Steeler's Owner Dan Rooney Dies At Age 84

By ESPN

Many knew Dan Rooney far better than I did.

But nobody who interacted with the Pittsburgh Steelers' owner walked away without being touched by his kind and unassuming manner.

Rooney died Thursday at the age of 84. His loss will leave a gap in the NFL that may be impossible to fill.

Rooney was rare and special. His basic traits made him that way. He rode in the back of the team plane. He lined up for pregame meals with the media, just one of many loading up a tray. He walked to games for as long as he could from his home in Pittsburgh. And he never failed to return a call or to be polite and friendly when doing so.

Former Cleveland Browns media relations staffer Amy Palcic -- now the director of communications for the Houston Texans -- spent a week in Pittsburgh in January 2009. Palcic was helping out the week before the AFC Championship Game, a typical league practice.

The Steelers gave her an out-of-the-way office, and at the end of her first day, Rooney walked by her open door and noticed it was someone he didn't know.

He walked in, introduced himself as Dan. When she explained why she was there, he asked if there was any way he could help. She said no and thanked him.

Every day for the rest of the week, Rooney stuck his head inside the door and asked how she was doing and if he could help in any way.

Rooney knew no pretensions.

I happened to be at a Steelers training camp after word broke that Jimmy Haslam, then a minority owner of the Steelers, would be buying the Browns. The Steelers understandably preferred not to be involved in the Browns' business and said little publicly.

I was working in an area set aside for the media when Rooney strolled through. I asked about Haslam, and he gave a kind and upbeat statement, and then started to leave.

As he did, I asked about his other job as ambassador to Ireland, at a time when the nation of his heritage was going through economic issues.

He stopped and his eyes lit up, happy to talk about a turnaround he saw coming.

Rooney never took himself so seriously that he couldn't offer a down-to-earth word with someone he hardly knew. He also understood the Cleveland-Pittsburgh connection between two Rust Belt cities devoted to their teams. He hated the idea of owner Art Modell's move to Baltimore and was one of two NFL owners to vote against the Browns' move and transformation into the Ravens.

When the Browns returned to Cleveland as a new franchise, Rooney happily joined with then-Browns president and CEO Carmen Policy for the Grudge Lunches that took place in Cleveland and Pittsburgh to honor the renewal of the teams' rivalry.

Rooney was so many things. Owner. Hall of Famer. Father. Grandfather. Friend. Leader. The Rooney Rule to promote the hiring and promotion of minority coaches has his name, of course. His worth to the NFL is immeasurable.

But what will never be forgotten is his basic humanity.

One cold January, the Steelers put playoff tickets on sale for an upcoming game. Rooney drove by, saw the crowd lined up in the cold, and immediately ordered that coffee and food be sent to the loyal ticket buyers. As noted Browns tormentor and Hall of Famer Joe Greene said when introducing Rooney to the Hall: "Dan led with humility."

His humanity and humility will be dearly missed.