The Pittsburgh Steelers have been blasted since the end of the regular season for their inability to be more than just a free win for whoever they face in the playoffs. Good is never good enough for Steeler Nation, but it seemingly is for ownership. Many fans are waiting for the day that Owner Art Rooney II passes the team down to his son, Daniel Rooney. The hope is that the heir will care about the team much more than Rooney II and try to win, as opposed to seemingly striving for decency.
Rooney II appeared in an interview on WPXI with Jenna Harner. During that radio show, he was asked about his future retirement plans.
"I don't have a timeline on it," admitted Rooney. "My grandfather never retired. My father never retired, so I'm hoping to follow in their footsteps. Look, my son's involved in the business now, and potentially other family members will be involved, and so we'll see how it goes."
Founder Art Rooney and his son, Dan Rooney, answered to no one until the days that they passed away. The original owner oversaw the worst years of Steelers history, but he also made changes eventually and watched over the greatest years that the team has ever had. The 1970s dynasty was largely influenced by his decisions in the late 1960s and early into the next decade.
Slowly, Dan Rooney started taking on a larger role, but he never took full control until his father passed. Under this new management, the Steelers struggled early on, but they started becoming a playoff threat in the 1990s and even made Super Bowl XXX, but that didn't work out.
Eventually, those playoff runs turned into a pair of Super Bowl victories. After those championships, he gave more power to Art Rooney II, as he went to Ireland to serve as the ambassador for former President Barack Obama. After he came back from his duty, he maintained primary control of the team until he passed away as well.
That seems to be the plan for Rooney II. While his son may get more and more involved in team affairs as time goes on, he will still make the final decisions and determine the direction of the franchise. If his tenure is anything to base the future off of, it will be a very rough stretch of time.
Steelers' Traditions Giveth And They Taketh Away
The ownership power change has overall been a success in the past, so it makes sense for them to want to stay in that route. However, they have yet to win a playoff game under Rooney II, and the comments that he and his brother made recently do not spark any sort of confidence. It worked before, but that doesn't mean it will work now.
