Dan Rooney: My 75 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL

By Dan Rooney

Book Overview

In 2007, the Pittsburgh Steelers will turn seventy-five years old. So will Dan Rooney. In Dan Rooney , the owner talks about growing up on Pittsburgh's North Side, competing with Johnny Unitas for top high school quarterback honors in western Pennsylvania, learning the ropes of big-time sports from his father and mentor, Art Rooney ("the Chief"), helping to shape the modern NFL into America's all-consuming passion, and forging the Steelers into a Super Bowl-winning dynasty. He also speaks frankly about winning and losing, and discusses his relationships with family, coaches, players, owners, NFL commissioners, the media, and the fans-"Steeler Nation." It's all here: the difficult contract negotiations, controversial decisions, memorable teams, and many behind-the-scenes stories of the growth of America's favorite game. A dedicated family man and proud native of Pittsburgh, this chairman of one of the most successful franchises ever reveals the dynamics that have made him such a respected owner in the NFL.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306815699
• ISBN13: 9780306815690
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Dan Rooney: my 75 yrs with the Pitsburg Steelers & NFL

I bought this for my son-in-law as a Christmas present. He started reading it and could not put it down. He kept telling my daughter about little passages in the book. Some of which brought tears to his eyes. He called me, all the way from Qatar, to tell me Thank you for the book. It was the best present ever that he could of received. They are both stationed in Qatar with the Air Force and now my daughter is reading it and she is not even a football fan. They said it makes them feel almost like they are at home. Alice Gess, Holyoke, MA

Dan Rooney

This is a beautifully-written book that would be of interest even to those who don't know or care very much about football. Dan Rooney is the last of an important era in American football, and the authors have done a meticulous and caring job of capturing a significant piece of sports history. Don't miss this one!

If you are a Steeler fan, this is a great book!

If you are a Steeler fan, this is a great book. The history of the Pittsburgh Steelers is fascinating. There are great insights into players, coaches, current and former NFL commissioners, and other team owners. What is also clear is the quality of the ownership of the team. The Rooney family is a class act. Art Rooney ("The Chief") was quite the businessman. I had no idea how much he was involved in. The success of the Pittsburgh Steelers is a testament to "good guys win." I have a newfound admiration for the Rooney family and a new sense of pride as part of the "Steeler Nation."

A must read

This is a must read for every of the Steeler Nation, and for that matter anyone that loves the game of football.

RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "AN INTIMATE PERSONAL LOOK BEHIND "THE STEEL CURTAIN"!

I want to preface this review with the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers are not my favorite professional football team, but when they're not playing my favorite team I do root for them to win. One of the main reasons is that I've always felt that the city of Pittsburgh and the people of Pittsburgh represent the heart and inner strength of "blue-collar" America. One of the reasons my life revolved around sports, is because at a young age my Father told me: "It doesn't matter what your Father does for a living, what type of clothes you wear, whether you have a diploma on the wall or not, and no matter what type of accent you speak with, that when you're on an athletic field, it's you against them, and if you're better you'll win!" I was an underdog and so was Pittsburgh, and neither one of us ever stopped striving to win. This book is the autobiography of Dan Rooney, the son of the "The Chief", Art Rooney Sr. the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dan, whose 75 years of life coincides with the historical growth of the National Football League (NFL) from a rough scrabble "seat of the pants" operation to becoming the most popular game in America, in addition to becoming a multi-billion dollar enterprise. The beauty of the author's storytelling is that despite Dan being a Pittsburgh Steeler all his life, his story is told with total honesty and compassion for all sides (teams) involved. Dan came from an Irish Catholic family and when I read about his youth, I closed my eyes, and as I imagined a movie being made about his life, I could only imagine one actor in the history of the cinema that would be perfectly cast in the lead role... "Jimmy Cagney"! Dan takes us from his childhood which included him being at the knees of NFL legends such as Papa Bear Halas, Bert Bell and other NFL founders who now all reside as does Dan in the Hall Of Fame, all the way through to the Steelers' five Super Bowl Championships. What gives this story so much more emotional impact than most biographies, is the reader can't fail but notice how unflinchingly Dan admits his and his team's mistakes as easily and as openly as most biographers gloat about their successes. To me one of the most endearing traits of Dan's is how many times he agonizes on how the Steelers' didn't keep, in his own words; "THE GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL-TIME JOHNNY UNITAS!" They drafted him but never gave "Johnny U" a chance, then cut him. And the rest is history! In the first few pages of the book Dan says that on December 23, 1972 with 22 seconds left on the clock in a game between the Oakland Raiders and his beloved Steelers that "THE MOST INCREDIBLE PLAY HE EVER SAW" took place: "THE IMMACULATE RECEPTION!" Over 200 pages later he states: "I BELIEVE THE IMMACULATE RECEPTION IS THE SINGLE GREATEST PLAY IN NFL HISTORY!" By the end of this book, the reader realizes that you've gotten to know a unique individual, that despite being in a most competitive business is known for his dignity and inte