Plaudits deserved
Steelers owner Dan Rooney’s impact clear at funeral, NFL columnist Jarrett Bell writes, 8C
Sure, there were PITTSBURGH dignitaries galore. Former president Barack Obama sat just off the aisle in the second row, right next to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Yet just as striking inside St. Paul Cathedral on Tuesday during a Mass celebrating the life of Dan Rooney was the reflection that represented so many different walks of life.
Among the political figures and NFL owners were common folk — blue-collar laborers and 9-to-5 office staffers, I’d suspect, who also connected with the Pittsburgh Steelers chairman and former ambassador to Ireland.
Rooney died Thursday. He was 84.
As Cardinal Donald Wuerl told the hundreds gathered inside the church, “He was always a man of the people.”
Rooney’s legacy is wrapped in the respect that he demonstrated for people, regardless of their statuses or differences in opinion. That might seem to be a rather fundamental trait, but constant reminders tell us that has never been automatic in this world.
Still, respect was Rooney’s common denominator, the reason he was so beloved — by peers, players, fans and even adversaries, if he had any — as a model for the best that Pittsburgh could offer. He knew how to extend himself across the aisle, so to speak.
As they filed out of the church, everyone had a story about being touched by Rooney.
Tom Condon, a prominent agent, reflected on tough labor talks between NFL owners and the locked-out game officials he represented in 2001. After giving a presentation outlining the officials’ position, Condon, who has had his share of intense, hardline negotiations over the years, was stunned to get encouragement from the other side. It was Rooney.
“He tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘You did a good job, son,’ ” Condon said.
It also was Rooney who called him after the 9/11 attacks, as talks remained at an impasse, suggesting that it was time to strike a deal. It took two days to hammer out the differences.
“He had great integrity,” Condon said. “Beyond that, he was compassionate.”
Dom Capers, a former defensive coordinator for the Steelers, vouched for the family atmosphere that defined the team’s culture.
Then there’s the Rooney Rule, which mandates that NFL teams interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching jobs.
No, Rooney didn’t want the rule named in his honor.
“I had to fight him on that,” said John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes opportunities for minorities in the NFL. “But we could not have gotten it done without him. No one else could do what he did.” What exactly was that? “He convinced the other owners that if they were going to build the league into what it should be, they had to take measures to provide more opportunities,” Wooten said. “The vote was 32-0. When is the last time you saw that vote?”
Dean Spanos, the Los Angeles Chargers chairman, recalled that Dan and his father, Art, aka “The Chief,” were among the first to offer support after his father, Alex, bought the franchise in 1984.
“He was always a league-first guy,” Spanos said.
Which doesn’t mean he wasn’t trying to win, evidenced by the Steelers’ NFL-record six Super Bowl victories. Just because Rooney was a nice man doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a fierce competitor. And scrappy, too. Goodell told a story a few years ago at one of the private dinner parties that the Rooneys host annually during the NFL meetings. He shared how Rooney wasn’t shy in calling to give him an earful if he disagreed with an officiating call — even from Ireland.
One of the lessons from Rooney’s life is that impact can be had in myriad ways. Art II, the Steelers’ president, joked during the service that, although his father’s three priorities were faith, family and football, the order wasn’t always clear.
Art recalled the time he was with his father in the communion line at Mass, and Dan not only had the ringer activated on his cellphone, but he also answered it.
Art pressed his father for an explanation.
“As if it would make it all right, he said, ‘I thought it was the commissioner,’ ” Art said.
Ike Taylor had the distinction of representing Steelers players as a pallbearer. Taylor, a former cornerback, once famously slept for an extended time in Rooney’s office after telling the team’s owner that he was tired. Rooney told him to take a nap on his sofa, then as he left for the day told his secretary not to disturb Taylor.
Players, like so many others, cared about Rooney, too, as the farewell illustrated.
“Having Obama come is the ultimate measure of respect,” Condon said.
Rooney was a lifelong Republican who joined forces with Obama — and hit the campaign trail on his behalf — because he was moved by the then-U.S. senator’s message and thought he was the best candidate.
As it turned out, the Steelers were the first Super Bowl champs to visit Obama at the White House.
Now a president showed up to celebrate Rooney’s life.
“Imagine that?” Condon said. “Unbelievable.” Maybe not. Just fitting for a man who made so much of his time and left an indelible mark.
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