Dan Rooney
Dan Rooney
Daniel Milton "Dan" Rooneyis the former United States Ambassador to Ireland, who served from July 3, 2009 until his resignation in 2012. He is chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team in the National Football League, which was founded by his father, Art. Rooney was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000 for his contributions to the game. He is credited with spearheading a requirement that NFL teams with head coach and general manager vacancies interview at...
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth20 July 1932
CityPittsburgh, PA
The biggest thing my father passed on to me, and I hope we've continued it, is to treat people right. We treat our players as family, not workers. We're concerned for them away from the field and whatever problems they might have. My father always had a relationship with the players. And I've tried to do the same.
We do have a certain way we do things. We do lose some players to free agency, but maybe we want to lose some of those. It's very easy for people to say 'you need to do it this way' or 'you need to change.' That's when you have to stand up and stick with the way you do things.
It starts before the draft. We interview them, and we talk to them about it. We want players who are a good fit for our locker room. And having smart players, that's an important phase of it.
What made him was his strength. This was a time players didn't have strength. I remember we were playing the Giants at Forbes Field one time and it was a very close game, and they were moving the ball. He sacked the quarterback three times in a row.
I would say this probably compares to our first time, Super Bowl IX. It's very similar, these young guys we have, just like the players then. It's really their turn, their time up. The kind of people they are, it's a close team, they've done things the hard way although it probably worked out, home and away.
I would say we're partners with the players now. There's owners that would resist it now, but ... I really think that's the way it should be.
He described how the owners and players should be in this together for the good of the league.
I knew it was a good one, a good symbol and said what we were. It said steel. It's still good.
The biggest thing he passed on, and I hope we continue it, is to treat people right.
I'm not really for that. But I have to listen to what's being said. He's not the commissioner for the small markets. He's not the commissioner for the big markets. They have the same goal.
I'm very proud of the way this team played. We played super defense, and how about our quarterback making that tackle?
It was a compromise by all parties and I think that makes it great.
It's wonderful. I think it's a great thing for this city.
So far, it's great. We haven't punched anybody yet.