Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney Dead At 84

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney has passed away at the age of 84, the team announced on Thursday afternoon. He leaves behind a resoundingly positive legacy as one of the NFL’s most beloved owners. Dan Rooney (vertical)

Rooney was the son of Art Rooney, the founder of the franchise. As Judy Battista of NFL.com writes, Rooney’s entire life from birth centered around the Steelers. He worked as a ball boy for the team as a teenager, signed players to contracts as a college student, and even found his way to ticket and ad sales. Before ascending to the top, Rooney worked in every possible facet of the organization.

The Steelers hired Chuck Noll largely because of Rooney’s influence and he also pushed his football operations department to draft Ben Roethlisberger. In addition to revolutionizing the Steelers, he also had a profound effect on the league as a whole. The “Rooney Rule” ensures that black coaching candidates get a fair shake in the interviewing process and commissioners Pete Rozelle, Paul Tagliabue, and Roger Goodell all leaned on him for advice along the way.

We here at Pro Football Rumors extend our condolences to the Rooney family.

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