NFL Fans Mourn Untimely Demise of Pittsburgh Steelers Owner

One week after the passing of Franco Harris, one of their greatest legends on the field, the Steelers are now mourning the loss of John Rooney, the son of the iconic Art Rooney.

Tuesday saw the passing of John Rooney, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The news was also shared on the official Twitter account of the New York Giants.

The five Rooney brothers—Dan, Art Jr., John, Patrick, and Timothy—owned 16% of the team after Art Rooney Sr. passed away in 1987, with the McGinley family owning the remaining 20%. John Rooney, one of Art Rooney’s five children, was a minority shareholder in the team. He began with a 16% stake but sold most of it in 2008 as ownership centred on Dan Rooney and his son, current team president Art Rooney II.

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NFL fans pay tribute to John Rooney after his untimely death

The Rooneys had to comply with NFL rules regarding having a primary shareholder with more than 30% equity and also separating John and Timothy Rooney’s Florida gambling businesses from the football business.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed then-owner Dan Rooney that the team needed to be altered fourteen years ago because the NFL forbade duelling teams from having any ties to the gambling industry.

This was due to the other Rooney brothers’ involvement in Florida’s horse and dog racing. Patrick and Timothy sold their ownership in the team a year later, and John and Art Jr. sold about 8% of their stock. At that time, Dan Rooney and Art II ran the team while new investors Thomas Tull, James Haslam, and the Paul Family became minority owners.

John Rooney sold all but 1% of his ownership interest in the team in 2015. Because the Rooneys and the Maras (owners of the New York Islanders) are related, the news of John’s passing was posted on the Giants’ account.

Through their heartfelt tweets and by remembering their favourite Steelers moments, fans paid tribute to John Rooney.

Rooney’s death occurred on the same day as former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris’ public funeral at Acrisure Stadium on Tuesday. Harris died last week, just days before the Immaculate Reception’s 50th anniversary.

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