Steelers scout Tim Rooney, architect of 1970s dynasty, dies

PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on SteelersNOW.com.

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 advanced 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.”

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