Famous Pittsburghers:
Art Rooney, Sr. (1901 - 1988)
Did you know the boyhood home of Art Rooney Sr. once
stood on the same spot where Three Rivers Stadium would
be built many years later, and where Mr. Rooney himself
would be hailed as "The Chief?"
Art Rooney was born in Coultersville, a town east of
Pittsburgh, into a family that made their living as coal
miners and steel workers. His parents moved their
nine children to Pittsburgh when Art was at a tender age
and there they lived on the second floor of his father's
bar. It was a tough neighborhood but growing up
wasn't all bad. There were plenty of youngsters in
the neighborhood and the kids in those days played
baseball, basketball and football from morning to night
and enjoyed boxing as well.
Mr. Rooney's love of sports was evident throughout
his formative years, but by the time he considered
investing in his own team, he reputedly earned the money
in a non-conventional way. Art was not shy at the race
track and some of his winnings certainly helped to keep
his pro football team afloat in those early years.
Some believe his wagering wins possibly financed his NFL
franchise purchase.
Art owned several semi-professional sports teams over
the years in Pittsburgh and was able to bring his
football team into the National Football League after
purchasing the franchise in 1933 for the sum of $2,500.
He decided to make the franchise purchase after the
Pennsylvania "Blue" Laws were voted out. The Blue
Laws prohibited doing much of anything on a Sunday,
including playing professional football.
Art's love of baseball shined through when he first
named his professional football team the Pirates, even
though there was a professional sports team of the same
name in town. In 1941, the team opted for new
uniforms and a name change. Pittsburgh was the
steel capital at that time when Art famously responded
to a newsman's inquiry of what he thought of his team
and his response was, "They look like the same old
Steelers!"
Fame and glory did not come to the Pittsburgh
Steelers quickly and the "same old Steelers" line
followed them for a long time.
As Art said: "We lost so often that you didn't feel
like going out in the daytime. You ducked your
friends. You went up and down alleys to get to
your office. Everybody asked you the same thing,
'What happened?'" It wasn't until their 42nd season,
with Richard Nixon in office, that they claimed their
first championship by winning the AFC Central Division
Title.
Fortunately the Steelers didn't have to wait long to
win a Super Bowl title. The team went on to
capture Lombardi Trophies in 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980 and
again in 2006 and 2009. Mr. Rooney was
elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton,
Ohio, in 1964.
Art married his wife Kathleen and they were together
for 51 years until her death in 1982. Together
they had five sons, Dan, Arthur Jr., Tim, John and Pat.
Each son proudly became involved in the family business
whether it was with the Steelers franchise, Mr. Rooney's
race tracks or another family enterprise.
Any time Mr. Rooney paid a post-game visit to the
Steelers' locker room the players stood up because they
respected him so much, no matter how exhausted they were
after a hard fought game. Art Rooney was
known as a man who made everyone feel as though they had
his undivided attention during the time he was talking
to them. He was friends with famous people in both
the political and entertainment worlds as well as with
doorman and the members of the ground crew at Three
Rivers Stadium. He was known for writing notes to
coaches and players' families as well.
Once Art wrote to a coach who had just signed a
former Steeler telling him what a fine young man he had
joining his program. He also wrote a note to a
mother of a player who wasn't with the team for very
long but was traded to another team, telling that mom he
was proud her son was part of the team for the time he
was there. Only someone special would go that
extra mile. Those notes were treasured by those
lucky enough to receive them.
Sports wasn't the only circle of fame Art Rooney
traveled in. Mr. Rooney was as well known in
political circles as he was in his home parish, St.
Peters Roman Catholic Church on the North Side. In
his later years Mr. Rooney was at a dinner with the
bishop and other church dignitaries in attendance.
Mr. Rooney, being the proud man that he was, wanted to
join the line to pay his respects to those at the main
table. He struggled to get up, refusing
assistance, only to find that the bishop and dignitaries
came over to him. Mr. Rooney was the ultimate
"Proud Pittsburgher" who never forgot where he came from
and made the little guy feel as important as the famous
people who crossed his path. Art Rooney once said,
"If you ask a Pittsburgher where some place is, he'll
stop and tell you, and if he has nothing to do, he will
take you there."
Art, the famous gray-haired, cigar smoking gentlemen
in his later years was also known for being the kindest
and most charitable sports team owner who said that
"losing is a terrible thing." Art Rooney was a
winner in life, both in the sports world and in his
private world. He will forever be a winner in
Pittsburgh.
Written by Diane Gliozzi
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