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.
Rooney family, of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise
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In 2008, Pilot president James (Jimmy) Haslam III, son of founder James (Jim) Haslam II, purchased a 16% stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers as part of the team's ownership restructuring due to some heirs of the Rooney family retaining stakes in gambling enterprises such as horse tracks and race horse breeding stables, violating NFL rules.
Though his role was more behind-the-scenes, he would remain with the team in that capacity through the 1998 season, second only to Dick Hoak in terms of tenure with the team outside of the Rooney family, third counting Steelers radio commentator Myron Cope, who was not employed by the team but through WTAE Radio and later WDVE on the official Steelers radio network.