by Dan Rooney
This incident also led to a discussion on a wide range of issues. What does the NFL represent? I believe the NFL represents the game itself. Football is America’s sports passion, and the NFL brings families and communities together in a special way. Pittsburgh is feeling great about itself right now—Rand McNally named Pittsburgh America’s most livable city in 2007—and the Steelers recently won Super Bowl XL. Our young quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is the toast of the town. The strong character and integrity of our players today are as strong and positive as they were when the Super Steelers of the 1970s won four Super Bowls. The NFL today has a tremendous group of young men representing our teams on and off the field.
Our game represents special values: tough but fair competition on a level playing field, teamwork, an extraordinary work ethic, and advancement based on merit. We represent achievement and excellence based on performance.
Though NFL football is the highest level of America’s favorite sport, the roots of the game grow deep in Western Pennsylvania and thousands of other regions across the country. Its values are nourished in urban, suburban, and rural communities; in thousands of football teams, leagues, and organizations; and with millions of coaches, youthful players, and parents.
Going forward, we have to stay true to what we are—the game of football—and not succumb to the pressure of outsiders to be something else. We also need to hold ourselves accountable and speak out when we see another team, player, or official do or say anything that could harm the league’s standing with our fans. Our ultimate goal has always been, and will continue to be, to ensure that the NFL is respected throughout America and viewed as an organization that positively influences millions of Americans of all ages and walks of life.
CHAPTER 9
FORWARD PAST
IT’S TIME TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE. Will these goals stand the test of time?
The Steelers’ mission statement: “The mission of the Pittsburgh Steelers Football Club is to represent Pittsburgh in the National Football League, primarily by winning the Championship of Professional Football. The Club should conduct a first-class, profitable operation, as a valuable member of the community.”
The Steelers are an integral part of the community. Our success becomes Pittsburgh’s success. The Steelers are both an avenue of entertainment and a source of pride. Once a team commits to its community, the community commits to its team. There’s something special about Steelers fans: they feel a part of something bigger than themselves—the Steelers Nation. From the time they are old enough to hold a football, their love and knowledge of the game grows.
The year 2007 marks the 75th anniversary season of the Pittsburgh Steelers and my 75th birthday. We have planned quite a celebration for the Steelers 75th season, including throwback uniforms, an exhibit from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and even a historical marker commemorating the site of Three Rivers Stadium. The fans selected the All-Time Steelers Team, just as we had done in 1982 for our 50th anniversary. A “Legends Team,” selected by a panel of experts, honored the top Steelers who played prior to 1970. It’s altogether fitting that Joe Greene, one of the greatest Steelers ever, served as the Honorary Captain for the 75th season. How appropriate that Joe’s jersey, number 75, coincides with this anniversary.
It’s also fitting that our 75th anniversary coincides with Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary. Pittsburghers are a proud people, and while we celebrate the Steelers’ past, we also recognize Pittsburgh’s contributions to the world—pro football, labor unions, suspension bridges, the jeep, the polio vaccine, and many more world-changing firsts.
As we look back, it’s also time to look forward. Pete Rozelle really pushed the league into the television era. Instead of each team pursuing its own individual television deal, Pete consolidated our interests and negotiated as a league with the networks. And maybe even more important than that, before Pete ever began talking with the networks, he pushed the owners into agreeing to split the revenue from television evenly among all the teams. This single policy did more to build the NFL than anything that had come before. It gave all teams an opportunity to be competitive. It’s the reason why NFL franchises in places such as Green Bay, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh could compete with the big market cities of New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
Paul Tagliabue followed Rozelle and brought labor peace to the NFL. He maintained that peace through a series of extensions to the original collective bargaining agreement and established a good working relationship with the NFLPA. This labor peace maintained public confidence in the NFL at a time when each of the other professional sports leagues endured a work stoppage. This confidence allowed seventeen teams to build new stadiums, which in turn provided a boon in comfort and entertainment for the fans, while opening opportunities for clubs to increase revenues.
During Tagliabue’s term, the league expanded to thirty-two teams—the perfect number because it allows for four divisions of four teams in both the NFC and AFC, with one team from each playing in the Super Bowl. Paul also nurtured the media and marketing opportunities that came with the explosion of the Internet and cable television. The NFL Network contributed to an increase in the league’s fan base and sponsorships.
Now it’s Roger Goodell’s turn. As his first initiative, he took on the task of disciplining players and employees who break the law or are involved in conduct that can damage the league. It’s a big job, and a complicated one sometimes, but Roger is committed to making it work.
Roger faces many challenges. The current CBA between the league and the NFLPA is based on sharing revenue, split not only among the clubs but with the players as well. But since 1993, when it first took effect, there’s been a growing disparity in the amount of revenue generated by the teams in different markets. It’s no longer a level playing field for Green Bay and Buffalo when compared to Washington or Dallas or New England. How will the NFL keep the clubs in the bigger markets with the larger revenue streams on the same competitive field with teams in the smaller markets? And what will be the influence of the CBA? What happens if it is not extended? Can Goodell keep all teams competitive while continuing to maximize revenue? And then, who gets what?
I’m confident Roger Goodell is equal to the challenge. He is capable, intuitive, mentally tough, and at the same time, he possesses vision. Based on his actions thus far, I think it’s clear Roger will continue to find ways to handle everything that comes across his desk—from going before Congress to testify about steroids and the league’s drug policy; to continuing to meet with players to discuss discipline, pensions, and health plans while bringing together an alliance of those who can help with these important issues; to strengthening the working relationships with Gene Upshaw and the NFLPA.
Roger can do it, but it will not be easy. One of the league’s challenges at this time is that most team owners have been, or still are, very successful in other businesses. An “I want what I want now” attitude just won’t work if the league is to grow and flourish.
NFL owners must understand that WE ARE PARTNERS.
And this partnership does not only pertain to the business of the league; it’s a partnership to protect the game and nurture its relationship with the fans. Pat Kirwan, of NFL.com, captured that relationship in this August 3, 2006, report from Latrobe:
“With fourteen thousand fans filling a high school stadium last night, the Steelers showed up in four yellow school buses for a live intrasquad practice and goal-line scrimmage.
“As I stood in the bleachers and watched the buses pull up next to an old steel mill and the players get off with their shoulder pads in hand, I got goose bumps. I was living a dream. For one night, Mr. Rooney . . . turned back the hands of time for me and the Steelers fans. I was allowed to take a peek at how it used to be—and it was awesome.
“It looked like the origins of pro football, a steel town playing another steel town at the local stadium. As the players mingled with their fans, signed autographs and took pictures, Mr. Rooney
presented one of the game balls from the Super Bowl to the mayor of the town. In that moment, I finally understood why the Steelers are just different from most teams. There’s no way the Steelers players could let these people down, and there’s no way the fans could ever turn on the team when times get tough.
“There was a four-year-old boy sitting behind me with his mother, and he turned to her in his Jerome Bettis jersey and told her, ‘I’m glad to see coach letting Santonio Holmes catch some punts.’ He’s too young to understand that much football. At least, I thought a child that young didn’t get the game yet, but he and his mom were there to watch some ball. The Steelers fans love football!”
Now we are embarked on a new era in franchise history. Art is the president and will be the driving force behind the Steelers of the twenty-first century. His brother Dan can help Art the way Art Jr. helped me. We have a new coach—Mike Tomlin—who’s taking us in new directions but at the same time is showing that he understands the way the Steelers do business. Mike and his wife Kiya are raising three energetic children and are quickly becoming Pittsburgers.
“This is the first situation in the NFL where I have worked that it was not corporate,” says Tomlin. “Truth be known, that’s what makes it special here. It doesn’t matter what business you’re in—it’s a people business, and people are important here. You hear, ‘The door is always open.’ Well, here it’s not a cliché. There are a lot of things that make this place special, but that stands out when people talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers being a family environment and atmosphere. The business of professional football is competitive, and it’s always going to be that way, but to have a pure open-door policy and a willingness to have conversation—both official and unofficial with your people—is something that makes this place special.”
During my seventy-five years with the Steelers and the NFL, I’ve seen a lot of change. Every year brought new challenges and opportunities. Throughout it all, I’ve had fun and made so many good and lasting friends. My life has been focused on family, faith, and football. I tried to do the best job I could and I try to make a difference. As I look back, I think there’s very little I’d change, even if I could. Looking forward, I can see how the past shapes our future. I’m proud to have been part of the story. I’ve enjoyed my role as colleague to NFL commissioners, especially Pete Rozelle, Paul Tagliabue, and now Roger Goodell. I hope my perspective and love for the traditions of the NFL have been a help to them.
Football is in my blood. In some ways I feel I’m the last man standing, the last of the first generation who knew the founders of the league and who set it on its course to become America’s game.
On the day after we lost the 2004 AFC championship game, Jeff Hartings stood in front of a room filled with media and said, “We honestly love each other. I honestly felt that I would rather lose a game like this with this team than win a Super Bowl with a team I didn’t enjoy playing with.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many friends have helped me along the way. Margaret Vota not only first suggested I write about my experiences with the Steelers and the NFL, but also spent many hours reading and critiquing the manuscript. Bob Labriola of the Steelers organization and editor of Steelers Digest gave me the benefit of his knowledge of Steelers games and enhanced the book. Joe Browne, NFL executive vice president of Communications, also read the manuscript and made many suggestions. Patricia Rooney, Rita Rooney Conway, Art Rooney II, Chuck Daly, Trueman H. “Gus” Peek, and Gene Collier also read the entire manuscript and offered helpful changes. My friend and colleague Charles “Stormy” Bidwill encouraged me to continue writing. Joe Paterno, a friend for many years, lent support. I thank them all. They have made it a better book.
My heartfelt thanks also to Commissioners Roger Goodell and Paul Tagliabue for their support and encouragement.
Many within the Steelers organization helped: Tim Carey, Bill Cowher, Mike Fabus, Gerry Glenn, Joe Gordon, Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Danielle Hudak, Sam Kasan, Ed Kiely, Burt Lauten, Dave Lockett, Karen Mercalde, Rebecca Mihalcik, Chuck Noll, Bill Nunn, Tony Quatrini, Jan Rusnak, Andy Russell, Jimmy Sacco, Ike Taylor, and Mike Tomlin.
At the NFL offices I could always call on Pete Abitante, Greg Aiello, Anastasia Danias, Gary Gertzog, and Jeff Pash.
I would like to thank the staff at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, especially Betty Arenth, Audrey Brourman, Brian Butko, Sherrie Flick, David Grinnell, Jon Halpern, Lisa Lazar, Art Louderback, Jenny Pack, Tonia Rose, Ned Shano, and Bob Stakley. I would also like to express my appreciation to Kaveri Subbarao, an associate attorney at Reed Smith, who offered expert legal advice.
Editor Kevin Hanover and the staff at Da Capo Press provided expert guidance and support throughout the project.
To my co-authors and friends Andy Masich and David Halaas I extend my deep appreciation for their historical perspective and hard work. From beginning to end it has been a rewarding experience.
Thanks to my children and their families—Art, Pat, Kathleen, Rita, Daniel, Duffy, John, Jim, and Joan.
A sincere thank you to my wonderful mother, Kathleen, and my father, Arthur J. Rooney.
My greatest thanks to Patricia, who has always been with me. She made this book possible.
Dan Rooney
Pittsburgh, PA
INTERVIEWS
BILL NUNN
Initially, you resisted the idea of working for the Steelers because you didn’t like the way they and the NFL did business in terms of drafting and playing African Americans. Did your opinion of the Steelers change after you started working there?
Nunn: Vast things changed as far as the organization. I’m surmising this, because of the type of people Dan and Chuck were. All of a sudden you started seeing black coaches there. Black people working in the office, sitting at the front desk. The whole structure started to change. To me, both of them were the same type of person. I don’t think they see color, and I don’t say that about a lot of people. I say that sincerely. When we used to line up the draft board, Chuck wasn’t concerned with the dots. There was a time when dots would be put up on the board.
What do you mean “dots”?
Nunn: Just a black dot so you could identify the players. That’s the way teams did it. At one time the NFL Scouting Combine identified people by race, and they did it there by using numbers. I said that’s illegal. Eventually it was stopped. They had numbers, something like 110 was white and 111 was black, for example. They didn’t identify Jews or Italians, it was just black or white.
Can you talk about some of the players of the 1970s, starting with Mel Blount?
Nunn: As sports editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, I did an All-America Team every year, and Mel was one of my All-Americans at Southern University. Chuck and I disagreed on him. We both felt he could play, but I thought Mel would have trouble as a cornerback because he was almost six-foot-four. I thought he should have been a safety. Chuck felt Mel could play cornerback. We went back and looked at the film. Chuck was right because of one doggone thing that I hadn’t taken into consideration. With the bump-and-run, Mel could jam the receiver at the line of scrimmage so he couldn’t get off and get into running his route. You couldn’t do that today. Mel was a great athlete.
Terry Bradshaw?
Nunn: Bradshaw—great talent, no question about it. Great arm, marginal touch on his flair passes that you had to have, particularly in the beginning. Great hands to catch. Would have had a lot of balls intercepted early, but the ball was coming so fast that even the defensive players couldn’t catch it. Great athlete. Physically had a lot of things.
I’m no coach. I’m not in meetings. I always say it’s very easy on the outside to look in, but if you don’t know what a guy is supposed to be doing, how can you say he’s right or wrong? Early on, Bradshaw had the reputation of being an idiot. That wasn’t true. Maybe he wasn’t the smartest quarterback, but he did call his own plays. So
questioning his intelligence did not hold up.
One of the things about Chuck was that he gave the quarterback a lot of responsibility on the field. As a result, I go along with the Chief’s analysis, which was: we won the first Super Bowl despite Bradshaw and the last two of those four Super Bowls because of Bradshaw.
Terry was another guy who came from a small school who needed to be developed. And he wanted to be loved. I didn’t like the way he handled the best athletic wide receiver he ever had in Frank Lewis. Frank was an introvert, and he needed the same things that Bradshaw needed, but in a different way. Lynn Swann handled Bradshaw really well, because Swann realized early that since Terry was the quarterback, Terry would be deciding where to throw the football.
When I was a newspaper guy, the first guy that brought that to my attention was Bobby Layne. I was down at the Roosevelt Hotel one Monday and I started asking Layne some questions. “What makes a wide receiver good?” He said, “I’ll tell you something, see this guy here?” His name was Jimmy Orr. “You know what makes him a good receiver?” said Layne. “I like him, and I throw him the ball.”
I never forgot that. A wide receiver needs to get nice with the guy who’s going to throw him the ball. He’s got to be able to catch the ball, but if he has talent and there are two equals, the one the quarterback likes the most will get the ball. Swann picked that up early.
Did Dan Rooney ever involve himself in the draft during the 1970s?