THE FATHER: ART ROONEY SR. — THE TOUGH-AS-NAILS VISIONARY WHO BIRTHED STEELERS NATION IN 1933

Steelers Nation, stop what you’re doing and show some damn respect.

Before the Steel Curtain, before the four Super Bowls in the ‘70s, before Ben, Hines, The Bus, or any of the modern glory — there was one man who bet on Pittsburgh when nobody else would. That man was Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. The Chief. The Founder. The gritty Irishman from the North Side who dragged professional football kicking and screaming into the Steel City in 1933 and refused to let it die.

This wasn’t some rich suit with a silver spoon. Art Rooney was Pittsburgh through and through — tough, street-smart, loyal, and blessed with the kind of perseverance that turns long suffering into legendary success.