Summer Reading Volumes 2 & 3

Jun 25, 2008, 5:00:36 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ

This week we are going to review four books that would provide good summertime reading for any football fan. Here are books No. 2 and 3.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the great dynasties in the history of the National Football League, winning four Super Bowls in six seasons in the 1970s. It was a remarkable run of success for a franchise that was known over decades for not winning anything.

In the middle of the franchise’s turnaround were Dan and Artie Rooney, the oldest sons of the team’s founder Art Rooney. Dan ran the organization as president, while Artie was the head of player personnel.

Now, more than 30 years later, both sons have written books. Dan Rooney: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL is Dan Rooney’s contribution. Ruanaidh: The Story of Art Rooney and His Clan is from Artie Rooney. Together they provide a look inside a football franchise that every fan will enjoy not just the followers of the black and gold.

Dan Rooney’s tales follow the track of his life as the oldest of Art Rooney’s children, through his high school days, college and then into the family business. Dan Rooney straddles the generations in the NFL, as he started taking part in team and league business in the 1950s when George Halas was the king of the league and owners like George Preston Marshall were still holding court. He’s still active and influential today with guys like Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones.

One great tale Dan Rooney writes about came in early 1969, when the final pieces of the AFL-NFL merger were put into place. The realignment of the two leagues into one league with two conferences required three teams from the NFL to join the AFL teams in what was going to be called the American Football Conference. Naturally, few NFL teams had any desire to leave their old home. Eventually, the Steelers, Browns and Colts were convinced to move, as well as compensated with millions of dollars. The announcement came during a league meeting in New York and Rooney remembers walking into a meeting room to inform the AFL owners and administrators:

“Pete (Rozelle) announced the three NFL teams that had agreed to move. Then he introduced me. I said we would move over to the AFC and announced our new division alignment: Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Houston. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Al Davis shouted, ‘No! We have to debate, then vote on the divisions as we go along.’

‘This alignment is set. It’s untouchable,’ I said.

“Davis shot back, ‘No it isn’t.’

‘Listen, this division is set. I don’t care what you do as far as the other divisions, but this division is set. If you don’t think so, we’re out of here right now!’

“Sid Gillman of the San Diego Chargers rose. ‘Danny,’ he said, ‘Don’t pay any attention to him. Your division is set, our division is set, it’s good and that’s the way it’s going to be.’

“Then we all sat down and began working on the other details of the AFL. But Davis walked out.

“Outside the Red Room, I heard a commotion. Vince Lombardi had somehow heard of my argument with Davis. In the hallway Vince grabbed Al by the collar, lifted him up and pressed him against the wall – hard. ‘If you’re going to cause these people trouble,’ he warned, ‘you’ll be run out of here. You’re getting the best teams. Dan Rooney came a long way for this, so settle down or we’ll throw you out. We don’t need you!’

“Lombardi wasn’t fooling and Davis knew it. Al returned to the Red Room visibly shaken and sat down quietly.”

What a great story! Dan Rooney also provides insight into the hiring of Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher as head coaches of the Steelers, as well as the hiring of commissioners and dealing with the NFL labor situations. He’s been involved in all major league matters for the last 40 years.

As good as Dan Rooney’s stories are they pale in number to his brother Artie’s book that runs nearly 500 pages. Artie Rooney published the book himself and wrote it with the help of Roy McHugh, a talented Pittsburgh sportswriter.

This is really two books in one. First, it’s the life story of Art Rooney and his family. That alone makes for a great read. Artie takes us into this big Pittsburgh family with insight and information that quite frankly are unprecedented among the men and families that have owned NFL teams. The characters and moments that surrounded the life of his father are something out of a Broadway play written by Damon Runyan.

Then, throw in the behind the scenes stories from Artie on how those great Steelers teams were built and this is a significant history book in pro football.

One of the best stories is about the day Artie Rooney drove to Kent State University to take a look at a young linebacker named Jack Lambert:

“On my visit to Kent State in 1973 I studied film, talked to the coaches and watched practice, just as I had planned to do. Heavy rains that week had soaked the practice field, so after wading around in the mud for awhile the players moved over to the cider-coated stadium parking lot and worked out in shorts. There was just enough activity to give me a good look at the prospects on our list, primarily Lambert.

“I liked the depth he was able to get on his pass drop. I liked his peripheral vision and his lateral movement. I liked his awareness; he was quick to anticipate both the pass and the run. I liked his leadership qualities – the way he communicated with his teammates and coaches. In short, I was feeling that my time had not been wasted. And then something really memorable happened.

“Coach Don James was putting his team through a touch-tackle drill. Cutting through the line a running back broke free. Lambert went after him but appeared to be a step and a half short. So instead of reaching out to make the two-handed touch, he launched himself into the air and got his two hands on the ball carrier’s back. The ball carrier, stumbling, kept his balance. Lambert went face down into the cinders.

“For the rest of the workout he was picking cinders out of his epidermis. His face, arms and legs were scraped. Not a single outward sign did he show that any of this bothered him even slightly. All business every minute, he concentrated on doing his job.

“There was nothing more I needed to see.”

There’s plenty of Pittsburgh gossip and stories in this book that may not interest readers outside the Steel City. But the information on how the Steelers were built, from the drafting of Hall of Fame players like Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Jack Ham and Lynn Swann are priceless and worth the read. Artie writes about his draft-room battles with Noll and the coaching staff that provides an unvarnished glimpse into the dynamic that goes on with all NFL teams involving scouts and coaches.

Art Rooney would not be happy that his sons have written these books. The old man would have said his boys were “putting on the dog.” But thankfully they’ve written a history from the best view possible: inside the family and inside the team.

Dan Rooney: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL by Dan Rooney as told to Andrew E. Masich and David F. Halaas from Da Capo Press. Available on barnesandnoble.com, borders.com and amazon.com.

Ruanaidh: The Story of Art Rooney and His Clan by Art Rooney Jr. with Roy McHugh. Available on-line at artrooneyjr.com. Hardcover edition is $30, paperback edition is $21.

The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.

---

A former beat reporter who covered the Pittsburgh Steelers during their glory years, Gretz covered the Chiefs for the Kansas City Star for nine years. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Board of Selectors. He has been the senior columnist for the Chiefs web site since its inception.