Dan Rooney (43 page)

 

 

Tomlin: That it's first class in every way, and that it's run by football people. That's important in today's NFL, that there are long-standing football people in charge who care not only about the business of football but about the game itself. Here, they care about the well-being of the National Football League, and there's always been the feeling throughout league circles that the Rooneys are committed to the overall well-being of the NFL.

And it continues to show, too. Anytime there are decisions to be made or things happen, the Rooneys have always been heavily involved—particularly Dan Rooney—even up to the search for the present commissioner. There is a great deal of respect throughout the league for what goes on inside this building.

 

 

Tomlin: The Steelers are perceived as different just as Oakland is perceived as different, but of course on two totally different levels. It's viewed as a family business, and because it's family, they care about people. They don't ride the emotional roller-coaster, and their
long-term success and stability are things that everybody outside of this building admires about the place.

 

 

Tomlin: It was at my interview. I'm a football historian, so what I got from him was what I expected. I had heard he was an awesome guy, but because it was a job interview, I really didn't get a chance to ask him a million questions about his experiences, to hear stories about the significant things that have happened with this organization.

The thing I remember most about the interview itself is that when we would take breaks, either to use the bathroom or maybe get a cup of coffee, he and I might be walking down the hall and he'd stop and start telling a story about a picture on the wall. He is walking, talking, breathing history, and not just Steelers history but NFL history. If you have a love for the game, or are a historian of the game like I am, the time I get to spend with him that's not related to official business is what I enjoy the most, because you get that sense of history. How can you not have an appreciation for that?

I didn't want to rush back from those breaks. And the stories weren't just about football, or about Steelers football. There were aerial shots of Pittsburgh, and he was giving me the history of the city. I'm wired the same way—I'm a history buff. I read history books, biographies, so I enjoyed that time we had.

 

 

Tomlin: I would not have taken any NFL head coaching job just to get one. Some people might think that's a ridiculous statement, but I've always been a guy who enjoyed whatever job I had. I didn't have the mentality of taking any head coaching job, but to be the head
coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would have walked here from Minneapolis.

 

 

Tomlin: The commitment to excellence, and the way they go about pursuing excellence. The tradition. The legacy. The high standards. If you're a competitor, all of that is attractive to you. I love the responsibility that comes with being the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'd rather have that responsibility than work at a place with low expectations. It's really indescribable, when someone asks you why you feel that way, but being in this business, you know. It's not something that requires a lot of conversation among people in the NFL. You just know.

Many people have misconceptions about the relationships that exist among individual owners. There are disagreements, but on the whole, owners are together for the big picture and realize
we are partners
.

 

When Charley Bidwill owned and operated the Cardinals, it was one of the league's better-run teams. Originally the Racine Normals, since they played in Chicago's Normal Park on Racine Avenue, this franchise is the oldest in the league. After Charley's death, his wife, Violet, inherited the team, which she ran for fifteen years. Eventually, her sons Charles “Stormy” and Bill Bidwill took over operations. “Stormy” sold or somehow transferred his stake in the team to Bill. Unsuccessful in Chicago, the team moved to St. Louis and from there to Phoenix, where they play in a unique domed stadium. It's now a successful franchise, and it looks like they're there to stay. Bill's son, Mike Bidwill, now operates the team. They have many former Steelers coaches, including Ken Whisenhunt, their new head coach. We'll see how things go.

 

The Atlanta Falcons came into the NFL in 1965 after Pete Rozelle and I went to Atlanta to discuss with Governor Carl Sanders the notion of bringing professional football to Georgia. Believing the team would be good for the economy, Governor Sanders arranged a meeting with Rankin Smith, a successful businessman who was interested in buying the team. During the negotiating period, I made several
trips to Atlanta and arranged for the Steelers to play two preseason games there (against the Vikings and the Colts). Smith purchased the team from the NFL, and Atlanta built a new stadium for the football Falcons and the baseball Braves and began play in 1966.

When Rankin died, the family asked if I would speak at the funeral. I was honored to be one of the people to eulogize Rankin, a good friend. His son, Taylor Smith, took over the operation of the Falcons, and today the team has good prospects for the future under its present owner, Arthur Blank.

 

The Baltimore Ravens came into the League in 1996 when Art Modell moved the Browns from Cleveland. When the NFL completed its expansion to its present thirty-two teams, a realignment of the league established the AFC North Division, which joined the Ravens with Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Steve Bisciotti now owns the Ravens, and he has an organization that includes team president, Dick Cass, a smart and capable lawyer; General Manager Ozzie Newsome, who has done a great job with the draft; and Coach Brian Billick, who has built a strong team that always plays tough football, especially on defense. The Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV.

 

The Buffalo Bills started as an original AFL team in 1959, and Ralph Wilson has owned the team from the beginning. After appearing in three straight AFL championship games, from 1963 to 1965, and winning the final two of those, the Bills fielded another powerhouse that won four straight AFC championships from 1990 to 1993 under the direction of Coach Marv Levy. Jim Kelly was the quarterback on those teams and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2002. Ralph is Passionate about league rules and traditions and is not hesitant to
speak up on either at league meetings. The Buffalo Bills are in the tough AFC East Division.

 

The Carolina Panthers, an NFL expansion team, joined the NFL in 1994 as an expansion franchise and (along with Jacksonville) turned us into a thirty-team league. Owner Jerry Richardson, a special friend, and I have similar ideas, especially about the importance of the league and the value of the shield, the NFL logo. Jerry was a receiver who played for the Baltimore Colts when John Unitas quarterbacked there. Jerry, John, and I enjoyed some good conversations over the years. Clearly Jerry and John respected one another. Jerry and his wife, Roz, have a daughter, Ashley, and two sons, Mark and Jon. Mark is the general manager, and Jon handles stadium operations. Jerry and I co-chaired the search committee that elected Commissioner Roger Goodell.

 

The Chicago Bears is one of the oldest teams in the league. Its founder, George Halas, was there at the Hupmobile car dealership in Canton, Ohio, the day the league was born in 1920. George did everything: he played, coached, operated the front office, sold tickets. He was a visionary and his team saw great success. Harold “Red” Grange, the “Galloping Ghost,” played for the Bears before his college days were over, even though the University of Illinois, Grange's school, complained. The school asked Halas, also a graduate, to stop NFL raiding of college players. He and the Eagles' Bert Bell responded by initiating the college draft that helped stop players from dropping out of school to join the pros. George's son, George Jr., also called “Mugs,” died in 1979 before his parents. George Sr.'s daughter, Virginia McCaskey, owns the team now, and her sons Mike, Ed Jr., and Tim operate the club.

The Cincinnati Bengals was the last NFL expansion team before the merger with the AFL. Owner Mike Brown has been a friend for a long time. His father, Paul, an innovator, advanced the pro game most dramatically by introducing a pass-oriented offense not seen before. He brought these innovations from the AAFC when they merged with the NFL for the 1950 season, helping to make NFL football America's favorite game. At league meetings, Mike Brown is often right about things, and he stubbornly sticks to his principles and values.

 

The Cleveland Browns, one of the original teams in the AAFC, joined the NFL in 1950 along with the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts. Art Modell bought the club in 1961 and operated in Cleveland until 1995, when he moved the team to Baltimore. I was against moving a team out of Cleveland and away from a loyal fan base, because I believed it was bad for the NFL and bad for the Steelers; it took away our closest natural rival. Filling the void, the NFL built a new stadium near the site of the original Municipal Stadium. Al Lerner, a wonderful man, bought the new club. He was very bright and learned the football operation quickly. I worked on some projects with him, one of which kept the New England Patriots in the Boston area. Al died in 2002. His son, Randy, a smart young man learning the intricacies of football operations, now runs the team. He has brought in people who are trying to build a successful organization, including General Manager Phil Savage and Coach Romeo Crennel.

 

Clint Murchison Jr. was the founding owner of the Cowboys in 1960, and his first act was to name Tex Schramm as the president and CEO. Tex had complete authority and ran a first-class operation in every
way. The successful Cowboys franchise has gone to eight Super Bowls and won five of them. Tex, another friend, and I worked on many projects: player limits, expansion, World League of American Football, and labor issues. Although we disagreed about the 1987 strike, because we were friends and protégés of Pete Rozelle, we spent much time together.

Murchison sold the team to H. R. “Bum” Bright, who then sold it to Jerry Jones. Jerry has succeeded in promotion and sponsorship, and the teams he built with Coach Jimmy Johnson won three of the franchise's five Super Bowls. He wants to win and does so often. I have worked with Jerry a few times, and he always wanted to get the right results for the league. His plan to build a new state-of-the-art stadium will require considerable funding.

 

In 1961 Gerald Phipps, of the Pittsburgh Phipps family, started the Denver Broncos. The team was not greatly successful, either in the AFL or during its early seasons in the NFL. After renovating Mile High Stadium, Phipps sold the team to Edgar Kaiser, who then sold the team to Pat Bowlen in 1984. Pat, another friend, and I have worked closely together on league issues, and he's been the chairman of the NFL television committee. With quarterback John Elway, his Broncos lost three Super Bowls over a four-year span before winning it back to back in Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII. They have a new football stadium, and their future looks bright.

 

The Ford family of automobile fame owns the Lions. Bill Ford Jr. and I have always gotten along especially well. Bill runs Ford Motor Company, and I stay in touch with him and try to let him know what is happening in the league. I think Ford does not deserve the criticism he receives. The Lions club has recently built a new stadium in downtown
Detroit and showed it off to good advantage for Super Bowl XL. The Detroit Lions helped to develop Kevin Colbert in the personnel area, and Kevin is now the Steelers' director of football operations.

 

This club is unusual in the league in that the people of Green Bay own the franchise. Bob Harlan heads the organization as CEO. Green Bay is more like Pittsburgh than any other city in the league, starting with the fact both cities have great fans. Green Bay has been successful. They were the team of the 1960s. Under Vince Lombardi, the Packers won three NFL championships, plus the first two Super Bowls. In the mid-1990s, under Coach Mike Holmgren and with quarterback Brett Favre, the Packers played in two more Super Bowls and won one. The Packers are the best example of how the NFL's revenue-sharing system allows every team—whether it plays in a big city or small—the opportunity to win. Green Bay's future will be interesting to follow and will say a lot about the future of the NFL.

 

Bob McNair owns the Houston Texans, the most recent team to join the league in 1999. Bob has been a good businessman whose influence and involvement have set the Texans' direction in the league. I respect Bob even though we have many different opinions at times. Disagreement is okay and can be expected since Houston is one of the largest U.S. cities, and Pittsburgh a smaller market. League members operate differently than regular corporate affiliates. But we are still partners.