
Rooney
A Sporting Life
University of Nebraska Press
Published on 1. April 2010
Book
Hardback
704 pages
978-0-8032-2283-0 (ISBN)
Description
Born to an Irish Catholic working-class family on the Northside of Pittsburgh, Art Rooney (1901-88) dabbled in semipro baseball and boxing before discovering that his real talent lay not in playing sports but in promoting them. Though he was at the center of boxing, baseball, and racing in Pittsburgh and beyond, Rooney is best remembered for his contribution to the NFL, in particular to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team he founded in 1933. As Rooney led the team in the early years, he came to be known as football's greatest loser; his influence, however, was instrumental in making the NFL the best-run league in American pro sports. The authors show how Rooney saw professional football-and the Steelers-through the Depression, World War II, the ascension of TV, and the development of the NFL. The book also follows him through the Steelers' dynasty years under Rooney's sons, with four Super Bowl titles in the 1970s alone. The first authoritative look at one of the most iconic figures in the history of the NFL, this book is both a critical chapter in the story of football in America and a thoroughly engaging in-depth introduction to a character unlike any other in the annals of American sports.
Reviews / Votes
"Rooney: A Sporting Life is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about a true American success story in sports. This book fully captures the early life of Art `the Chief' Rooney Sr., an American icon who is known for the legacy he left in the Steelers but isn't known as well for his amazing accomplishments in racing and as an athlete. The Chief is to sports what Seabiscuit is to horse racing, and this book captures the man and the legend."-John Clayton, ESPN|""Filled with incredible details, Rooney gets behind the man and the legend who founded the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933.""-frommersports.blogspot.com|""One of the best books on football written so far this century. . . . Assiduously researched, Rooney is more than a biography.""-Allen Barra, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|""An authoritative look at one of the most iconic figures in the history of the NFL, Rooney, A Sporting Life, is both a critical chapter in the story of football in the United States and a thoroughly engaging, in-depth introduction to a character unlike any other in the annals of American sports.""-Pennsylvania HeritageMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Lincoln
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
43 illustrations, 1 genealogy
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 168 mm
Thickness: 51 mm
Weight
1211 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8032-2283-0 (9780803222830)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2010
1st Edition
University of Nebraska Press
€36.99
Available for download
Persons
Rob Ruck is a senior lecturer of history at the University of Pittsburgh and the author of The Tropic of Baseball, available in a Bison Books edition. Maggie Jones Patterson is an associate professor of journalism at Duquesne University and coauthor of Behind the Lines: Case Studies in Investigative Reporting. Michael P. Weber (1936-2001) is the author of Don't Call Me Boss: David L. Lawrence, Pittsburgh's Renaissance Mayor.
Content
Contents List of Illustrations 000 Introduction 000 Arthur J. Rooney's Family Tree 000 1. Coming to Pittsburgh 000 2. The Young Athlete: The Northside 000 3. On Life's Learning Fields: 192228 000 4. Dreams, Depression, and Commitment: 192933 000 5. Pittsburgh Joins the nfl: 193336 000 6. Rooney's Ride: 1937 000 7. Between the Races and the Fights: 193738 000 8. Returning to the Ring: 193941 000 9. Season of Reckoning: 194041 000 10. The World at War: 194145 000 11. The Sutherland Years: 194647 000 12. Shamrock Farm 000 13. Same Old Steelers: 194856 000 14. Buddy, Bobby, and Bert: 195759 000 15. Renaissance for Pittsburgh, Not the Steelers: 196064 000 16. Not the Same Old Steelers--Worse: 196568 000 17. Changing History: 197071 000 18. 1972 000 19. Football's Promised Land: 197374 000 20. Super Redux: 1975 000 21. City of Champions: 197679 000 22. The Fourth Quarter: 198088 000 Notes 000 Bibliography 000 Index 000