The Pittsburgh Steelers have had their fair share of notorious sideline incidents over the years. The most recent infamous moment happened for Head Coach Mike Tomlin in 2013 during a Thanksgiving game when he came close to colliding with Baltimore Ravens kick returner Jacoby Jones. His predecessor, Hall of Fame Coach Bill Cowher, had his own almost special teams tackle in 1997 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But one of his biggest sideline stories came during a preseason game, according to Ben Roethlisberger.
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Steelers' legendary coach Bill Cowher was known for his fiery temper during his coaching career.
During the final week of the preseason in 2005, the Steelers traveled to Charlotte, NC on a Thursday night for a final tune-up game against the Carolina Panthers. The Steelers won 21-17 and it's not surprising that Roethlisberger remembers this contest for something other than his own play. The then-second-year quarterback played just the first quarter completing two passes for 24 yards and getting just one first down. Roethlisberger recalled one funny moment from the game during an episode of the Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger podcast with his former head coach in the house.
"There was a flag," Roethlisberger remembered. "The referee says, 'We've got a sideline issue with someone on the Steelers side, fifteen-yard penalty' and you [Cowher] went to him and were like, 'What are you talking about, who was it?' And he [the referee] goes, 'it was that coach down there.'"
Roethlisberger knew from standing in the vicinity of the individual shouting at the ref that it wasn't a coach.
"I'm watching this whole thing happen and all of a sudden you [Cowher] step out and looked down and it was Dan Rooney, the scout. He [Rooney] was standing by me and he was yelling at an official, gets a flag, and then it was you telling him like a kid 'go to your room.'"
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Legendary Steelers head coach Bill Cowher joined the Footbahlin podcast to discuss everything in his football journey from playing to coaching.
Dan Rooney Jr is the grandson of team founder Art Rooney and the son of the late chairman Dan Rooney, along with the brother of the current team president Art Rooney II. He spent 17 years as a scout with the organization focusing on the southeast region. He spent 11 years as the team's player personnel coordinator and was named vice president of player personnel before the 2022 season. But none of that mattered to a fuming Cowher that day.
"Get out of here," Cowher said with a big grin on his face. "If you're a scout, you're a scout. I'll listen to you during the draft, but not in the preseason."
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Steelers former head coach Bill Cowher with late team Chairman Dan Rooney.
Steelers Legendary QB Will Never Forget Absurdity Of The Moment
Roethlisberger said it was a sequence he'll always remember even if the rest of his performance that day was forgettable.
"It was like penalty on the sideline, unsportsmanlike. Usually they call that on the head coach, not very often on assistant coaches, let alone a scout. But it was like a movie where you just saw one guy looking down the people in line. It was so funny."
It may have only been a preseason game, but it certainly turned out to be an iconic moment for both the Steelers legends to look back on now and laugh at. While some might think that anyone with the last name Rooney is free from criticism, it certainly didn't save Dan Rooney Jr from the wrath of Cowher on that day.
What did you think of this fun little story from Roethlisberger and Coach Cowher? Are you surprised Cowher would kick a member of the Rooney family off the sideline? Comment below!
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