In 1994, he was handpicked by Steelers owner Dan Rooney to replace the retiring Jack Fleming as the play-by-play broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He was the only candidate put forward for the job by a six-owner search committee (Wellington Mara, Lamar Hunt, Art Modell, Robert Parins, Dan Rooney, and Ralph Wilson), however, a group of eleven newer owners who wanted more of a voice in the selection process abstained from voting, preventing Finks from receiving the nineteen votes necessary to become Commissioner.
Rooney was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Patrick Rooney, Sr., into the wealthy and well-connected Rooney family, which is the majority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, and includes Dan Rooney, the former United States Ambassador to Ireland, who is Rooney's uncle, and Tom Rooney, a United States Congressman from Florida's 17th congressional district, who is Rooney's brother.
Dan Aykroyd | Mickey Rooney | Steely Dan | Wayne Rooney | Dan Quayle | Dan Rather | Dan Cruickshank | Dan Brown | Dan Simmons | Dan Fogelberg | Dan Abnett | England Dan & John Ford Coley | Dan Ryan Expressway | Dan Deacon | Dan Reeves | Dan Graham | Dan Burton | Dan Wheldon | Dan | Dan Savage | Dan in Real Life | Dan Hill | Dan Flavin | Dan Vapid | Dan Sperber | Dan Penn | Dan Bricklin | Rooney | Dan Tyminski | Dan Slott |
The eight-person selection committee that named the Legends team included Dan Rooney, Steelers Vice President Art Rooney, Jr., team scout Bill Nunn, former long-time coach Dick Hoak, long-time Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope, former sports editor of the Pittsburgh Press Roy McHugh, and former team officials Joe Gordon and Ed Kiely.