Patricia Rooney in many ways was the matriarch of the Pittsburgh Steelers just as Dan Rooney was the patriarch. Of course, Dan was only a year old when Art Rooney was approached by NFL Commissioner Joe Carr about buying an NFL team in 1933 and it was the Chief who guided the Steelers through the early years of the NFL. However, it was not until the father turned it over to the son that the Steelers would become the class of the NFL. There is an old saying, “Behind every great man, there is a great woman.” And in this case truer words were never spoken. So, in tribute to Patricia, referenced from Dan Rooney: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL, the following is a story about how the couple came to be.
He noticed a girl working behind the counter at the Arch Pharmacy dispensing ice cream cones, a girl he had known since the 7th grade. He thought she was cute with her red hair and green eyes and his heart skipped a beat every time he saw her. As she attended St. Mary’s Catholic Girls school and he attended an all-boys school in North Catholic, the only place he would ever see her was the pharmacy so he would look for any excuse to go to the drugstore. And when the older brother of a friend since childhood asked if he had a girlfriend, Dan Rooney would respond, “There’s a girl who works for at the corner drugstore, Patricia Regan, and I wouldn’t mind going out with her.”
Soon after, Patricia called Dan and asked if he would escort her to the St. Mary’s junior prom. Like a lot of young men “terrified” of that “one girl”, he responded in a less-than-assertive manner by saying he did not know how to dance. She reassured him that she would teach him, and it started with an “Okay, I try. We’ll see how it goes.”
After that Dan would walk Patricia home from work and sit on her front porch and talk for hours. They never did practice their dancing and it did not matter. When the night of the dance came, Dan described Patricia as looking like “a million bucks” in her long yellow gown and noted that many friends commented they made a good couple. From that point, they began dating.
Against the wishes of his family, they began to get serious. His mother urged him to date other girls and even though he would dutifully go out on double dates, Dan’s heart was always with Patricia.
After graduating high school, Dan was adamant about several things: going to college, playing football and staying close to Patricia. It took time to convince his father that college was the right choice, the Chief relented and cleared the path for Dan to attend St. Bonaventure in southwestern New York. The younger Rooney realized “the fix was in” and demonstrated his own strong will against his father in refusing to go. Dan’s #1 concern was being near Patricia and Art knew this, he did not want Dan to make decisions affecting his career and livelihood based on matters of the heart. Dan stood his ground and eventually attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and he stayed there even after the football program was dropped. Despite offers of scholarships to play football elsewhere, Dan discussed it with Patricia, who would support any decision he made. Dan would still call to say thank you but decided to stay in Pittsburgh.
They became engaged on Christmas 1950 and married two months later. The wedding was “a Rooney affair from beginning to end” with St. Peter’s church packed with friends and family. There was no longer resistance to welcoming Patricia. Dan emphatically stated that he was sure it was the right decision and the best decision he ever made:
"In some ways Patricia and I grew up together. We had met in grade school, starting dating in high school, then married at nineteen while I was still in college. There’s nothing like the responsibilities of marriage to hasten maturity. We made mistakes, of course, but we learned and matured together."
Steeler Nation lost a special soul on January 30th, 2021. We celebrate the life and thank Patricia Rooney for her own special contribution what each and everyone of us shares equal passion for as a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and member of Steeler Nation. As we all wish you love as your body is laid to rest, certainly the man whose words described in detail his love for you is happy to welcome your soul to join his.
Leave a comment to share your wishes below.
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