Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
How's this for a coincidence?
On Jan. 12, 1975, the Steelers -- led by a terrific, young quarterback and an All-World set of linebackers -- beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX. They were able, at long last, to give a championship to Art Rooney Sr., their beloved founder. Rooney, who, arguably, had done more for the NFL than anyone but commissioner Pete Rozelle, was 73.
On Feb. 5, the Steelers -- led by a terrific, young quarterback and an All-World set of linebackers -- will play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. Their beloved owner, Dan Rooney, the oldest of Rooney Sr.'s five sons, will be in Detroit with them. Rooney, who, arguably, has done more for the NFL than anyone but commissioner Paul Tagliabue, is 73.
Might this be the day the Steelers are able, at long last, to give Rooney a championship?
"Nothing would make me more satisfied," coach Bill Cowher said. "Nothing drives me more."
In the warm afterglow of the Steelers' 34-17 win Sunday against the Denver Broncos, on a day when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the linebackers and so many others played so spectacularly, it almost was easy to forget Rooney is going back to a Super Bowl for the first time in 10 years and just the second time since after the 1979 season when he stood behind his father and watched him accept his fourth Super Bowl trophy in six years.
But Cowher wouldn't let anyone forget, which isn't surprising considering Rooney had stuck with him through tough times earlier in his career.
The players also wouldn't let anyone forget, which is surprising in this age of professional sports when business and money routinely trump loyalty and relationships.
"When your owner is a person just like you are and not just an owner," Hines Ward said, "it makes it all that much more special."
To the Steelers, Rooney really is a regular guy, not just the boss who signs their big paychecks and sits in a fancy office overseeing his other multimillion-dollar businesses. The team is Rooney's business. He's at the South Side headquarters every day. The players see him every day. They see him after every game when he shakes their hands after their many wins and consoles them after their relatively few losses during the Cowher era.
Rooney was there again Sunday, offering hugs to his AFC champions. He looked a lot smaller and frailer than his father did back in '75. You almost wanted to send out a search party for him when he got lost in the big, meaty embraces of Kimo von Oelhoffen, Jerome Bettis and the rest.
Ward got one hug from Rooney on the field when both were blown away by the Steelers fans who gathered behind the team's bench and always seem to take over the opposition's stadium. He got another in the locker room and a third on his way to the team bus when he whispered to Rooney, "Love you, man."
I'm guessing Terry Bradshaw, Jack Lambert and the others said the same thing to Rooney Sr. back in the day.
Is it any wonder that Rooney's eyes were so watery in that Invesco Field locker room?
"This is one of the great moments in my whole history of the league," he said. "And I've been around a long time."
Ward said Rooney was one reason he ended his contract holdout in the summer. Sure, he didn't want to be a distraction for a team that everyone thought could make Super Bowl XL after going 15-1 last season. But he also knew Rooney would take care of him, as promised, which, of course, he did by giving him the richest contract in Steelers' history.
"Mr. Rooney was the first to shake my hand when I came back," Ward said. "There were no hard feelings. That means a lot to me."
Rooney also is a reason Bettis took pay cuts to stay with the Steelers. Bettis has become a Pittsburgh icon, more popular than any player since the Super Steelers. But he also stayed because he knew Rooney would give him his best chance to finally get to a Super Bowl, which, amazingly enough, is going to happen in his hometown of Detroit.
"Mr. Rooney has given us the chance every year since I've been here," Bettis said. "It's just a shame it's taken us this long to get him back to a Super Bowl. He deserves it more than any of us."
Cowher shares Bettis' regret about not getting to a Super Bowl since after the 1995 season when the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX. He must feel especially bad about the losses to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship games after the 2001 and '04 seasons because those came after Rooney had kept him as coach after the Steelers missed the playoffs in 1998, '99 and 2000.
"I'll always appreciate that patience," Cowher said.
One of the major story lines at Super Bowl XL will be Rooney's loyalty to his coaches. The Steelers have had just two -- Cowher and Chuck Noll -- since 1969. Rooney said he never gave any thought to replacing Cowher after those 7-9, 6-10 and 9-7 seasons even though there was considerable public sentiment for him to do just that.
"Honestly, I never did," Rooney said. "He always conducted himself the way I thought he should. He's a good coach and a good person."
Told that Cowher said he was driven to win the Super Bowl for him, Rooney blinked those watery eyes and said: "That means an awful lot to me. That tells you a little about our relationship. It's special. I don't think every team in the league has that kind of relationship."
There are no guarantees, of course, that Rooney will get to hold that Super Bowl trophy even if Cowher did promise him: "We're not just going to Detroit to be there. We're going there to win."
Certainly, there are no guarantees that Rooney, at this late stage of his life, will get four championships like his dad did, although, with the wondrous Roethlisberger, anything seems possible.
That's why Rooney will enjoy every second at Super Bowl XL.
"I feel terrific," he said, quietly. "But I'm really happy for these coaches and players. They've worked so hard. They deserve this."
On this, one of the most glorious days in Steelers' history, the feeling was mutual.
(Post-Gazette sports columnist Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1525.)
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