fans, and football fans from all over.
-Pats fan.
He was one of the good ones. A true football pioneer and all-around class-act. It’s a sad day for football fans.
Back when owners had balls.
In his honor they should perfect the Rooney Rule instead of what it currently is. Such a good intentioned rule that is so poorly executed
Should be Al Davis Rule…dude started it all for equality.
Rest in peace Mr. Rooney. My condolences to the Rooney family and family’s friends, and to the people in the Steelers organization, their players, and their fans everywhere.
Patriots fan
Respect
Rooney, during realignment insisted that the Steelers and Browns both move to the AFC and they had to stay in the same conference…….smart man that understood the fan base.
Him and his dad are smoking cigars together right now, assuming heaven sets aside a designated smoking cloud. Thanks for who you were and all you did, Dan.
Go Steelers!
Yesterday Charlie Murphy, today Dan Rooney. When it rains, it pours. RIP.
Rest in peace sir. The utmost respect from this Ravens fan
Sorry to see this. Rest in peace, Mr. Rooney.
Meanwhile, Jerrah is laughing knowing he just scored more power with the remaining owners. Jerrah your exit interview is coming.
Condolences to the Rooney family and Steeler nation on the passing of a true legend. As fans we dog each other’s teams but no fan of the NFL should ever fail to give props to the Rooney and Mara families. Our teams play in the league they built and that on occasion Wellington Mara and Art and Dan Rooney sometimes kept afloat at their own expense.
A Pats fan
Pats fan here. He was classy all around. RIP.
scoops1 says:
Apr 13, 2017 4:19 PM
Should have been known as the Al Davis Rule.
He is the originator of this practice and its overlooked
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Keep in mind the Rooneys were also the first owners to hire a black man to be their director of scouting, back in the 1960s (a key reason they plucked out so many gems from black colleges). They were far ahead of their time when it came to being equal opportunity employers.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
As a Browns fan I can say he was a class act when the Browns left Cleveland and throughout. Condolences to the family.
Browns Fan. Hate the Steelers. But Completely respect the team and the Rooneys. Will never forget it was just he and Ralph Wilson as the only ones to vote “no” on the browns move in the 90’s. class man. RIP.
Stable ownership and a great legacy of success. I’m a pats fan. The rooneys are NFL royalty. God bless.
Rooney, An intrigal part of NFL lore and history.
He’ll be missed but not forgotten.
Packer fan.
Dan Rooney was one of the greats. Condolences from the land of the Giants
The NFL lost a great person. Condolences to the Rooney family and Steelers fans.
Great man who will never be forgotten. The Steelers will claim another championship for you Mr. Rooney.
Ed Spider, Mike Ilitch, Rooney, these classy, community minded , sports leaders are and will be missed.
RIP
Great man. RIP Mr. Rooney. I am sad to see him go.
RIP Nothing better then the oldest original teams in the league. It was their vision with things like revenue sharing, etc that made the league what it is today…
A true pioneer, may he rest in peace. My sympathy to his family and all Steelers fans, God bless all of you.
Pats fan.
Well maybe the refs won’t give them so many games now.
Ravens fan. Respect from here
Rip. Best wishes to the family.
Us fans owe many a happy Sunday to Mr Rooney. No doubt that right now God is considering him for Chairman of Heaven.
RIP. Condolences to the Rooney family and to Steeler Nation on your loss from this Patriots fan.
Football suffered a great loss today. RIP Dan, and prayers and condolences to his family. May his legacy forever endure.
Godspeed. Condolences to the Rooney family.
Class act, Dan Rooney – his dad may have founded the team, but Dan Rooney ‘owned’ them . . . he was absolutely the brains behind the organization . . . but he was also such a humanitarian and benefactor to so many.
You will be missed Mr. Rooney. RIP.
Great owner and an even greater man.
My condolences to the Rooney family, Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans. The league lost a great stalwart.
To the classless losers that come out to troll or down-vote supportive comments…Grow up.
Great man. Great influence on the league. 100% class.
Rest in peace.
Heartbreaking day for Steeler Nation. We’ve been blessed to have such a gracious individual and a man with such a brilliant football mind in the owner’s chair. Deepest condolences to the Rooney family. RIP
RIP Mr Rooney you will be missed.
His family, the Steelers and their fans have my heartfelt sympathies on their loss.
Pats Fan
It starts at the top…
RIP Mr. Rooney
With any luck his “rule” suffered the same fate as him.
Always sad to see a Legend pass away.
RIP.
When it comes to Dan Rooney the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. He was not only a great steward of his own father’s legacy but of the game itself.
This Dolphin fan sends his sympathies to the family, team and fans.
We all have some idiots included in and amongst our fellow fans. As a football ‘nation’ Dolphans apologize to all of you for wib22 and his classless misplaced jab at Pats fans that had no place here
Thanks for all you did Mr. Rooney.
I will have a Mass offered for you.
Pats fan