Tag: The Chief

Steelers founder Art Rooney: ‘We are not America’s Team’

The Pittsburgh Steelers founder didn’t beat around the bush when approached about first becoming “America’s Team.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers have forever been known for representing a city of blue-collar, hard-working people. So when NFL Films approached owner Art “The Chief” Rooney 30 years ago about a gimmick, they were turned down.

After beating the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl 10, then-commissioner Pete Rozelle went to Art’s son, the late Dan Rooney, to seek permission to dub the Steelers “America’s Team” in an upcoming NFL Films production.

When Dan addressed the topic with his father, Art’s response was simple.

“We are not America’s Team. We are the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

The Chief had spoken.

“We didn’t want that,” Dan recalled in a 2014 interview on Talk of Fame. “We’re Pittsburgh’s team. We feel strongly about that.”

The Chief didn’t like it. The Cowboys were next asked about becoming America’s Team. General manager Tex Schramm liked the idea and ran with it.

And that, kids, is how the Cowboys became America’s Team. Because the Steelers took a hard pass.

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Steelers’ president Art Rooney II remembers his father, Dan, on Father’s Day

Steelers’ pres. Art Rooney II and his brother Jim talk with former Steeler Tunch Ilkin about their father Dan’s influence on their lives.

In an interview with Steelers analyst, Tunch Ilkin, Steelers president Art Rooney II and his brother Jim, speak candidly about their father, Dan Rooney.

Art said the only minus about his father was that he wasn’t around much due to his responsibilities with the Steelers. “[Dan] traveled a good bit, and he worked long hours,” said Art. “The other side of it was, having a dad in the football business, and being able to be around the team a lot. He brought me around a lot. I used to go to work with him every Saturday morning.”

“It was great how he tried to include me in different conversations,” Art said when asked what it was like growing up with the football influence. “I got to hear a lot about what was going on. Particularly in the early days, sort of the back-and-forth between he and my grandfather was fun to hear what they were talking about.”

“[Dan] was very busy, and he made sure we were both very busy on and off the field,” added Jim.

Jim said that his father and The Chief, Art Rooney, were always all about getting things done. “Don’t be a big shot,” Jim said his father and grandfather would always say. “Whenever you went anywhere with them, they were always involved in something that had purpose and meaning, and they expected you to be involved with them or respect what was going on.”

Faith, family, and football were the cornerstones of the Rooney family. Both Jim and Art have carried those through and incorporated them into their own lives in every way.

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