Former Pittsburgh Steelers scout Tim Rooney has died at the age of 84, The news was broken by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, who shared that Rooney died after a brief battle with cancer. Rooney’s nephew, Todd Stewart, confirmed the news.
Rooney was the nephew of ‘The Chief,’ Arthur Rooney Sr., who was the first owner of the Steelers and launched the franchise in 1933. Tim died on the 92nd birthday of the Steelers’ franchise.
Tim started his career in football as a coach at Bishop Canevin High School in Pittsburgh before heading to the college ranks at Villanova. Yet, he quickly transitioned to the NFL, joining the Steelers’ scouting department.
Tim worked in the Steelers’ scouting department during the franchise’s golden age, when they won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. He began his career in 1972 as the team’s director of scouting, a title he held throughout the entire decade. Tim was instrumental in helping scout the 1974 class that produced five Hall of Famers.
He was a five-time Super Bowl Champion throughout his illustrious NFL career, joining the New York Giants in 1984 as the director of pro personnel.
Tim Rooney is credited with discovering Jack Lambert in the 1974 NFL Draft, who was coming out of Kent State as a relative unknown in that class. He retired from NFL scouting in 1999, going on to live in Pittsburgh following his retirement from the NFL.
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