Art Rooney Jr.

Arthur Joseph Rooney Jr. (born October 18, 1935 ) is an American professional football executive who is the vice president for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). The son of the team's founder, Art Rooney, he has been employed by the team since the 1961 season.

Rooney served as the Steelers' personnel director from 1965 to 1986 and helped them have one of the best drafting runs in league history over a span from 1969 to 1974 while presiding over their scouting department, helping them select nine players who were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and signing another as an undrafted free agent. This contributed to them winning four Super Bowls in six years, and Rooney has in total been a member of six league championship teams. He was inducted into the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor in 2018 and has been considered for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on several occasions.

Early life Rooney was born in 1935 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney. He has been associated with the team for all his life, starting as an assistant in training camp and ball boy when young. He attended North Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, gaining a spot on the varsity football team in 1951 as a tackle. He was a starter on the line in 1952, before graduating in 1953.

After mulling where to attend college, Rooney's father had him meet Al DeLuca, coach at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, who had him join the school. Following his graduation, he joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve as a private and also acted in several theater stage productions.

Pittsburgh Steelers Rooney began his employment with his father's team in 1961, starting as a ticket office employee and also spending time as the team's public relations director. In 1965, he was named the team's personnel director, which had him head the scouting department. Previously, the Steelers' NFL draft strategy under Buddy Parker was to trade away most of their picks for veteran players. Under Rooney, the strategy completely changed, with draft selections becoming the team's main way of roster building. During this time, Pittsburgh selected nine players who would go on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and signed an additional one (Donnie Shell) as an undrafted free agent. Dan Rooney wrote in his 2008 autobiography, "Art and I disagreed. He and the scouts always felt they should have more control over the draft. I was very firm and said we had to work together ... We tried to settle our differences, but couldn't." He noted, though, that it was still "devastating for me and my family," and described being "exiled" to work for the team's real estate department. He became 16% owner of the team upon the death of his father in 1988, later selling a portion of his ownership to his brother Dan in 2008. The 2008 ownership restructuring showed continued resentment between the brothers, as Art and his other brothers thought that Dan was undervaluing the team. He has also been considered for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on several occasions, including being a finalist for the classes of 2023 and 2024. Rooney, alongside Robert Kraft, are the only active NFL team presidents to be six-time Super Bowl champions.

Personal life Rooney is married and has four children.