ART ROONEY
Game 54 | September 14, 1956 | Art Rooney, Ed Kiely, Father Tom Meagher
Now that Met Stadium had been built, it was time to convince pro football owners that the facility was ready for an expansion team. The Minneapolis newspapers put up the money to lure the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles to the Met for their season opener (won 14-12 by the Steelers) with the proceeds going to Father Meagher's Catholic Charities. Kiely was the Steelers' PR man, and Steeler owner Rooney told the Dunkers that the stadium would surely host a pro team in the foreseeable future.
Game 218 | April 26, 1973 | Art Rooney
One of the most beloved figures in the history of Pittsburgh, Rooney won $2,500 on a series of long shot winners at a race course and used the money to buy Pittsburgh a franchise in the National Football League. He ran the team from 1933 until 1984 when he turned the day-to-day operations over to his son, Dan. A weak team through most of its first 40 years, the Steelers dominated pro football in the 1970s, winning Super Bowls in 197 4, 1975, 1978 and 1979.
