Dan Rooney Named Ambassador

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I hope everybody’s wearing green, bought their corned beef and cabbage for dinner, and enjoying a nice cup of Irish Coffee (easy on the coffee, heavy on the Irish).  Or, if you’re like me and are currently employed at a place of business which frowns upon showing up half in the bag, my drink of preference this time of year:  Shamrock Shakes.  I’m not really a milkshake drinker since I’m somewhat intolerant of milk products, let’s call it lactose impatient.  However, I do have a weakness for those frothy green concoctions.  Maybe it goes back to my comic book obsessed childhood when I refused to drink any form of dairy so my parents bought them and convinced me drink them by telling me they were “Hulk Juice.”

How does any of this relate to football and/or the Pittsburgh Steelers?  Well, our beloved owner, Dan Rooney, is a proud Irishman himself.  He’s also a proud supporter of President Barack Obama.  Despite being a lifelong Republican, Mr. Rooney finally realized the folly of his ways and shifted his support to the charismatic Democrat who is trying his damnedest to lead us out of the abyss our inept former Commander-in-Chief landed us in.  While there is no way to accurately measure how valuable his support was, President Obama did manage to carry the state of Pennsylvania by a narrow margin, thanks in large part to rousing success in the Pittsburgh area.

President Obama has decided to reward Mr. Rooney for his support by naming him the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. Mr. Rooney has long been interested in and involved with Irish issues as far back back as 1976 when he co-founded the American Ireland Fund which provides money and support for programs designed to foster peace in Ireland.  He’s been officially involved with the Pittsburgh Steelers since 1960 when he was named Director of Player Personnel until Chuck Noll came aboard and he ceded the position to his brother while moving up to Team President.  Mr. Rooney has been an involved but not meddlesome owner for the better part of the past 25 years.

Although his son, Art Rooney II, has since assumed his father’s role with the team, his acceptance of this position will be a pretty big change for the NFL, who is used to him taking a leadership role on important issues, and for the legendary franchise that is used to having their beloved boss in his office or on the practice field every day of the year.