Steelers Now
Tim Rooney, the nephew of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. and one of the architects of the team’s 1970s Super Bowl dynasty, died on Tuesday, his family announced via social media.
Born Vincent Timothy Rooney, Jr., the son of Art Rooney Sr.’s younger brother, Tim Rooney was a member of the Steelers front office from 1972-79, joining a front office scouting department that consisted only of Dick Haley, Art Rooney Jr. and Bill Nunn.
Tim Rooney had been a college coach at Villanova, and Chuck Noll envisioned him as an advance NFL scout that could attend the games of upcoming opponents, and also serve as a pro scout for free agency.
“Noll and Haley talked about the need to start up a pro personnel department,” Rooney said in 2020. “They wanted to be out in front of free agency – they anticipated it and wanted to be the first team to have scouts ready in advance for it. They anticipated that need.”
One of Rooney’s most notable scouting finds was future Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert. Rooney was the first Steelers scout to notice Lambert at Kent State, when he was sent there to look at a wide receiver. Lambert ended up being one of the key pieces of the Steelers’ 1974 NFL Draft class, which is widely seen as the best in the history of the league.
After his time with the Steelers, Rooney also worked in the front offices of the Detroit Lions and New York Giants, helping to build two more Super Bowl winners with the Giants in the 1980s and 1990s. He retired in 1999.
Rooney was an alumnus of North Catholic High School and Duquesne University, and coached at Bishop Canevin High School before his work at Villanova.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Scout Tim Rooney, Architect of 1970s, Dies
