Rooney's book offers insights to Steelers history

By John Harris
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 4, 2007

In the prologue of his new book, "Dan Rooney: My 75 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL," the Steelers chairman explains the motivation behind his poignant autobiography.

"I urged the league to record and preserve the history of the NFL for posterity. But now we have lost them all -- the first generation who knew how it happened and put it all together," Rooney told co-authors Andrew E. Masich and David F. Halaas in an advance copy of his autobiography due for release next month. "The story as I know it hasn't been recorded ... So as the last man standing, the last to know from hearing, witnessing and experiencing that history, I guess it's up to me to tell the story as best I can."

Rooney explains the thinking behind the organization's hiring three young men without prior head coaching experience to lead the team -- Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin.

"(Cowher) was young -- only 34 -- but that was a plus. Remember, Chuck Noll was only 35 (actually 37) when we hired him."

Rooney is portrayed in the autobiography as he comes across in person -- as an astute businessman with an abundance of communication skills.

• On teaming with Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers to select new commissioner Roger Goodell, Rooney wrote: "The process allowed the smoothest commissioner transition in NFL history. Jerry Richardson and I were probably the only two people in the National Football League who could have operated and worked together as co-chairmen, a sad -- but true -- commentary."

• On selecting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the first round of the 2004 draft: "Our staff concluded that Eli Manning and Philip Rivers were the most polished of the prospects available, but there also was a big, strong talented kid at Miami of Ohio named Ben Roethlisberger who intrigued a lot of our scouts. Manning and Rivers were picked before our turn, and so our people seemed to have focused on Shawn Andrews, a big offensive tackle from Arkansas as our likely number one pick. But when our turn came, I couldn't bear the thought of passing on another great quarterback prospect the way we passed on Dan Marino in 1983, so I steered the conversation around to Roethlisberger. After some more talk, we came to a consensus and picked Roethlisberger."

• On negotiating a handshake deal with Hines Ward prior to the start of the 2005 season: "I called Jerome (Bettis) and said, 'Here's what I'd like you to do. Get Hines and bring him over to the Latrobe Airport. We'll meet in the back room. Nobody will know we're there.' This was not an official negotiation -- no agents or management, other than me. Everyone else was at camp, or back in Pittsburgh.

"Jerome persuaded Hines to come, and I talked to them both. To Hines I said, 'Look, you mean everything to us. We want to get this done.' He said, 'Well, I need to get what I deserve.' I said, 'You'll get what you should get. You might not be 100 percent happy with it, but you're going to get what's right.' He said, 'You've always been fair.' We understood one another and left with a handshake. I went back to Art (Rooney II) and Kevin Colbert and told them, 'You go talk to him and he'll sign. He wants to be here.'"

John Harris can be reached at jharris@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.