1 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: your twenty four to seven home of the Black and 3 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: Gold Steelers Nation Radio. 4 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 2: And welcome back to our number two of the Drive 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 2: here on the Steelers Audio Network. I am Dale Lolly, 6 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:26,639 Speaker 2: He's Matt Williamson, and we got a special guest with 7 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 2: us here today, author Jim Rooney. 8 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 3: We can call you author Jim Y. 9 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 4: Yeah. 10 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 2: The book is a different way to win Dan Rooney 11 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 2: story from Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule. And you know, Jim, 12 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 2: typically at this time of the show, let's kick off 13 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 2: our number two we do fantasy football or mock drafts. 14 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:46,480 Speaker 2: We're not going to do that today. We're a little 15 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:51,200 Speaker 2: something different, right, a little something different here. So obviously you've. 16 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 5: Been great with Ireland and all that, right. 17 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 3: You've been on the show before. 18 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 2: We've talked about the book, you know, first when you 19 00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 2: released it, then when you did the audio version of it. 20 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 2: But for our listeners who haven't got gotten the chance 21 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 2: yet to purchase the book or hear the book, just 22 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 2: give us a quick synopsis of of a y you 23 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 2: decided to write the book and be what you know 24 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:16,040 Speaker 2: where this all took. 25 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 4: You, right, right? So and and Dale Matt, thanks for 26 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 4: having me. It's always good to be here. Yeah. So 27 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 4: you know, we we had we had. 28 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 6: Good We're going to write something for like a business 29 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,399 Speaker 6: journal about my father, about his work, particularly some of 30 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 6: the work around the Rooney rule in the NFL. And uh, 31 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 6: then he passed and NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabu said, you know, 32 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 6: we have all this good stuff. 33 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 4: You should put it into a book. 34 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 6: Now, my father had done his own book, as you know, 35 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 6: with with the History Center, but there were there were 36 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 6: several things that happened since that book was published that 37 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 6: that we thought were really important. 38 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 4: So so then. 39 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 6: We had all this good content, as we now say. 40 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 6: I then went on to do about ten fifteen more 41 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 6: interviews with you know, players, league executives, some coaches, you know, 42 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 6: all these folks that they kind of had this important, 43 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 6: uh you know, engagement with my father throughout throughout his 44 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 6: business career. 45 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 4: And you know, the thing that. 46 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 6: That kept coming up was every one of them said, 47 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 6: you know, what's the one thing that that Dan Rooney said? 48 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,119 Speaker 4: And they would all say, do the right thing. 49 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 6: Okay, So you know that was sort of his thing, 50 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 6: and it was it was so consistent like, okay, now 51 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 6: we have sort of a theme of this book, and 52 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 6: we we tried to try to kind of say, answer 53 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 6: the question, if you will, can you be a good 54 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 6: guy and still win? And we tried to show that 55 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 6: he's an example of doing that. 56 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 5: Okay, so a couple of a lot of questions for you. 57 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 5: But did you really see that as a son in 58 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 5: all through your life too, did he often say do 59 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 5: the right thing? You know, as a father as well 60 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 5: as in business or both, you. 61 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 6: Know, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, although he was not as 62 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 6: kind to us as he was when he was saying 63 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 6: do the right thing to us, it was you know, demand, 64 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 6: but I do suggestion right exactly. It was you will 65 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 6: do the right But yeah, I remember coming in with somebody. 66 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 6: I can't even remember what the idea was, but I said, 67 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 6: you know, we're gonna make tons of money if we 68 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 6: do with the steelers, you know, you know, putting a 69 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 6: sticker on the other side the helmet or something, you know, 70 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 6: I don't know what it was, but it. 71 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 4: Was some idea. 72 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 6: It was, you know, the greatest idea in the world 73 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 6: is we all think we have And he said, we 74 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 6: don't do that. 75 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 4: He said, you know, we're interested in doing the right thing. 76 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 6: He said, if it leads to more money, great, but 77 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 6: that's out of our lane. It's not what we focus on. 78 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 6: And you know, and I think it's really a great 79 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 6: example of when you focus on what you're strong at 80 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 6: it want to. 81 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 4: Be more successful. And I think that's that's one thing 82 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 4: he did well. 83 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 2: In terms of the the interviews that you've done with it. 84 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 2: You mentioned Paul tag He's he's obviously in the book. 85 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 2: Some of the other people that you talk to are 86 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 2: no longer with us too, And that's kind of the 87 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 2: the neat part of this. You know, when you when 88 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 2: you build a book like this and you talk to 89 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 2: so many different people and you take your time doing 90 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 2: it to do it the right way. For example, you 91 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 2: sat down with Franco Harris before before he passed, and 92 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 2: it's just another glimpse into into the lives of those 93 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 2: people as well as what they were, you know, going 94 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 2: through or thinking and thought about your father. 95 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:27,599 Speaker 3: Yeah. 96 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 6: No, I'm so glad you're you're talking about the Franco 97 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,599 Speaker 6: interview because it was you know, none of us expected Franco. 98 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:36,040 Speaker 6: You know, there's a couple of other folks that we interviewed, 99 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 6: but that that they have passed, and it's not a surprise, 100 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 6: if you will, that passed. But you know, I remember 101 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 6: I had talked to Frank about doing this. He goes, sure, 102 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 6: I'd love to do it, and then COVID happened. So 103 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 6: it took a little while to kind of put it 104 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 6: together and finally we get you know, I got somehow, 105 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:56,479 Speaker 6: you know, a studio microphone situation set up at his house. 106 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 6: Dan and his wife helped me get that set up, 107 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 6: and I was at my house and uh, you know, 108 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 6: we talked for an hour and a half and I 109 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 6: talked to Franco since that time, h three or four times. 110 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 4: But I didn't think it would be one of the last. 111 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 6: It was certainly the last deep conversation I had with Franco, 112 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,160 Speaker 6: So that was It was just an amazing time. And 113 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 6: you know, we've all been around athletes and we've seen 114 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 6: great guys do great things. We've seen guys do some 115 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 6: things that that may not be the smartest things you've 116 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 6: ever seen. 117 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 4: Franco was the most unique. 118 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 6: I've never seen someone with that much generosity that always 119 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 6: seemed to be genuine. 120 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 4: I don't know how he did it. 121 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,239 Speaker 6: You know, we'd be at events together, and I'd drive 122 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,480 Speaker 6: with him, you know sometimes in the last ten years 123 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:44,080 Speaker 6: of his life, and I'd be thinking, oh, why did 124 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 6: I drive with Franco? Because he would stay until you know, midnight, 125 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 6: shaking everyone's hands, sign any autographs, taking pictures. 126 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 2: He was He was Franco Harris twenty four hours a day, 127 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 2: three hundred and sixty. 128 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 4: Five days a year exactly. 129 00:05:56,920 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 3: There was no faking. 130 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 6: That, no, And he didn't mind if it would make 131 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 6: someone else feel good, He didn't mind being there. 132 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, and your father was the same way. Your your 133 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 2: father never big timed anybody, yeh, anybody. 134 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, he was. 135 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 2: He was always available, he was always around. He was 136 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 2: always visible with the team, and I think players appreciate 137 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 2: that as well. 138 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:21,480 Speaker 6: Yeah, I hope this doesn't sound obnoxious, but I remember 139 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 6: it was one of the you know, we have that 140 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:25,840 Speaker 6: festival after the draft. 141 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 4: It's usually day three of the draft over. 142 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 6: At the stadium, and so they give people a tour 143 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:32,480 Speaker 6: of the locker room and they come from the field 144 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 6: up up into the locker room on the backside. 145 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:36,359 Speaker 4: So you know, that's about a. 146 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 6: You know, two hundred feet I mean you there was 147 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 6: you know, one hundred people or so in this line, 148 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 6: and I'm walking him out to the field. He always 149 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 6: liked to go see what was going on. This was, 150 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:47,679 Speaker 6: you know, after he'd been back from ambassador and everything, 151 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 6: and someone started clapping and the whole group started clapping, 152 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 6: and that was just so touching to me. And he 153 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,520 Speaker 6: was embarrassed, but it just was a sign that that 154 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 6: folk that didn't even met have never even met him, 155 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 6: just really felt like this guy was the was the 156 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 6: real deal. And that was a moment in my life. 157 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 6: I was like, Wow, this is this isn't just a 158 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 6: guy that's had some success. 159 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 4: This is a guy that really impacted people. 160 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 5: Well. And then kind of with the father son angle, 161 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 5: I mean, you have two brothers that are been very 162 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 5: involved with the team obviously, and did you get contributions 163 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 5: from them? Did did you get feedback from them? Obviously 164 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:27,560 Speaker 5: they had some involvement, right you know. 165 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 6: Right, yeah, Well, I mean look, if it wasn't for 166 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 6: my brother Art and Roger Goodell, the book would have 167 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 6: never happened. Okay, you know they both kind of you know, 168 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,240 Speaker 6: plowed the snow if you will, and said, look, we 169 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 6: kind of blessed this project. So Roger at the NFL 170 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 6: level said anything you need, and we did a lot 171 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 6: of math on some of the historic data things things 172 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:50,760 Speaker 6: my father had done with Bill Nunn and and so 173 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 6: everyone in the league really helped us look at you know, 174 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 6: players that were drafted in the fifties and sixties, and 175 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 6: you know it's not the same data we have today. 176 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 6: Access to other owners, we we talked to John Marra 177 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 6: from the Giants, We talked to Arthur Blank from the Falcons. 178 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 6: You know, so so Roger that and the same thing 179 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 6: with Pittsburgh. Art said, yeah, look, I think this is 180 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 6: a this is a worthwhile project. You know, I really 181 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 6: think she'd do it now. 182 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 5: With Art. 183 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 4: My mother was alive and she liked the project. 184 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 5: So you know, so. 185 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 2: When you're sitting down with somebody for an extensive interview 186 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 2: like that, there had to be things that you learned 187 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 2: about your father that you didn't know. Had to be 188 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,079 Speaker 2: somebody told you a story that you hadn't heard. Is 189 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:36,400 Speaker 2: there anything that you can share like that? 190 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 4: Yeah? 191 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 6: You know, it's funny because the thing that that I 192 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 6: always say when I get that question, is it just 193 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:45,320 Speaker 6: confirmed so much more than I learned something. But but 194 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:48,719 Speaker 6: Tagliabu said something that was really cool, and you wouldn't think, 195 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 6: you know, we think of Dan Rooney, you know, Dale, 196 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 6: you and I have been around a little while, but 197 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 6: he was still older most of our lives, and you 198 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,080 Speaker 6: don't think of him in this way. But but Paul 199 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 6: Taggerby the Commissioner said Dan Rooney was the greatest risk 200 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:05,679 Speaker 6: taker I've ever seen in my life. And then Roger 201 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 6: Goodell said, Dan Rooney dealt with change better than anyone 202 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:10,680 Speaker 6: I've ever dealt met in business. 203 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:12,600 Speaker 3: And were you sitting there going we talked a much. 204 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 5: The same. 205 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:14,839 Speaker 4: Exactly. 206 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 6: But I think it's an example of you know, whether 207 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 6: it was labor, whether it was things with the realignment, 208 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 6: which Roger really told me, how how much my father 209 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:26,599 Speaker 6: got involved in that and was different, you know, the 210 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 6: Rooney roll of the stuff in Ireland. He was always 211 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,679 Speaker 6: willing to step into these messy situations. A lot of 212 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 6: people in business would rather go around them, and they 213 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 6: both said, no, he went in. It was messy, it 214 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:39,680 Speaker 6: was hard, you didn't know what the outcome was going 215 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 6: to be, and things usually resulted in what they you know, 216 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 6: better than the outcomes, then you would expect it if 217 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 6: you kind of didn't do it that way. 218 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 5: So you mentioned Bill none a little bit ago, and 219 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:51,680 Speaker 5: I don't want to get away from that. And I 220 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 5: bet a lot of our younger listeners in particular probably 221 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:56,320 Speaker 5: don't even know who he is unfortunately, or know a 222 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 5: little bit about him. But from my perspective, I mean, 223 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 5: one of the huge reasons the Steelers were so good 224 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 5: in the seventies was they were ahead of the curve 225 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,080 Speaker 5: with their scouting, and Bill None was at the top 226 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:08,840 Speaker 5: of that. I mean, what all'd you learn about that 227 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:12,680 Speaker 5: whole situation, you know, and his impact on four Super Bowls? 228 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 4: Yeah? 229 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 6: Yeah, And so you know, it's funny because Art says this, Dan, 230 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:18,360 Speaker 6: my brothers you talked about as the scout said this, 231 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 6: My brother John, who doesn't do anything with the team. 232 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 6: Bill was our boss at camp. Okay, so Bill Nung 233 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 6: was our first boss. Bill and Tony Parisi and so 234 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 6: so you had this experience of him as as sort 235 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 6: of your boss and got to know him. And then 236 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 6: as I got older, you know, i'd always go up 237 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 6: and see Dad, but I'd take a rite and go 238 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 6: into Bill's office and you know, I'd go in to 239 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 6: say hi for five minutes. I'd come out an hour 240 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 6: and a half later because he would just tell you 241 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 6: all these stories, but from a scouting standpoint, and I know. 242 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:49,479 Speaker 5: The stories had to be unbelievable. 243 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 4: They were the greatest stories. 244 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 5: I mean, even like his father all the way back. 245 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 5: Everyone should research it. It's unbelievable, it is. 246 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:59,199 Speaker 6: But what he talked about, I think you've probably heard this, Matt. 247 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 6: But he would always try to go to a dance 248 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 6: on campus because he wanted to see how the guys moved. 249 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 6: So when he would go to these schools, he because 250 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 6: he wanted to say. He said, all right, that guy 251 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 6: looks too heavy. But he says if he if he could. 252 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 4: Move on the day on his feet, his feet. 253 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 6: Same with the little guys, he said, if they couldn't dance. 254 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:20,679 Speaker 6: You know, I was always concerned were they as good 255 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 6: of athlete as I was seeing on on film? So 256 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:26,319 Speaker 6: I thought that was a great say. 257 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,320 Speaker 5: How they interacted with others or they sit in the 258 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 5: corner by themselves, right, it makes a ton of sense. Yeah, 259 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:36,320 Speaker 5: that's interesting. Yeah, I mean for people don't know, like 260 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 5: Bill Nunn's father, if Muhammad Ali was in town, he 261 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:41,720 Speaker 5: was there. If if Martin Luther King was in town, 262 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:45,040 Speaker 5: he was there. I mean, it's it's crazy, really really impressive. 263 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean Bill Nunn's father was one of the 264 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 6: first people to fund the Third Good Marshall and his 265 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 6: effort to change Brown versus Board of Education. Bill Nunn's 266 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 6: father played a major role in what is a mass 267 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:05,239 Speaker 6: of policy in our country? Big impact on on society. 268 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 6: So and then his son was Art, you know buddy 269 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 6: at training camp and by actor Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, 270 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 6: do the right thing and uh spider Man. 271 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:23,360 Speaker 4: Really regarding Henry. 272 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 3: Yeah he was. He was in several movies before he passed. 273 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 3: But yeah, they he hung. 274 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 4: With Art, Yeah, they were. 275 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 6: So there's a there's a great photo in that. I 276 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 6: think it's an office now used to be a conference 277 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 6: room across from the scouts room. And in the photo 278 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 6: you have my grandfather wearing this this fedora shaking Joe 279 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 6: Green's hand, and Bill Nunn is one of the ball 280 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 6: boys walking in with the towel overs. 281 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 2: Well, the book is a different way to win Dan 282 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 2: Roney's story from the super to the Rooney role. The 283 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:04,679 Speaker 2: author is, of course, Jim Rooney is his son, and 284 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:08,199 Speaker 2: Jim again, if people haven't gotten the book and read 285 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 2: the book, they need to do so, get the audio version, 286 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 2: throw it in one while you're the audio version. To me, 287 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 2: you've included the entirety of the interviews correct or the 288 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:20,679 Speaker 2: majority of them. 289 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 6: Well, so with the audio version, we took the Ireland 290 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 6: section out, which we're going to talk about today. 291 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 5: Yeah. 292 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,960 Speaker 6: Absolutely, because we just felt like we tried to. It 293 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,200 Speaker 6: was this idea that Penguin Random House Audio did. It 294 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,560 Speaker 6: wasn't me, it was the publisher. But it's a cross 295 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 6: between an audio read and a podcast. So you have 296 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 6: me read a chapter and then you have an interview 297 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 6: with Roger Goodell or my brother Ard or Franco Rocky 298 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 6: after each chapter, and we tried to put more extended 299 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 6: interview versions of the interview next to the chapter that 300 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 6: they might be talking. 301 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:55,040 Speaker 2: So it's almost like a sixty minutes kind of thing 302 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,080 Speaker 2: where you're sitting down with these people and just getting 303 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 2: you're getting even more in depth. It's something that you 304 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 2: always struggle with. I know I do when I'm writing 305 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 2: a story. I hate spending you know, twenty minutes talking 306 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:11,319 Speaker 2: to somebody and then you use maybe five minutes of 307 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:12,959 Speaker 2: the interview in the story and you're. 308 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 3: Like, boy, I hate to cut that out, but I 309 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:14,559 Speaker 3: can't have. 310 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 2: This thing be this long now. Writing a book is 311 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 2: a little different. You know, you don't have the same constraints. 312 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:21,800 Speaker 2: But it's like I wish I could tell I could 313 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 2: use that. Maybe I'll save it for something later. Yeah, 314 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 2: in this instance, you're able to use it all. 315 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 4: We used a lot. 316 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 6: There's still some good stuff on the cutting room floor, 317 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 6: so of some ideas of some things we might do 318 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 6: with that. But we used a lot of it. But 319 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 6: we put Franco. So I had Franco's interview right before 320 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 6: I talk about the Steelers the seventies, and we took 321 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:42,000 Speaker 6: it out because the publisher said that's just too long 322 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 6: and put it at the end of the book because 323 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:44,520 Speaker 6: I was like, well, you can't. 324 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 4: We can't short Traine Franco. 325 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 6: So at the very end of the book you have 326 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 6: all of Franco's interview for exactly that reason. 327 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 5: Yeah. And so if I understand it right, if someone 328 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 5: has read the book but has not done the audio, 329 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 5: they will get different stuff. 330 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 6: Yes, okay, absolutely, you get some really cool stuff. Roger 331 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 6: Goodell goes into some really interesting ideas of sort of 332 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 6: how the sausage was made to how we got the 333 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 6: business model of the NFL today. Oh wow, and my 334 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 6: father's role in that tag Leaboo talks about the labor negotiations, 335 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 6: and you know that my father was sort of the 336 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 6: best negotiator, but it was because all the lawyers would 337 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 6: make things much more complicated than he'd simplify them for everyone. 338 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 3: Well, let's get to a break. 339 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 2: Our guest is Jim Rooney, author of A Different Way 340 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 2: to Win, Dan Rooney's story, and we'll be back with 341 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 2: more with Jimmy after this. We're gonna talk a little 342 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,640 Speaker 2: Ireland in the next segment, and I know that's very 343 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 2: near and dear to your family's largely because of your 344 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 2: father and your grandfather, but it's a big part of 345 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 2: the Rooney story as well, so we'll do that when return. 346 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 2: He is Matt Williamson. I am Dale LOLLI. You're listening 347 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 2: to the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network. 348 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: Is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson twenty 349 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: four to seven, home of the Black and Gold Steelers 350 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:11,600 Speaker 1: Nation Radio. 351 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 3: And we are back. I am Dale Lowling. 352 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 2: He is the Matt Williamson and we're joined in the 353 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:18,000 Speaker 2: studio here by Jim Rooney and Jim of course, the 354 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,320 Speaker 2: author of the book A Different Way to Win, Dan 355 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:23,480 Speaker 2: Rooney story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Roll, 356 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 2: but also a ruining brother here and. 357 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 3: Your father on. 358 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 2: September twenty eighth at Well there, it's going to be 359 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 2: two thirty in the afternoon. I expect a little ray 360 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 2: of sunlight to come shining down. 361 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 4: Rainbow and Irish, yeah something. 362 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 2: We were both at the game back in the nineties 363 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 2: when the Steelers played the Chicago Bears at Crook Park. 364 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 2: This is going to have a different meaning to it, 365 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 2: being the first regular season game on the island of Ireland. 366 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:03,560 Speaker 2: And your dad, I can only imagine how over the 367 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 2: moon he would be about this. 368 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 4: Well, and you know he was not at that game 369 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:09,679 Speaker 4: in ninety six. Do you remember it. 370 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 6: Was either Franco or Coach Knowle went in the Hall 371 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:16,600 Speaker 6: of Fame that right, Yeah, So he flew over and 372 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 6: spent the week, and then he left on Friday night, 373 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 6: and you know, we we have the game. I think 374 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 6: the game was Sunday. I don't remember Saturday. 375 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 2: I can't remember either at this point, but it was 376 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 2: a long time ago. I just remember him setting up. 377 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 2: First of all, we did the dinner out in the 378 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:33,440 Speaker 2: middle of nowhere. 379 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:35,240 Speaker 3: I don't even know where it was at. And on 380 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 3: the Island. 381 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 2: I just remember the buses driving on these roads that 382 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 2: were about from me to you. 383 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,520 Speaker 3: Why right, this isn't good. 384 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:45,440 Speaker 2: But I also remember we you know, we made the 385 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:49,719 Speaker 2: trip up the coast to Northern Ireland, up to Belfast, 386 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,680 Speaker 2: and you know it was just you know, the work 387 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:54,119 Speaker 2: that he had done up there as well. I mean 388 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 2: he really, even before he was the ambassador there, had 389 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:00,199 Speaker 2: done a lot of work with the Ireland Fund than 390 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:03,399 Speaker 2: everything else, you know, just kind of try to create 391 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:04,880 Speaker 2: some peace in the country. 392 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:06,600 Speaker 4: Yeah, he worked really hard at that. 393 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 6: And his closest partner was a gentleman who just passed 394 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,959 Speaker 6: away this last year, Tony O'Reilly, who was the CEO 395 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:16,600 Speaker 6: of Hines for many years. And Tony was born in Dublin, 396 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 6: was a great rugby player and then got into the 397 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,800 Speaker 6: food business Carrie Butter, which is an Irish butter company, 398 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 6: and then Hines hired him out of that. But so 399 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 6: the funny story of the Island Funds. So the Island 400 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 6: Funds does some really important work and I now have 401 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:35,159 Speaker 6: my father's seat on the board, which I think is 402 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:39,239 Speaker 6: really cool. But so how it started though, is is 403 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,959 Speaker 6: O'Reilly wanted to raise some money for the Royal College 404 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 6: of Sergeant's a big medical program in Ireland, and he 405 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 6: and it was the first year we won the Super Bowl, 406 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:52,679 Speaker 6: so they gave the award to my grandfather and it 407 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:54,919 Speaker 6: was up in New York City at the Waldorf and 408 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,199 Speaker 6: they had a really nice night that a lot of 409 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 6: people show but they spent more money putting the dinner 410 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:04,359 Speaker 6: together than they they made, so they always said they 411 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 6: had the second dinner to pay for the first dinner. 412 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:11,199 Speaker 4: So that was O'Reilly's story. But it was such a 413 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 4: successful night that they said. 414 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,080 Speaker 6: We could do this for for broader purposes, and so 415 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 6: they really started thinking about, you know, all the issues 416 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:22,239 Speaker 6: throughout all of Ireland, because in the North you had 417 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:24,919 Speaker 6: the trouble, so you had issues, you know, where you 418 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:28,440 Speaker 6: had Catholics and Protestants, but the issues were playing out 419 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:33,120 Speaker 6: relative to housing, relative to job opportunities, relative to education. 420 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 2: But there it just struck me when we when we 421 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 2: went there, like you don't understand there were there were 422 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 2: walls between neighborhoods and things of that nature. It was 423 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:45,960 Speaker 2: it's way more than you like you could imagine happening 424 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,440 Speaker 2: here in the United States, and it's just like, wow, 425 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:49,880 Speaker 2: this is this is different. 426 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 6: I remember when I was a kid, we went we 427 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:54,960 Speaker 6: went over a fair amount and my father would take 428 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:56,600 Speaker 6: us we alwy say we were taking us on vacation 429 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 6: to Northern Ireland. But you know there was barboi on 430 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:04,479 Speaker 6: all of those walls. So so it was I mean, 431 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 6: you've you felt that sense there were there were armored 432 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,480 Speaker 6: vehicles going up and down. You know, you just felt 433 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 6: that that kind of sense of fear and angst. And 434 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:17,399 Speaker 6: you know, so many good people did so much work. 435 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 6: But the President of Ireland says this really cool thing. 436 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 6: So this thing called the peace dividend that you hear 437 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:27,440 Speaker 6: often when there's a peace process and in different countries. 438 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:31,639 Speaker 6: But she said Dan and Tony created the prosperity dividend, 439 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:33,919 Speaker 6: and that if they didn't do this work for all 440 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 6: those years, you know, getting people educated, helping people find 441 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 6: access to jobs, getting investment into Northern Ireland, the peace 442 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 6: would have never held because you know, the violence is 443 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 6: the result of desperation and so so I really thought 444 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 6: that was a really cool statement about about his contribution 445 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:54,119 Speaker 6: and how important it was. At the same time, in 446 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 6: the in the Republic of Ireland, you know, the economy 447 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:00,159 Speaker 6: was horrible in the seventies, and so they really he 448 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 6: looked at the United Way here in the United States 449 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 6: and sort of tried to build something that would you know, 450 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 6: take money to different charities and they would have you know, 451 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:12,680 Speaker 6: some Irish folks who have had expertise in that figure 452 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:14,920 Speaker 6: out where the money went well, while Dad and Tony 453 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:18,480 Speaker 6: kind of raised it from different, uh different charity events 454 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 6: here in the United States. 455 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 5: So I have a bunch of questions about your dad's ambassadorship. 456 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 5: I think that's a word, right, Yeah, how did that? Yeah, 457 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 5: I shouldn't even ask, just let it fly. How did 458 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:33,040 Speaker 5: that come about? Did he actively pursue that? Did somebody 459 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:36,440 Speaker 5: ask him? How long was he the ambassador in Ireland? 460 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,560 Speaker 5: Was he involved with the Steelers while he was over there? 461 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,919 Speaker 6: And if so, was not and I'll let all the 462 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 6: taxpayers know that he was fully focused on he still was. 463 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:53,479 Speaker 6: Say yeah, no he uh so, so let me go backwards. 464 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 6: Let me start with the what he did with the Steelers. 465 00:21:57,440 --> 00:21:59,919 Speaker 6: So he would you know, he didn't since I was 466 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,760 Speaker 6: lowest on the totem pole, he'd call me at five am, 467 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 6: Kevin said. He got a call at six am, Kevin Colbert. 468 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 6: You know, Mike said he'd get a call about seven 469 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 6: and Art would get a call about seven thirty, so 470 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 6: he would talk to us before his day got started 471 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,640 Speaker 6: over in Ireland, or at least before our day got started. 472 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 5: Then he'd work these full days. 473 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,919 Speaker 6: Every day he'd always be calling us, and then he 474 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:25,239 Speaker 6: would work these full days, and then every night they 475 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:27,919 Speaker 6: would have you know, the half that job is about 476 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 6: building relationships, and so they would have events. And these 477 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 6: events were really important because, as we talked about, you know, 478 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 6: you still had the remnants of what we called the troubles. 479 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:40,120 Speaker 4: So he would have. 480 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,399 Speaker 6: Different groups over from these different segments, and he was 481 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:45,960 Speaker 6: always trying to do things to bring folks together, to 482 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 6: build bridges and connections. So that was sort of a 483 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:53,640 Speaker 6: hallmark of his ambassadorship. There's a couple other I think 484 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,679 Speaker 6: important points. There are good stories we can. 485 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:58,920 Speaker 4: Talk about as we go here, but that's that's sort 486 00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 4: of a high level descript. 487 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:07,919 Speaker 2: So Croke Park itself is the event center on the island. 488 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,920 Speaker 2: I mean, every big event that has taken some good, 489 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,880 Speaker 2: some bad right has taken place in that in that 490 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:18,359 Speaker 2: stadium for over one hundred years now, so it's almost 491 00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty that we're closing in on here. 492 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:23,879 Speaker 2: I don't know if Steeler fans under I wrote a 493 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:28,920 Speaker 2: story about the park when the game was announced and 494 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 2: learned even more about it than I had already known. 495 00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:35,080 Speaker 2: But I mean it is this is a big deal 496 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 2: for the game to be played on that stadium turf. 497 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 6: Right as you had said the other day, Dale, you know, 498 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:45,200 Speaker 6: the British troops rolled in I think it was nineteen 499 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:49,280 Speaker 6: eighteen and killed several players of a rugby match as 500 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:51,879 Speaker 6: well as fans in the stadium because they were getting 501 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,440 Speaker 6: out of hand. We can talk about whether that's the 502 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,399 Speaker 6: Sunday Buddy Sunday that you two is talking about, or 503 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:00,880 Speaker 6: there was two different events that happened in seventy one. 504 00:24:01,560 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 6: But but it's it's it just marked such a such 505 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:11,359 Speaker 6: a you know, painful moment in Irish history. But but 506 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 6: like so many places where sports, you know, seems to 507 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,639 Speaker 6: kind of bring people together over the years, it's become 508 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 6: a symbol of okay, this is this is a place 509 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:24,320 Speaker 6: where we have such great pride in Ireland. And you know, 510 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:26,720 Speaker 6: I had a really meaningful moment. So I first was 511 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:30,080 Speaker 6: there in I think seventy six. I went to a 512 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,760 Speaker 6: hurling match, which is a game similar to lacrosse. But 513 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:36,919 Speaker 6: then in eighty seven we all went over. You know, 514 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 6: there's nine you know, art me or part of nine 515 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 6: nine kids, four boys, five girls, and a couple of 516 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:45,719 Speaker 6: people had babies. So I don't know if everyone made 517 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:48,199 Speaker 6: the show, but but we went over that summer as 518 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:49,960 Speaker 6: my dad would take us often. But we went to 519 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:54,480 Speaker 6: see you too, and so you know'll never forget that concert. 520 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:57,360 Speaker 4: It was their first I think it was the first. 521 00:24:57,119 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 6: Time they played in Croke Park, and just a amazing 522 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:04,320 Speaker 6: show and at the end they had fireworks. After the 523 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:06,919 Speaker 6: fireworks there was a thunderstorm behind the stadium, so it 524 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:09,280 Speaker 6: was like they continued and uh, you know, this is 525 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:12,200 Speaker 6: U two's homecoming and you know, just to be part 526 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:13,120 Speaker 6: of the. 527 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:14,920 Speaker 3: A's a time when they were maybe the biggest band 528 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 3: in the world. 529 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 4: Yeah right, yeah, it was. It was tremendous. 530 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 6: So and then so the other reason that that moment 531 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:25,600 Speaker 6: is important is as as you know, Dale had three 532 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,879 Speaker 6: sisters passed away from different health ailments, Kathleen, Reid and 533 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,719 Speaker 6: Joan and that was the last time we're all together, 534 00:25:32,119 --> 00:25:35,879 Speaker 6: was that trip in Ireland. So uh that that that 535 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:38,560 Speaker 6: that visit to Croke Park means means a lot to. 536 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:42,399 Speaker 5: Me since your father's passing. Do many of your siblings 537 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 5: get over there often? Or do you go from time 538 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 5: to time or. 539 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 6: It's funny, I used to go a lot. Now I'm 540 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,680 Speaker 6: on this board, but I haven't been there in a while. 541 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:52,840 Speaker 6: Dan has really been there a lot with the game. 542 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 4: You know, when we. 543 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:57,159 Speaker 6: Made this, you know, the Mexico deal, I think was 544 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 6: something that was really important everyone wanted. Now we have Germany, 545 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:02,520 Speaker 6: but there's you know, there's a heart in Ireland that 546 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,400 Speaker 6: really means something. And you know, my nephew Dan has 547 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 6: just done a fantastic job building out the relationship there. 548 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,400 Speaker 5: And that's Arts son Art Okay. 549 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:15,920 Speaker 6: Yeah, and you know, our our footprint there is is 550 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,720 Speaker 6: much bigger than it should be. And uh, you know, 551 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:21,520 Speaker 6: I think Dan deserves credit for that work. I also 552 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:23,920 Speaker 6: have to say the other Dan who we're talking about. 553 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:29,520 Speaker 5: Dan, Yeah, that's true. 554 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:33,040 Speaker 6: As I remind all the Dans and Arts, the only 555 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 6: the only time a uniform had the name Rooney on 556 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:38,800 Speaker 6: it said Jim Rooney or JP Rooney, So that was 557 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:39,880 Speaker 6: that was my uncle Jim. 558 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:41,680 Speaker 4: I remind them of that. 559 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:48,440 Speaker 2: So the game itself, obviously playing the Minnesota Vikings ERTs 560 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:52,200 Speaker 2: saying team that happened to play in London and twenty 561 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:54,800 Speaker 2: thirteen the only other time the Steelers have gone internationally. 562 00:26:55,680 --> 00:27:00,040 Speaker 2: It's kind of a a neat little aside to this 563 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:03,800 Speaker 2: whole thing that that you know, a the Vikings technically 564 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 2: founded Dublin, right right, not the Minnesota ones either, but again, 565 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 2: you know, the Steelers playing it kind of brings it 566 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,040 Speaker 2: all together. You know, the Steelers were the first NFL 567 00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:18,120 Speaker 2: game to take place at Croke Park with the Bears, 568 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,520 Speaker 2: and now you're you know, hosting the Vikings. 569 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:23,399 Speaker 3: It's just really a I got. 570 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:27,639 Speaker 2: To imagine your your your father again somewhere up there 571 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:30,399 Speaker 2: is just looking at this and just smiling ear to 572 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:31,840 Speaker 2: ear over this whole thing. 573 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,240 Speaker 6: Well, and there's a great museum, since he was always 574 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:37,720 Speaker 6: promoting Ireland and the cultural aspects, there's a great Viking 575 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:41,240 Speaker 6: museum in Dublin where they tell well it's a historical museum, 576 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:42,920 Speaker 6: but there's a lot of it that talks about when 577 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:45,399 Speaker 6: the Vikings came over. So you know, we're here to 578 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:47,600 Speaker 6: sell to Steeler fans, but if you're a Vikings fan, 579 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:49,600 Speaker 6: there's there's some history buff I. 580 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:50,040 Speaker 3: Might go there. 581 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:52,080 Speaker 2: I'm gonna a I want to check out the museum 582 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:54,600 Speaker 2: at Croke Park because there's a great museum there as well. 583 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,760 Speaker 2: But I enjoy going to you know, seeing historical things 584 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:00,600 Speaker 2: like that. It might be something I checked. Yeah, you 585 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 2: I've read a bunch of books on the on the era. 586 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 2: Just it's it's it's interesting to learn kind of where 587 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,120 Speaker 2: you came from, you know, in terms of that kind 588 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:12,400 Speaker 2: of stuff. Like just the the way Europe has changed 589 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:15,640 Speaker 2: over the years. I mean just this group was there, 590 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 2: that group was there, then this group came in, that 591 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 2: group moved out, and then they merged. Just there's so 592 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 2: much of that in Europe that we're all much really right, right, absolutely, 593 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 2: just one big conglomeration of of all kinds of different Did. 594 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:30,240 Speaker 4: You go to the Titanic Museum? 595 00:28:30,520 --> 00:28:31,919 Speaker 3: I did not. I did not. 596 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 6: I mean that'd be a little bit of a train ride. 597 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:36,040 Speaker 6: I don't know how much time, how much extra time. 598 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 6: But that's another great museum. And then if you're a 599 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:41,240 Speaker 6: Game of Thrones fan, they have that whole Game of 600 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:43,440 Speaker 6: Thrones drive up and up in Belfast. 601 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:46,160 Speaker 5: You're talking, yeah, you. 602 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 4: Guys can it's more. 603 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:50,240 Speaker 2: More than just the game, more than just the football. 604 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 2: The football is the reason why you go, but then 605 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 2: you also get to take in the rest of Ireland, 606 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:55,720 Speaker 2: which is beautiful. 607 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,600 Speaker 6: Yeah, it's beautiful if you're a golfer. It's one of 608 00:28:58,640 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 6: the best places in the world to golf. 609 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:02,720 Speaker 5: We want the pubs are kind of fun us. 610 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 6: And and you know, on on one of those gray, 611 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:10,040 Speaker 6: rainy days it's well, there's actually pretty nice in September. 612 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:12,280 Speaker 6: But if you if you happen to get a rainy 613 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:14,760 Speaker 6: day there, you know, get to the pub or it's 614 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:16,360 Speaker 6: a good, good place to spend some time. 615 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:19,240 Speaker 5: How many Rooneyes are we expecting to make the trip 616 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:19,720 Speaker 5: for the game? 617 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 6: Oh, I mean a lot, my my cousins. You know, 618 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 6: I have had more requests for this. I'm serious, not 619 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 6: that I'm not otherwise, but but more quests than this 620 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,440 Speaker 6: for the than for the Super Bowl. Really, more people 621 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:35,040 Speaker 6: wanted to go this game. Maybe it's just because of 622 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 6: the kind of worlds I'm in. Yeah, everyone wants to go. 623 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:38,640 Speaker 4: To this game. 624 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,120 Speaker 3: Wow, it's a huge event. And you know, we had 625 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 3: Michael mcquaidon from. 626 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 2: Uh Dublin or Ireland earlier this week and and like 627 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,479 Speaker 2: they sell out the main events for the All Ireland 628 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:52,080 Speaker 2: Finals are ridiculous. 629 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:53,080 Speaker 3: You can't get tickets for it. 630 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 2: He's like everybody's asking their parish priest if they can 631 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 2: they have an actual ticket. 632 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,400 Speaker 3: I would expect this to be just as. 633 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:01,680 Speaker 2: Hot a ticket over there. Yeah, I mean it's going 634 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 2: to be difficult to get. 635 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:05,959 Speaker 6: Yeah, no, it's it's I mean, the NFL just started 636 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:10,360 Speaker 6: the lottery the other day, and I've told everyone that's 637 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:12,120 Speaker 6: asked me, I said, put your name in that lottery. 638 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:15,320 Speaker 6: I said, you know, that's probably the best chance, you know, 639 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:16,800 Speaker 6: because it's it's tough. 640 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:18,480 Speaker 2: But even if you can't get tickets to the game 641 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:21,680 Speaker 2: going over there's gonna be all kinds of events and everything. 642 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 2: It's it's going to be a great week. And it's 643 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 2: it's a great place to visit too. I mean, there 644 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:28,680 Speaker 2: aren't many places in the world, and I've been to 645 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:31,080 Speaker 2: a lot of different places over the years. 646 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 3: Where you can go. 647 00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:38,800 Speaker 2: Everybody was happy that we were there, and they also 648 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 2: speak the language, even though you know, you pick up 649 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:43,200 Speaker 2: on the brogue pretty quickly, but it's not that hard 650 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 2: to understand. But it was just such a that then 651 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 2: the entire week we spent there was fantastic. And again 652 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:54,360 Speaker 2: I've been all over all over the different places around 653 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:58,000 Speaker 2: the world, and probably by far that was they were 654 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,880 Speaker 2: the most friendly of any place that I'd been. 655 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:02,880 Speaker 5: I mean, I bet there's a fair amount of black 656 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:04,880 Speaker 5: and gold over there too, I would think, show, yeah, yeah, 657 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:05,280 Speaker 5: I would think. 658 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:08,320 Speaker 6: So we we the first time we all went over, 659 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:13,320 Speaker 6: I think was seventy five, seventy six, and you know, 660 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:15,840 Speaker 6: but so there was nine of us, and so we 661 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:21,280 Speaker 6: traveled in groups of you know, nine, twelve fifteen for 662 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 6: about twenty years, going back and forth. Once you know, 663 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:27,600 Speaker 6: the older Art, my sister Pat, my sister Kathleen, once 664 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:31,080 Speaker 6: they started having kids, and you know, we were this 665 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 6: this little pack and we would always be in one 666 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 6: of those buses and on those roads that you you know, 667 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:38,600 Speaker 6: you can see. But we had so much fun just 668 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 6: just visiting different places, visiting relatives. My mother had relatives there, golfing, 669 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,800 Speaker 6: we all me, Art, Dan John, my dad got in 670 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:51,520 Speaker 6: a fistfight on a golf course, and so we just 671 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:53,960 Speaker 6: had so many, so many wonderful times there. 672 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 4: It was great. 673 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:58,240 Speaker 6: And and like you're saying, a lot of evenings dancing 674 00:31:58,240 --> 00:31:59,760 Speaker 6: in the pub and singing songs. 675 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:02,960 Speaker 5: And was your grandfather involved with the country. 676 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:06,280 Speaker 4: My grandfather wasn't as involved I don't know that it 677 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 4: was as common because travel right, right, So my my 678 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 4: grandfather may have been there before my father, but certainly 679 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 4: not as often. 680 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 2: It wasn't a regular thing, right, yeah, right, Well, our 681 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 2: guest is Jim Rooney, of course, author of a Different 682 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:26,280 Speaker 2: Way to Win, Dan Roney's story from the super Bowl 683 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:28,440 Speaker 2: to the Rooney Rule. We're going to take another break. 684 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:30,840 Speaker 2: We'll be back to finish up the show. Jim's going 685 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,080 Speaker 2: to stay here with us. We'll do that right after this. 686 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:34,720 Speaker 3: He's Matt Williamson. I'm Dale Lolly. 687 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 2: You're listening to the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network. 688 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:45,240 Speaker 1: This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson 689 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:47,840 Speaker 1: on your twenty four to seven home of the Black 690 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:50,760 Speaker 1: and Gold Steelers Nation Radio. 691 00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 3: And we are back. I am Dale Lolly. 692 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:02,880 Speaker 2: He is Matt Williamson, and we're joined here in studio 693 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:05,200 Speaker 2: by Jim Rooney, author of a Different Way to Win, 694 00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:06,600 Speaker 2: Dan Runey's story from. 695 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:08,320 Speaker 3: The Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule. 696 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:11,280 Speaker 2: We've talked a lot of Ireland here, We've talked a 697 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:13,200 Speaker 2: ton about your dad. There's all kinds of stuff to 698 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:16,320 Speaker 2: talk about in both of those subjects. But the game 699 00:33:16,360 --> 00:33:22,320 Speaker 2: itself this year in Ireland, Jim there's some special things 700 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:24,600 Speaker 2: going on with that as well, in terms of what 701 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:25,320 Speaker 2: they're going to do with. 702 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,600 Speaker 3: The field and the logo on the field and those 703 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:29,200 Speaker 3: kind of things. 704 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 6: Well, so so the you know, that is going to 705 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:38,240 Speaker 6: be some special things that I'm not allowed to reveal today, 706 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:42,800 Speaker 6: but it reminds me of the field that he built 707 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 6: at the at the at the embassy when he was 708 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:49,400 Speaker 6: actually at the residence for the Fourth of July game. 709 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:51,480 Speaker 6: So on the fourth of July, every embassy has a 710 00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:54,640 Speaker 6: baseball game. Dale, I know you wish we still did baseball, 711 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 6: but he said, no, we're doing football, and so he 712 00:33:58,120 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 6: put together this massive event that we had. I was 713 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:03,920 Speaker 6: an announcer one year. Art coach one team, my brother 714 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,120 Speaker 6: Dan coach the other. I think those two almost got 715 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:09,319 Speaker 6: in a fist fight. My son Jimmy. 716 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:09,560 Speaker 4: Played on. 717 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:14,839 Speaker 6: Danny Young Dan played on another team. So it was 718 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:17,440 Speaker 6: such a great thing. But a bunch of the Marines 719 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 6: that were stationed would be on each team. And you 720 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:23,640 Speaker 6: know where the Steeler symbol is at the middle of 721 00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:27,040 Speaker 6: our stadium or you know Cowboys at their stadium, you know, 722 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:29,520 Speaker 6: on the fifty yard line. And I got to be 723 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:31,880 Speaker 6: there when they first came out. So we did this 724 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:34,279 Speaker 6: and then we brought all the Marines out to see it. 725 00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:36,719 Speaker 6: My father put the seal of the United States of 726 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:40,160 Speaker 6: America in the middle of that field. And I remember 727 00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:43,760 Speaker 6: the Marines, you know, many of those have served beyond 728 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:49,000 Speaker 6: just Ireland, and walking out and getting the photo of 729 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:51,879 Speaker 6: them the first time, and how how much that meant 730 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:54,719 Speaker 6: to them, that this that that my father really went 731 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:57,560 Speaker 6: to that level of detail. That was one of the 732 00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:00,320 Speaker 6: coolest things, you know, I'd ever seen. And then I 733 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,120 Speaker 6: think those guys all fought each other too when they 734 00:35:02,160 --> 00:35:04,360 Speaker 6: played against each other in the in the in the 735 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:05,319 Speaker 6: flag football game. 736 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:09,239 Speaker 4: But that's exactly as soon. 737 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 3: As you put it on the scoreboard, it just becomes different. 738 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:15,160 Speaker 6: Exactly, It's exactly, it doesn't matter what the game is. 739 00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:17,200 Speaker 5: You're telling us a little bit between the breaks of 740 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:20,640 Speaker 5: how involved your dad was with the military over there, 741 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:22,759 Speaker 5: and I mean it sounds like there was quite a 742 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:23,279 Speaker 5: bit to it. 743 00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:26,520 Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, this this and my mother too, This really 744 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:29,920 Speaker 6: was was something that they just cared deeply about. And 745 00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:33,480 Speaker 6: my mother, who who is not the greatest cook in 746 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,040 Speaker 6: the world, but she would she would bake. I mean, 747 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:37,440 Speaker 6: I think she had a lot of help because they 748 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:41,520 Speaker 6: end up baking hundreds of them. But they would go 749 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:45,839 Speaker 6: visit so in Shannon Airport, which is on the west 750 00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:49,719 Speaker 6: side of Ireland, that was a refueling station for the 751 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:54,640 Speaker 6: troops on their way to Afghanistan and Iraq, and they 752 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:57,840 Speaker 6: would as many as they could. Just about every weekend 753 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:00,680 Speaker 6: they would take a trip out to Shannon when troops 754 00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:04,120 Speaker 6: were going going back and forth, and and you know, 755 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:07,080 Speaker 6: they would have a little celebrational welcome for them. And 756 00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:10,160 Speaker 6: my father talked about two really different experiences. So when 757 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:12,080 Speaker 6: the folks were on their way out, it was it 758 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,400 Speaker 6: wasn't somber, but it was much more serious and and 759 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 6: you know, people talked about sort of this this role 760 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:22,640 Speaker 6: as as sort of a elderly sort of you know 761 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:25,719 Speaker 6: figure that he was for these guys, and he'd go 762 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:29,160 Speaker 6: shake everyone's hand, and so that was really special. When 763 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:31,840 Speaker 6: they came back, it was much more about fun. You know, 764 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:34,200 Speaker 6: they were all having fun. So he'd always be if 765 00:36:34,239 --> 00:36:36,200 Speaker 6: a guy had a Raven's jersey on, he'd be all 766 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:39,399 Speaker 6: over and you know, patriots of Brown. So they said 767 00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:41,160 Speaker 6: it was a you know, they they love seeing him 768 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:44,120 Speaker 6: in both elements, but but you know, they were laughing 769 00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:46,439 Speaker 6: at how willing he was to give someone a hard time, 770 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,839 Speaker 6: you know, if they were, you know, cheering for another 771 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:50,760 Speaker 6: team than this dealer. 772 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:54,360 Speaker 4: Okay, but but those were those were moments. 773 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 6: That you know, you don't hear about that, and sort 774 00:36:56,800 --> 00:36:59,120 Speaker 6: of the ambassador, but that's a that was just such 775 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:01,759 Speaker 6: a critical role. And and really, as I said, my 776 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:04,640 Speaker 6: mother kind of let it and he didn't have to 777 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:06,920 Speaker 6: do that, you know, no, no, no, I was all exeter, 778 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:09,719 Speaker 6: and she was like, look, this is this is as 779 00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 6: important as anything else we're going to do. 780 00:37:11,719 --> 00:37:14,000 Speaker 4: Okay, as as ambassad. 781 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:15,080 Speaker 5: How much does your mom come up in the book? 782 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:18,359 Speaker 6: So well, she didn't want to be up at all, 783 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:20,759 Speaker 6: but I talked about her and her father, but and 784 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:24,719 Speaker 6: her father who came from Ireland, and the influence he 785 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:27,280 Speaker 6: had on my dad, and and the the Irish singing 786 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:31,120 Speaker 6: and and sort of the cultural aspects because the chief's 787 00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:35,520 Speaker 6: father it was four generations that that the Rooneys were 788 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 6: already in the United States. Certainly they they lived in 789 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:42,120 Speaker 6: a lot of Irish Catholic sort of enclaves in Pittsburgh, 790 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:43,120 Speaker 6: but it was he was. 791 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:44,320 Speaker 4: Four generations removed. 792 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:48,200 Speaker 6: My mother's father had come from County Mayo, so so, 793 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:52,640 Speaker 6: you know, it was much my grandfa so but she 794 00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:57,800 Speaker 6: was great. I interviewed her about three different times and 795 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:01,680 Speaker 6: you know she told sit down, Yeah we did it, 796 00:38:01,719 --> 00:38:05,480 Speaker 6: and and uh, you know, I'm not going to get 797 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:07,480 Speaker 6: into all these but I'd say I talked to this 798 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:09,040 Speaker 6: person that she goes, oh, he doesn't know what he's 799 00:38:09,080 --> 00:38:14,680 Speaker 6: talking about. 800 00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:15,319 Speaker 5: Right. 801 00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:18,759 Speaker 2: Well, the book is a different way to win Dan 802 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:21,399 Speaker 2: rooney story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule. 803 00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:24,879 Speaker 2: And it's not just a book, it's also an audio 804 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:25,720 Speaker 2: book as well. 805 00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:26,960 Speaker 3: Where can you get these things? 806 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:27,160 Speaker 5: Dan? 807 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:32,640 Speaker 6: Absolutely, Jim, I'm sorry that's a compliment. So, uh, you 808 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:36,600 Speaker 6: can get the audiobook anybody. You don't download audiobooks, so 809 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:41,520 Speaker 6: so Apple Books, Amazon has Audible, Google Play. 810 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 4: But I also I've. 811 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:46,080 Speaker 6: Been kind of pitching the audiobook for the last year 812 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:48,440 Speaker 6: and and really enjoying that. But this is a good 813 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:50,279 Speaker 6: time to also buy the book, which you can get 814 00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:56,279 Speaker 6: at the Steelers official pro shops. Because in the in 815 00:38:56,320 --> 00:39:00,640 Speaker 6: the the textbook, we have the three chapters on Ireland 816 00:39:00,719 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 6: and if you're interested in Ireland, if you want to 817 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:05,879 Speaker 6: know why this game might be fun and important, and 818 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:08,840 Speaker 6: Dale keeps talking about the pot of gold at the 819 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:10,800 Speaker 6: end of the rainbow that my dad's going to provide 820 00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:11,120 Speaker 6: for us. 821 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:11,879 Speaker 4: Hopefully with a win. 822 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:18,600 Speaker 6: You'll really understand that that, you know, the work my 823 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:20,800 Speaker 6: father did and the Steelers kind of taught him and 824 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:23,920 Speaker 6: allowed him to be play a big role in Ireland 825 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:26,360 Speaker 6: and the experience he's had in Ireland came back and 826 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:29,279 Speaker 6: more important, the things he did in terms of the 827 00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:32,239 Speaker 6: way he treated folks in the labor negotiations and and 828 00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:34,560 Speaker 6: you know, so many things. So it's a real kind 829 00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:36,359 Speaker 6: of back and forth that we try to convey that 830 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:40,480 Speaker 6: he grew and learned throughout his life experiences and was 831 00:39:40,520 --> 00:39:43,440 Speaker 6: always about trying to you know, make the situation better 832 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:44,200 Speaker 6: and treat people. 833 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:44,480 Speaker 5: Well. 834 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:48,319 Speaker 2: That's great stuff and I urge everybody to go get 835 00:39:48,320 --> 00:39:50,239 Speaker 2: the book, get both versions. 836 00:39:50,080 --> 00:39:51,520 Speaker 3: There's more and like that. 837 00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:55,800 Speaker 5: Nice plane ride from Pittsburgh to Ireland and knock out both. 838 00:39:55,719 --> 00:39:58,080 Speaker 3: Absolutely do one on the way over, one on the 839 00:39:58,080 --> 00:39:58,440 Speaker 3: way back. 840 00:39:58,520 --> 00:39:59,520 Speaker 5: Exactly, go and you. 841 00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:01,960 Speaker 3: Have the whole that's the whole story. But that's going 842 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:03,239 Speaker 3: to do it for our show today. 843 00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:05,319 Speaker 2: We want to thank you Jim for stopping by and 844 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:08,680 Speaker 2: giving us more information on this and taking us down 845 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:11,040 Speaker 2: some trips down memory lane and just some of his 846 00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:14,319 Speaker 2: memories of Ireland and things of that nature. But for 847 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:17,640 Speaker 2: my partner Matt Williamson, for CJ. Wolfley here running the 848 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:20,239 Speaker 2: soundboard and making sure we stay on the air, and 849 00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:22,839 Speaker 2: for Tyler Viittmeyer making sure the video gets out there 850 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:25,440 Speaker 2: onto YouTube. Give us a thumbs up there, leave us 851 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:27,560 Speaker 2: your comments and all that stuff I do. Go on 852 00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:29,799 Speaker 2: there and read them and answer questions and all that 853 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:32,359 Speaker 2: kind of stuff. I'm Dale Lollie. We thank you for 854 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:35,239 Speaker 2: listening to this edition of the Drive on the Steelers 855 00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:36,320 Speaker 2: Audio Network.