Back on April 13, 2017, former Pittsburgh Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney passed away. Rooney, who is the son of Steelers’ founder Art Rooney, was a well liked and respected man by many, including former President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, both of whom attended Rooney’s funeral.
After all Rooney did for the Steelers, the NFL and the city of Pittsburgh during his time as chairman, Pittsburgh decided it made perfect sense to honor Rooney this upcoming season.
Throughout the 2017-2018 NFL season, the Steelers will honor Rooney with a three leaf clover patch with Rooney’s initials.
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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 24, 2017
According to the Steelers’ official announcement, many people who attended Rooney’s funeral wore shamrocks with the Steelers’ logo because of how much he loved both shamrocks and his Steelers. As a result, it only made sense for Pittsburgh to wear something similar to honor its former chairman.
“We wanted to have something my dad would be proud of and really called out parts of his life that were important to him,” Steelers’ President Art Rooney II said. “The shamrock is something he would be happy about.
“I know he wouldn’t want us to make too much of a fuss. I think wearing a jersey patch, he would be proud of that. It’s a great way for all of us to remember what he meant to each one of us and what he meant to the organization.”
Art Rooney II is the owner of the Steelers and the oldest of Dan’s nine children. The entire Rooney family is very close with the team they founded and own, and the players opinions of Dan reflect that.
“It’s going to mean so much to wear it,” center Maurkice Pouncey said. “For me personally, I was really close to him. He was an excellent guy, a great person to be around. He knew everybody. He was really respected. I hope we can honor him as much as possible. It would mean a lot to all of us players and Steelers Nation.”
“You honor and thank him for all he did, but at the same time you never forget what he did,” defensive end Cameron Heyward said. “This whole city mourned his great loss. He did so much in our community, for the Steelers.
“You just want to make him proud still. Whether it’s a patch that you see, we are still going to honor him with our play and give him that seventh Lombardi Trophy,” Heyward added.
Back in 1988, the Steelers wore a patch to memorialize Arthur J. Rooney Sr., Dan’s father.
