Arthur J. Rooney, Sr. (1901-1988) was born in Coultersville, Pennsylvania, and graduated in 1920 from Indiana (PA) Normal, which became Indiana State University of Pennsylvania. He played semi-pro football, minor league baseball, and held two amateur boxing titles. Although he was named to the U. S. Olympic Boxing Team, Rooney chose not to participate. In 1933 Rooney started the Pittsburgh Pirates NFL franchise, which he renamed the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1941. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964.
Rooney’s oldest son, Daniel (1932-2017), took over ownership of the Steelers after his father’s death, after working since the 1950s as everything from water boy to team president. After forty years without a championship, the Steelers won four Super Bowls during the 1970s.
The Rooney family in 1970 bought the Palm Beach Kennel Club, which had been a fixture in West Palm Beach since 1932. The Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame honored the club and its president, Patrick Rooney, Sr. , in 2006 for its contributions to local charities. The family was also inducted in 2001 into the Palm Beach County Golf Association Hall of Fame.
Patrick and his twin, John Rooney (1939- ), are the youngest of Arthur Rooney’s sons. During the 1990s, John was involved with management of the Kennel Club and served as president of Palm Beach Jai Alai 1995-97. The middle son, Timothy J. Rooney (1937- ), is vice president of the Kennel Club and has been president since 1972 of Yonkers Raceway, the family’s harness track in New York. Arthur John Rooney, Jr. (1935- ) has been employed by the Steelers since 1961 and serves on the board of all the Rooney businesses.