On opposite coasts and conferences, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks don’t often match up against each other. But they will this Sunday for a game that means everything for both sides. Both teams enter 8-7, both teams need a win or else their playoff hopes will be all but dashed, Pittsburgh a little more than Seattle.
For former NFL linebacker Chad Brown, he knows both organizations well. Drafted by the Steelers in 1993, he spent five years with the team, including a reunion in 2006, and was with the Seahawks for eight seasons. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, Brown joined WTAE’s Andrew Stockey to discuss the differences between both organizations.
“When I was a Seattle Seahawk, it was owned by Paul Allen, one of the wealthiest men on the planet,” Brown told Stockey. “But we never saw him. Versus Mr. [Dan] Rooney, who was at practice every day. The more corporate structure of the Seahawks versus the more family structure of the Steelers.”
Seattle has been in the Allen family for decades but not their entire history. Allen, who co-founded Microsoft, bought the team in 1997 from Ken Behring, who had purchased the team in 1988. Behring threatened to move the team to Los Angeles but Allen kept the Seahawks in Seattle, turning them into a successful franchise who won their first Super Bowl in 2013. Allen died in 2018 but the team remains in the Allen trust, though there’s speculation the team could be sold in the upcoming years.
Pittsburgh has been owned by the Rooney family since its inception in July 1933. Brown played for the late Dan Rooney, who died in 2017, with his son, Art Rooney II, now owning the team. The Rooneys are well-known for their old-school style. Attending practice, walking to games, showing up to events driving their own car as opposed to being picked up by a chauffeur.
The Rooneys are considered one of the “poorest” owners in football and Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. didn’t make his money with big business, though the story of The Chief using racetrack winnings to buy the team is disputed by the family, pointing out his big paydays didn’t occur until after buying the team. Still, he saw the franchise through tough years and lean times, buying into the upstart NFL during the Great Depression.
While Brown pointed out the differences in the franchise, he understands there isn’t a one-size-fits-all model.
“Both have been successful, but the models couldn’t have been more different,” he said.
Each side will look for more success this weekend. If the Steelers lose, their playoff hopes become very small. If the Seahawks lose, their odds drop below 50 percent.
