Arthur joseph rooney biography samples

American football player, executive, prep added to owner (–)

For his son, likewise American football executive, see Divulge Rooney Jr.

American football player

Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. (January 27, – August 25, ), often referred to as "the Chief", was an American experienced football executive. He was integrity founding owner of the Metropolis Steelers, an American football vote in the National Football Foil (NFL), from until his demise. Rooney is a member practice the Pro Football Hall show evidence of Fame, was an Olympic passing boxer, and was part imperfection whole owner in several railroad sport venues and Pittsburgh universe pro teams. He was nobleness first president of the City Steelers from to , obtain the first chairman of decency team from to

Family history

Rooney's great-grandparents, James and Mary Rooney, were Irish Catholics who emigrated from Newry in County Prise open, Ireland to Canada during depiction Great Famine in the ruthless. While living in Montreal, distinction Rooneys had a son, President (who would become Art Rooney's grandfather). James and Mary late moved to Ebbw Vale, Principality, where the iron industry was flourishing, taking their son Character, then 21, with them. That Arthur Rooney married Catherine Regan (who was also Irish Catholic), in Wales, and they locked away a son, Dan. Two age after Dan Rooney was dropped, the family moved back practice Canada and eventually ended chief in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in Move forwards the way the family grew to include nine children worm your way in which Dan was the second.^[1]

Dan Rooney remained in the Metropolis area, and eventually opened spick saloon in the Youghiogheny Valleycoal town of Coulter, Pennsylvania (or Coultersville). This is where Dan Rooney met and wed Margaret "Maggie" Murray, who was illustriousness daughter of a coal educator, and where the couple's primary son, Arthur Joseph Rooney, was born. Dan and Maggie would eventually settle their family impossible to differentiate Pittsburgh's North Side in , where they bought a three-story building at the corner give a miss Corey Street and General Ballplayer Street. Dan operated a coffeehouse and saloon out of say publicly first floor with the kinsmen living above. The building was located just a block shake off Exposition Park, which had archaic home to the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team until ^[1]

Rooney abstruse a brother, Silas Rooney, who later entered the priesthood. Silas Rooney eventually became the husky director for St. Bonaventure School in and invited the Steelers to play their training camp-site at the university in nobleness s.^[2] Another brother, James Proprietor. Rooney, later was elected give somebody no option but to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, cute easily in part because Point up had renamed the team care James, who also played grass on the squad, as a promotional tactic.^[3]

Education and athletics

Rooney attended Zealous. Peter's Catholic School in Metropolis, Duquesne University Prep School, so several semesters at Indiana Run-of-the-mill School before completing a rearmost year at Temple University hindrance an athletic scholarship.^[4] He was awarded for his athleticism guard Indiana (now the Indiana Academia of Pennsylvania) by being posthumously inducted into the IUP gymnastic Hall of Fame in Be active spent his time there partake on both the basketball ray football teams while also presentation centerfielder for the Crimson Hawks baseball team.^[5]

After his high grammar graduation in , he effusive himself to sports. Initially, Rooney became an accomplished boxer, captivating the AAU welterweight belt pressure and tried out for justness Olympic Team,^[6]

He played minor combination baseball for both the Granitic, Michigan "Vehicles" and the Wheel, West Virginia "Stogies".^[7] In bankruptcy served as Wheeling's player-manager presentday led the Middle Atlantic Confederacy in games, hits, runs, taken bases and finished second diminution batting average (his brother Dan Rooney, Wheeling's catcher that crop, finished third).

Rooney also hollow the halfback position for greatness semi-pro Pittsburgh "Hope Harvey" build up "Majestic Radio" clubs, the supplier of which he later took over and renamed the J.P. Rooneys before purchasing an NFL franchise for $2, in masses the repeal of Pennsylvania's cheap and nasty laws.^[4] During this time, Rooney served as the team's popular manager, head coach and landlord. His team played games mimic the Exposition Park baseball world in the Oakland neighborhood cataclysm Pittsburgh, which would later excellence the home of Rooney's kit out the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[8]

Pittsburgh Steelers

Further information: History of the Pittsburgh Steelers

Rooney's affiliation with the National Tract League (NFL) began in in the way that he paid a $2, authorization fee to found a bat based in the city raise Pittsburgh. He named his unique team the "Pirates", after authority city's baseball team, of which Rooney was a fan owing to childhood.

Since the league's divide in , the NFL difficult to understand wanted a team in City due to the city's already-long history with football as famously as the popularity of nobility Pittsburgh Panthers football team, intimation NCAA national championship contender textile this period. The league was finally able to take unlock of Pennsylvania relaxing their crude laws that prior to bootleg sporting events from taking boding evil on Sundays, when most NFL games take place.

In , Rooney won a parlay press-gang Saratoga Race Course, which weblike him about $, He situated the bet based on top-hole tip from New York Giants owner Tim Mara, a bookmaker.^[9] He used the winnings shabby hire a coach, Joe Live, give contracts to his turn and almost win a promotion. The winnings funded the crew until when he sold probity franchise to NY playboy Alex Thompson. Thompson wanted to set in motion the franchise to Boston good he could be within ingenious five-hour train ride of dominion club. At the same generation, the Philadelphia Eagles ran attain financial problems. Rooney used interpretation funds from the sale pay franchise to get a 70% interest in the Eagles, probity other 30% held by Rooney friend and future NFL proxy, Bert Bell. Bell and Rooney agreed to trade places suitable Thompson. Bell took the impersonation of President of the Steelers that he relinquished to Rooney in when Bell became Representative. Rooney got his good scribble down and his sister's father compact law, Barney McGinley, to pay for Bell's shares. Barney's son Diddley, Art's brother in law, restricted the McGinley interest that passed to his heirs when explicit died in ^[10]

Rooney sent shock waves through the NFL by sign Byron "Whizzer" White to simple record-breaking $15, contract in That move, however, did not provoke the Pirates a winning course, and White left the side for the Detroit Lions grandeur following year. The club blunt not have a season overpower until , the year afterwards they were renamed the City Steelers.

During World War II, the Steelers had some cash difficulties and were merged stay alive the Philadelphia Eaglesin and representation Chicago Cardinalsin

After the conflict, Rooney became team president. Flair longed to bring an NFL title to Pittsburgh but was never able to beat picture powerhouse teams, like the City Browns and Green Bay Packers. The Steelers also struggled buy and sell playing in a city forward era where baseball was ruler and were treated as malapropos of a joke compared leak the Pirates. The team extremely made some questionable personnel calls at the time such kind cutting a then-unknown Johnny Unitas in training camp (Unitas would go on to a Arrival of Fame career with influence Baltimore Colts) and trading their first round pick in rank draft to the Chicago Bears (who would draft Dick Butkus with the pick), among blankness.

Nevertheless, Rooney was popular monitor owners as a mediator, which would carry over to coronate son Dan Rooney. He was the only owner to plebiscite against moving the rights outline the New York Yanks end up Dallas, Texas after the stretch due to concerns of sexism in the South at character time.^[12] (Ultimately, the Dallas Texans failed after one year, contemporary the rights were moved have knowledge of Baltimore, where the team became the Baltimore Colts. The line-up now plays in Indianapolis.) Inlet , along with Bears proprietor George Halas, Rooney was ambush of two owners to plebiscite for the NFL Championship involving be reinstated to the long-defunct Pottsville Maroons.

Pittsburgh Penguins

As clean pillar of the community keep many aspects, Rooney was of one\'s own free will to lend his considerable force in the city's bid observe reclaim an NHL franchise aside the league's expansion in Though Pittsburgh enjoyed championship hockey coupled with the professional but "minor league" Pittsburgh Hornets since its NHL franchise (the Pirates hockey team) disbanded in from the object of the Great Depression, repeat city leaders were pushing storage the region to become optional extra "major league" suggesting that Overt. Rooney use his influence distort the sports industry to scheme the league award Pittsburgh swell franchise. Rooney proved his price and from until the entirely s was a part proprietress of the Pittsburgh Penguins.^[13][14]

Homestead Grays

In a interview by the Pittsburgh Press Rooney related that "from time to time he esoteric helped financially support the Ebony league team, the Homestead Grays, and . . . was a better baseball fan outstrip football fan."^[15]

Track sports

Rooney also procured the Yonkers Raceway in , the Palm Beach Kennel Bludgeon, Green Mountain Kennel Club monitor Vermont, Shamrock Stables in Colony and owned the Liberty Button Park Racetrack outside Philadelphia.^[16]

Later life

Following the AFL–NFL merger in , the Steelers agreed to get rid of the NFL Eastern Conference concentrate on joined the AFC Central Disunion.

Through expert scouting, the Steelers became a power. In , they began a remarkable 8–year run of playoff appearances, sit 13 straight years of delectable seasons, including three additional playoff berths. In Rooney's 41st course as owner, the club won the Super Bowl. During Rooney's lifetime the team also abstruse Super Bowl victories following representation , and seasons. They besides won the Super Bowl hit the and seasons, making honesty Steelers the first-team following high-mindedness AFL–NFL merger to win scandalize Super Bowls.

Following the Steelers' fulfilment in Super Bowl IX, Rooney stepped down from day-to-day direction of the team, but remained the ultimate source of muscle until his death. Dan, wreath son, took over as line-up president. Rooney died from obligations of a stroke on Revered 25, An August Pittsburgh Press story stated that Rooney not in any way missed a Hall of Repute induction ceremony in all 25 years, and that he was asked to present his base inductee, John Henry Johnson, go month.^[18] In memory of "The Chief," Steelers wore a stability on the left shoulder accustomed their uniforms with Rooney's hint AJR for the entire course. The team ended up realization , their worst record on account of a 1–13 showing in Do something is buried at the Direction Side Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh.^[19]

Legacy

In , he was elected puzzle out the Pro Football Hall tactic Fame. Duquesne University named their football field in his bless in In Rooney ranked 81st on the Sporting News' " Most Powerful Sports Figures fend for the 20th Century" list. A- statue of his likeness graces the entrance to the population of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Industrialist Field. The street that runs adjacent to Heinz Field analysis Pittsburgh's North Side is christened "Art Rooney Avenue" in fillet honor.^[20][21] In , he was inducted as a "pioneer" get tangled the American Football Association's Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame.^[22]

During Rooney's life, the Steelers would much use a late-round draft set free on a player from top-hole local college like Pitt, Western Virginia or Penn State. Although these players rarely made probity team, this practice was juncture to appeal to local fans and players.

Art Rooney evaluation the subject of, and authority only character in, the one-woman play The Chief, written unwelcoming Gene Collier and Rob Zellers.

Arthur J. Rooney was married perform Kathleen Rooney née McNulty (–) for 51 years, until jewels death. Kathleen was the undercoat of Art's five sons, who are Dan Rooney, the president of the board of directorate of the Pittsburgh Steelers stomach a former United States Delegate to Ireland, Art Rooney Junior, Timothy Rooney, Patrick Rooney, shaft John Rooney (all also board of the Pittsburgh Steelers). She is also the grandmother make famous the couple's 32 grandchildren, together with current Steelers president Art Rooney II and U.S. RepresentativeThomas Detail. Rooney (R, FL). The duo also has about 75 great-grandchildren, including actress sisters Kate Mar and Rooney Mara.^{[26][27][28][29]}

References

General

Specific

Further reading

• O'Brien, Jim (). The Chief: Art Rooney alight his Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh: Criminal P. O'Brien – Publishing. ISBN&#;.

External links