John Rooney, minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and son of Founder Art Rooney Sr. passes away at the age of 84


John Rooney, minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and son of Founder Art Rooney Sr. passes away at the age of 84

John Rooney was the son of Art Rooney Sr.

Today is a dark day in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers. John Rooney, the son of the team’s founder Art Rooney Sr. has passed away aged 84. The Steelers did not immediately release the cause of his death. Rooney was a part-owner of the franchise. The unfortunate news was announced by his niece. He was the uncle of current Steelers President Art Rooney II.

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John was a North Side native and North Catholic High Graduate and was the youngest of five children. He is survived by his brother Timothy James Rooney. Art Rooney, Sr. passed away in 1987. He had five children who all got shares in the Steelers organization. John had a 16 percent stake in the team. In 2015, he sold the majority of his stake and retained 1 percent as per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Pittsburgh Steelers issued a statement regarding his passing via their Twitter with the caption “We are saddened by the loss of John J. Rooney. Son of Arthur Rooney Sr., brother of Daniel M. Rooney. John grew up on the North Side of Pittsburgh, graduated from North Catholic High School, and was a former member of the Steelers Board of Directors.”

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John Rooney’s death is another blow to the Pittsburgh Steelers this season:

John Rooney
Rooney cut his stake in the Steelers from 15% to 1% in 2015.

John Rooney‘s death comes just a week after the Steelers lost one of the greatest players, Franco Harris. The New York Giants‘ official Twitter account also released a statement sharing their condolences. The team posted the news on their account as the Mara family and the Rooneys are closely linked. The Giants issued the following statement, ” The Giants family is saddened to hear of the passing of John Rooney, son of Art Rooney (The Chief), founder of the Steelers, and brother of Dan Rooney. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the Steelers family.”

Fans shared their condolences on Twitter:

We share our condolences with the Rooney and Mara families. The entire city of Pittsburgh will mourn the loss of John Rooney. May his soul rest in peace.

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