Dan Rooney: A Man of Many Talents

It's St. Patty's Day, and as a through and through Irishman, I needed to get some sort of post commemorating St. Patrick's Day. I was racking my brain for something to at least kinda sorta tie it into Pittsburgh sports. And then Dan Rooney and Barack Obama drop this in my lap. Too perfect.
This has obviously been rumored for some time, and the announcement was expected to be coming any day, so we should have expected that today of all days would be the day that President Obama would make it official.

Is there seriously anything that Dan Rooney can't do? The guy was the key in turning the Steelers around from NFL trainwreck prior to the 70's into quite possibly the most succaessful franchise in all of professional sports. He has been one of the most influential owners in the history of the league. He had Paul Tagliabue's ear, he has Roger Goodell's ear and I don't think it is out of line to say he's the most well-respected owner in the NFL, a league that has several well-respected owners. He stumped for Barack Obama and was a bit of a key figure in our new President's public turnaround in PA and afterward. He has long been a big figure in supporting peace in the always-warring Northern Ireland. And after dabbling a bit in politics he is now serving his country as an ambassador to everyone's favorite country: Ireland.

So congrats Mr. Rooney, you've earned every accolade you could ever receive. And good luck with your new post.