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Take A Tour: The very beginning

The display is one that is likely to create conversation, because it's a display about a group many Steelers fans aren't familiar with.

And learning about them is part of the history of the Steelers and why they are featured in the Hall of Honor Museum.

A 23-piece sculpture cast-and-carved in Hydrostone Cement of the Hope Harvey sandlot team, created by Ray Sokolowski to commemorate the team, is a featured display in the museum. A picture of the team hangs on the wall behind the display, featuring Art Rooney Sr., brothers Dan, Jim and Vince.

The Hope Harvey Football Club was a sandlot football team in Pittsburgh established by Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. in 1923, 10 years before the Steelers came into existence. Not only was Rooney the founder of the team, but he also was a player-coach.

The team was named after the local area firehouse, the Hope No. 1 Engine House, where the team would change and shower before and after games and home to the unofficial locker room. The rest of the name came from their unofficial team doctor, Dr. Walter Harvey, who was a friend of Rooney and cared for injured players without charge.

Uniforms weren't like they are today, as they were handmade, sewn by the players themselves or members of their families.

The name changed over the years, and eventually evolved into Rooney owning the Steelers, but the legacy began in the 1920s in the sandlots of the North Side with the Hope Harvey team.

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