The old man was the face of the franchise, but it was Dan who's largely responsible for building the Dynasty. By the way he didn't just vote against Modell's move, he also was instrumental in making sure football returned to Cleveland (including getting Haslam who back then held a small stake in the Steelers). Some highlights:
--Dan hired Chuck Noll when others wanted Paterno.
--He didn't just start the Rooney Rule, he was also the first to hire a black man, Bill Nunn, as director of scouting.
--Responsible for "suggesting" the team take Roethlisberger when Bill "No Clue About QBs" Cowher was pushing for some OL.
--Instilled the philosophy of sticking with head coaches for the long run. Your own team may want to look into that.
--Didn't even let being ambassador to Ireland stop him from contributing.
Art Rooney was a beloved old man who hired his buddies and kept the Steelers at the bottom. Dan changed the culture entirely. I don't think many owners can be called great but Rooney actually was.
Here's an excerpt from a feel-good ESPN article that touches on what the Gipster is saying (bolded):
"Former Cleveland Browns media relations staffer Amy Palcic -- now the director of communications for the Houston Texans -- spent a week in Pittsburgh in January 2009. Palcic was helping out the week before the AFC Championship Game, a typical league practice.
The Steelers gave her an out-of-the-way office, and at the end of her first day, Rooney walked by her open door and noticed it was someone he didn't know.
He walked in, introduced himself as Dan. When she explained why she was there, he asked if there was any way he could help. She said no and thanked him.
Every day for the rest of the week, Rooney stuck his head inside the door and asked how she was doing and if he could help in any way.
Rooney knew no pretensions.
I happened to be at a Steelers training camp after word broke that Jimmy Haslam, then a minority owner of the Steelers, would be buying the Browns. The Steelers understandably preferred not to be involved in the Browns' business and said little publicly.
I was working in an area set aside for the media when Rooney strolled through. I asked about Haslam, and he gave a kind and upbeat statement, and then started to leave.
As he did, I asked about his other job as ambassador to Ireland, at a time when the nation of his heritage was going through economic issues.
He stopped and his eyes lit up, happy to talk about a turnaround he saw coming.
Rooney never took himself so seriously that he couldn't offer a down-to-earth word with someone he hardly knew. He also understood the Cleveland-Pittsburgh connection between two Rust Belt cities devoted to their teams. He hated the idea of owner Art Modell's move to Baltimore and was one of two NFL owners to vote against the Browns' move and transformation into the Ravens.
When the Browns returned to Cleveland as a new franchise, Rooney happily joined with then-Browns president and CEO Carmen Policy for the Grudge Lunches that took place in Cleveland and Pittsburgh to honor the renewal of the teams' rivalry."
