Art Rooney: The Steelers and Hope

Art Rooney was one of the great men of the National Football League. He was unique. Art Rooney: The Steelers and Hope concisely examines the high points of Rooney football life and his team. Rooney entered the scene in the early days of the league after the stage had been set by George Halas and others. NFL President Joe Carr was looking for some big city investors who could put some money down and help solidify the wobbly organization that had many teams come and go after the first decade of play. The league needed stability. Rooney might have seemed an odd candidate by some standards. He came from a family born in the mills, but did want any part of them. He liked baseball, the fight game, and horse racing perhaps more than football. He was a young family man and was well entrenched in his church, but he understood the gritty sides of the city. People of all types were drawn to Rooney. <br>Patient and practical in his own way, Rooney built sporting institutions including the Pittsburgh Steelers as he and his wife were building a family. Rooney kept the Steelers going through the tough time of the Depression and beyond World War II. Today the world is a better place because of Art Rooney and his family. <br>