Steelers' Daniel Rooney Ready For New Title When Art Rooney II Is Willing To Step Aside

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the Rooney family since they joined the NFL in 1933. Art Rooney purchased the team for $2,500 after a successful amateur boxing career and establishing a reputation as a reliable promoter and entrepreneur. He stepped down at the age of 74 after Super Bowl IX and turned the team over to his son, Dan Rooney, but he remained involved in the organization. He was rumored to be the final authority in the organization up until his death in 1988.

His son served as the organization's president from 1975 until 2002, when he turned the reigns over to Art Rooney II at the age of 71. He remained active in the organization as his father did until he passed away in 2016. The team's current president will turn 72 on September 14th, 2024, and speculation has begun about whether and when he will turn the team over to the next generation. 

The seeming successor is Daniel M. Rooney, who is a little younger than his father was when he took over. He has served in various roles with the organization and is currently the Steelers Director of Business Development And Strategy. On Monday, Brian Batko from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette responded to a fan question about the future of the current team president. 

"I don't know how long Art Rooney II continues to service in the team president role," Batko said. "I would say his son Dan has become more and more visible since I started covering the team in (20)19."

Rooney was a backup quarterback for Dartmouth in the Ivy League and graduated in 2012. He worked as an offensive assistant under Mike Tomlin and Todd Haley from 2016 to 2018 after serving in the scouting department from 2014 to 2016. He left the organization in 2019, but returned to the team in his current role in 2022.

It will be interesting to see when he takes over if his roles in scouting and coaching influence the direction that Omar Khan has charted since he took over as general manager after the 2022 NFL Draft. Information about how the Steelers organization does business is not exactly forthcoming. In the age of social media and 24-hour-a-day coverage, very few things remain a secret in professional sports. The Steelers are the exception that proves the rule. 

Pittsburgh and Rooney are not entirely immune from controversy. The organization had a very public breakup with Antonio Brown that still lingers, even though it happened almost six years ago. The Le'Veon Bell holdout and his eventual exit left a stain on the organization as well. However, based on the current running back contracts and Bell's admission, the mistake was not the organization's. The retirement of Ben Roethlisberger and the succession plan were ultimately bungled, but the joy of drafting Kenny Pickett, while short-lived, was celebrated in 2022.

Steelers' Fresh Perspective Yielding Results, But Must Pay Real Dividends In The Form Of Playoff Success

The Steelers have been in eight Super Bowls and have won six Lombardi Trophies, tied with the New England Patriots for the most in league history. Pittsburgh has appeared in 16 AFC Championship games, the most in NFL history. The team is currently amid the second-longest playoff win drought in its 90-year NFL career.

The Steelers won two Super Bowls under the current president, but Father Time is undefeated, and the rapidly changing NFL is passing the organization by. The NFLPA was not kind to Pittsburgh's front office and ranked ownership as the second worst in the NFL, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs. A fresh outlook with a younger owner who understands the team's tradition and Khan's innovative personnel approach could pay off big for the Steelers in years to come.