In addition to the six Lombardi Trophies that he gets to look at every day, Pittsburgh Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney Sr. probably has quite a collection of other awards that he has been given over the decades. Wednesday evening, Dan Rooney added another prestigious one to that collection as he was given the Sports Business Journal 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell introduced Dan Rooney during the annual ceremony that took place in New York at the at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.
“He is one of the greatest men I know,” said Goodell.
The former ambassador to Ireland let his son, John Rooney, read his acceptance speech, which reportedly praised the Steelers, the NFL, and the growth of the game.
“He can legitimately claim that he has been there from the beginning and grew up in the business and has had a tremendous passion for the NFL and the Steelers his entire life,” said his son, Steelers’ President Art Rooney II. “That’s been something that his passion shows, and he has been an inspiration to me and everybody in the organization for many years.”
Dan Rooney has been a driving force in the NFL for several years and in 2003, the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates, was put into place due to his efforts.
Needles to say, Dan Rooney was very deserving of this award and we congratulate him on receiving it.
A few days ago, Bill King of the Sports Business Journal wrote a feature story on Dan Rooney in advance of him being given the award. If you have a chance, I highly encourage you to read it. Steelers.com also has a video up dedicated to Dan Rooney that is narrated by Bill Hillgrove.
