Rooney's book offers insights to Steelers history

[tony hipchest]

while some may focus on juicy little nuggets such as the well known rumors that led to the steelers passing on possibly the greatest qb to lace them up (and hometown hero) this seems to be the jist of the book:

In the prologue of his new book, "Dan Rooney: My 75 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL," the Steelers chairman explains the motivation behind his poignant autobiography.
"I urged the league to record and preserve the history of the NFL for posterity. But now we have lost them all -- the first generation who knew how it happened and put it all together," Rooney told co-authors Andrew E. Masich and David F. Halaas in an advance copy of his autobiography due for release next month. "The story as I know it hasn't been recorded ... So as the last man standing, the last to know from hearing, witnessing and experiencing that history, I guess it's up to me to tell the story as best I can."


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_530859.html

some good nuggets in the article make the book to look good. not only for steelerfans but all nfl fans who dont think they already know everything. (this probably excludes bengalfans amongst others- i doubt it has pictures anyways)

[WWIIOwheelz]

I need to pick that up

[Counselor]

Is it in book stores yet?

[SteelersMongol]

i wasn't sure if i should buy it before, but now i'm definitely gonna.

[alittlejazzbird]

Very interesting to read, from today's Trib, the story of how Hines Ward was persuaded to come to camp and to get his deal done:

On negotiating a handshake deal with Hines Ward prior to the start of the 2005 season: "I called Jerome (Bettis) and said, 'Here's what I'd like you to do. Get Hines and bring him over to the Latrobe Airport. We'll meet in the back room. Nobody will know we're there.' This was not an official negotiation -- no agents or management, other than me. Everyone else was at camp, or back in Pittsburgh.

"Jerome persuaded Hines to come, and I talked to them both. To Hines I said, 'Look, you mean everything to us. We want to get this done.' He said, 'Well, I need to get what I deserve.' I said, 'You'll get what you should get. You might not be 100 percent happy with it, but you're going to get what's right.' He said, 'You've always been fair.' We understood one another and left with a handshake. I went back to Art (Rooney II) and Kevin Colbert and told them, 'You go talk to him and he'll sign. He wants to be here.'"

[Stlrs4Life]

Should be a good read, I alos will be buying it.

[revefsreleets]

In the meantime, there is a great series running in the P-G by Robert Dvorchak documenting the Steelers a decade at a time. Absolutely fabulous and sometimes hilarious read, like the time Buddy Parker (coach before Noll) put the entire team on waivers after a preseason loss. When the commissioner called and said "You can't do that!", Parker responded "Why not, they all stink!".

If you're a Steeler fan you need to read it.