Dan Rooney was more than a team owner, he was a beloved and respected man who shaped the NFL into what it is today. On an immediate level he turned the Pittsburgh Steelers into one of football’s most-successful teams, but he also did critically important work that will have an impact on the game for decades to come.
3 ways Dan Rooney changed the NFL forever
Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Much of Rooney’s work was behind the scenes. It’s one of the reasons why he’s respected by other owners and league officials so much — but there are a few high-profile things he achieved.
1. “The Rooney Rule”
Following the 2002 season Rooney, then head of the league’s diversity committee, sought to establish more opportunities for minority coaches to have opportunities in the NFL. The eponymous “Rooney Rule” stated that teams must interview at least one minority candidate in a hiring process for head coach, or senior football positions.
The rule has had a lasting impact on the NFL. At the start of the 2006 season, 22 percent of high-level coaches in the league came from minority backgrounds, compared to just 6 percent before the rule was implemented.
Current Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who is hispanic, credits Rooney in part for his job.
2. Turning the Steelers into a juggernaut.
There is no telling how the Steelers would be viewed in the modern NFL if it wasn’t for Dan Rooney’s influence. His father Art Rooney established the team in 1933 and the team floundered. By the late 1960s, the Steelers were much more akin to the current Cleveland Browns than any world-beater. From 1965-1969 the team used eight different quarterbacks, and struggled to an abysmal 14-53-2 record.
Dan began managing the team’s day-to-day operations in 1969 as an effort to turn things around. He personally hired coach Chuck Noll, rebuilt the team from the ground up, and the rest is history.
Before Rooney managed the Steelers: 22 losing seasons. No championships.
After Rooney took over: 15 division championships, eight AFC Championships, six Super Bowl wins
3. Behind-the-scenes activities.
One of the lasting elements of Rooney’s legacy will be the people he influenced along the way and in ways most football fans can’t appreciate. He was integral in negotiating labor deals with players, ensured everyone’s voice at the table was heard — and that’s why he is being garnered with such high praise from owners and officials around the league.
Rooney always had a unique relationship with players, raised with them in football. His early life was influenced by getting to know the players on his father’s team, many of whom would help take care of him or help him with his homework as a child when he traveled with them to away games.
This kind of influence stuck with him, which helped make him such a respected negotiator. Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was extremely close to Rooney, and the two ensured every season their teams would play each other in preseason as a way for the owners to remain in close contact. He said the following of his friend.
A life in service of football and winning. An unforgettable legacy and a lasting mark that will echo through history. Thank you, Dan Rooney.
