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 — first line of Steelers’ mission statement, as told in Dan Rooney’s autobiography.
Winning. That is what I think of first when I think of Dan Rooney. I think of a franchise that couldn’t walk straight for nearly 40 years until Art Rooney Sr., the Chief, finally turned over a coaching search to his eldest son.
I think of those six Lombardi trophies behind glass on the South Side.
I think of Tim Rooney, one of “Danny’s” four brothers — they all called him “Danny” — explaining to me what selling Steelers football entailed 60-some years ago, long before “Steelers Nation” and lifetime waits for season tickets.