Born to an Irish Catholic working-class family on the Northside of
Pittsburgh, Art Rooney (1901–88) dabbled in semipro baseball and
boxing before discovering that his real talent lay not in playing
sports but in promoting them. Though he was at the center of
boxing, baseball, and racing in Pittsburgh and beyond, Rooney is
best remembered for his contribution to the NFL, in particular
to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team he founded in 1933.
As Rooney led the team in the early years, he came to be
known as football’s greatest loser; his influence, however, was
instrumental in making the NFL the best-run league in American pro
sports. The authors show how Rooney saw professional football—and
the Steelers—through the Depression, World War II, the ascension of
TV, and the development of the NFL. The book also follows him
through the Steelers’ dynasty years under Rooney’s sons, with four
Super Bowl titles in the 1970s alone. The first
authoritative look at one of the most iconic figures in the history
of the NFL, this book is both a critical chapter in the story
of football in America and a thoroughly engaging in-depth
introduction to a character unlike any other in the annals of
American sports.
