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81-655: Art Rooney , the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, sold his team to Alexis Thompson on December 10, 1940, and subsequently bought a 50% stake in the Philadelphia Eagles franchise from owner Bert Bell . At the time of the deals, a mini- draft took place between the two teams, using a pool of players from both rosters. This resulted in the Eagles acquiring seven players formerly of the Steelers, and

162-428: A "Lions" wordmark on the front. It is worn with the alternate Honolulu blue helmet featuring black stripes with silver accents and the leaping lion logo in black with silver accents. The black jersey is paired with solid black or solid Honolulu blue pants. The black jersey was a favorite of head coach Dan Campbell , who wore the original version during his playing days. According to Lions team president Rod Wood , it

243-670: A 1–13 showing in 1969 . He is buried at the North Side Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh. In 1964, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Duquesne University named their football field in his honor in 1993. In 1999 Rooney ranked 81st on the Sporting News ' "100 Most Powerful Sports Figures of the 20th Century" list. A statue of his likeness graces the entrance to the home of

324-539: A 5–6–3 (.464) overall record with the team of 1930 . Wayne Fontes was the longest-tenured head coach in Lions history, serving from 1988 to 1996 . The current head coach of the Lions is Dan Campbell , who was hired on January 20, 2021. The Lions and Chicago Bears first met in 1930 when the Lions were known as the Portsmouth Spartans. The Bears and Lions have been division rivals since 1933. As of

405-425: A 70% interest in the Eagles, the other 30% held by Rooney friend and future NFL commissioner, Bert Bell. Bell and Rooney agreed to trade places with Thompson. Bell took the role of President of the Steelers that he relinquished to Rooney in 1946 when Bell became Commissioner. Rooney got his good friend and his sister's father in law, Barney McGinley, to buy Bell's shares. Barney's son Jack, Art's brother in law, retained

486-399: A Honolulu blue "Detroit" wordmark on the front. The road jersey is paired with solid Honolulu blue or solid white pants. The primary silver helmet with a Honolulu blue face mask and Honolulu blue stripes with white accents is worn with the home and road jerseys. The black alternate jersey, referred to as "Motor City Muscle", features Honolulu blue numbers and stripes trimmed in silver along with

567-468: A block from Exposition Park , which had been home to the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team until 1909 . Rooney had a brother, Silas Rooney, who later entered the priesthood. Silas Rooney eventually became the athletic director for St. Bonaventure University in 1947 and invited the Steelers to play their training camp at the university in the 1950s. Another brother, James P. Rooney, later

648-602: A city and era where baseball was king and were treated as something of a joke compared to the Pirates. The team also made some questionable personnel calls at the time such as cutting a then-unknown Johnny Unitas in training camp (Unitas would go on to a Hall of Fame career with the Baltimore Colts ) and trading their first round pick in the 1965 draft to the Chicago Bears (who would draft Dick Butkus with

729-550: A club based in the city of Pittsburgh. He named his new team the "Pirates", after the city's baseball team , of which Rooney was a fan since childhood. Since the league's inception in 1920, the NFL had wanted a team in Pittsburgh due to the city's already-long history with football as well as the popularity of the Pittsburgh Panthers football team, an NCAA national championship contender during this period. The league

810-410: A coach, Joe Bach , give contracts to his players and almost win a championship. The winnings funded the team until 1941 when he sold the franchise to NY playboy Alex Thompson. Thompson wanted to move the franchise to Boston so he could be within a five-hour train ride of his club. At the same time, the Philadelphia Eagles ran into financial problems. Rooney used the funds from the sale of franchise to get

891-406: A history of making critical comments about the Lions during his drivetime show, as a condition of any future renewal. A CBS Radio spokesperson stated that their refusal was meant to maintain the station's integrity. The Lions' flagship station returned to WXYT-FM starting with the 2021 season . In 2015, WJBK took over from WXYZ-TV as the flagship station for Lions preseason games. In 2024,

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972-518: A member of 'our organization'. As far as [Curt] Gowdy knew, I was vice president of the team. Mr. Rooney made me feel 10 feet tall. Inviting a groundskeeper up to the owner's box for dinner. Following the Steelers' victory in Super Bowl IX , Rooney stepped down from day-to-day management of the team, but remained the ultimate source of authority until his death. Dan , his son, took over as team president. Rooney died from complications of

1053-811: A professional American football team based in Detroit . The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The team plays their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit . The franchise was founded in Portsmouth, Ohio as the Portsmouth Spartans and joined the NFL on July 12, 1930. Amid financial struggles,

1134-441: A stroke on August 25, 1988. An August 1987 Pittsburgh Press story stated that Rooney never missed a Hall of Fame induction ceremony in all 25 years, and that he was asked to present his third inductee, John Henry Johnson , that month. In memory of "The Chief," Steelers wore a patch on the left shoulder of their uniforms with Rooney's initials AJR for the entire season. The team ended up finishing 5-11 , their worst record since

1215-550: A total of just 60 points. Over eight years, the team had compiled a record of 24–62–5 and had lost around $ 100,000 ($ 2.2 million today). Rooney was also concerned about the availability of players in the coming seasons due to the ongoing war in Europe and the specter of a military draft . After turning down several earlier offers to relocate or sell the team, in December 1940, Rooney sold the Steelers to Alexis Thompson . Thompson

1296-465: A winning season, finishing the 1940 season with a 1–10 record and a 10–44–2 overall career coaching record. By 1940, the Steelers were on their fifth head coach in eight years. Like the Eagles, the Steelers had not posted a winning record in their franchise's history. Walt Kiesling entered his second season as head coach of the Steelers in 1940 . Before the 1940 season, Rooney said if the Steelers had another losing season he would be compelled to sell

1377-430: Is WXYT-FM . Dan Miller does play-by-play , Lomas Brown does color commentary, and T. J. Lang is the sideline reporter. In 2015, the team announced that they were moving from WXYT-FM to WJR for the 2016 NFL season , ending a 20-year relationship with CBS Radio . The decision to part with WXYT was reportedly instigated by a demand by the team for the station to fire on-air personality Mike Valenti , who has had

1458-581: Is always televised nationally, alternating between Fox in odd years and CBS in even years. In 2011, the Lions became the last NFC team to play on NBC 's Sunday Night Football since the network began airing Sunday night games in 2006. The Lions' winless performance in 2008 and 2–14 season in 2009, coupled with the effects of the Great Recession in Michigan, led to several local broadcast blackouts, as local fans did not purchase enough tickets by

1539-427: Is inspired by the color of the waves off the coast of Hawaii. There have been minor changes to the uniform design throughout the years, such as changing the silver stripe patterns on the jersey sleeves, and changing the colors of the jersey numbers. "TV numbers", which are auxiliary uniform numbers to help TV broadcasters identify players from the line of scrimmage, were added to the jersey sleeves in 1956. White trim

1620-631: The Great Famine in the 1840s. While living in Montreal , the Rooneys had a son, Arthur (who would become Art Rooney's grandfather). James and Mary later moved to Ebbw Vale , Wales , where the iron industry was flourishing, taking their son Arthur, then 21, with them. This Arthur Rooney married Catherine Regan (who was also Irish Catholic), in Wales, and they had a son, Dan. Two years after Dan Rooney

1701-578: The National Football League (NFL), from 1933 until his death. Rooney is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame , was an Olympic qualifying boxer, and was part or whole owner in several track sport venues and Pittsburgh area pro teams. He was the first president of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1933 to 1974, and the first chairman of the team from 1933 to 1988. Rooney's great-grandparents, James and Mary Rooney, were Irish Catholics who emigrated from Newry in County Down , Ireland to Canada during

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1782-615: The Pittsburgh Steelers , Heinz Field . The street that runs adjacent to Heinz Field on Pittsburgh's North Side is named "Art Rooney Avenue" in his honor. In 2000, he was inducted as a "pioneer" into the American Football Association's Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame. During Rooney's life, the Steelers would often use a late-round draft pick on a player from a local college like Pitt , West Virginia or Penn State . Though these players rarely made

1863-634: The Pittsburgh Steelers . During World War II, the Steelers had some financial difficulties and were merged with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1943 and the Chicago Cardinals in 1944 . After the war, Rooney became team president. He longed to bring an NFL title to Pittsburgh but was never able to beat the powerhouse teams, like the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers . The Steelers also struggled with playing in

1944-636: The Rams more than any other non-divisional team with 89 total matchups over the years dating back to 1937. In the 2023–24 playoffs , the Rams and Lions met for their first postseason matchup since 1952. The Lions won 24–23 in Matthew Stafford's first game back in Detroit since being traded to the Rams. As of the 2024 season, the Rams lead the all-time series 45–43–1. The Lions' flagship radio station

2025-606: The Super Bowl . During Rooney's lifetime the team also had Super Bowl victories following the 1975, 1978 and 1979 seasons. They also won the Super Bowl in the 2005 and 2008 seasons, making the Steelers the first-team following the AFL–NFL merger to win six Super Bowls. I'll never forget the way he introduced me, 'This is Ralph Giampaolo, a member of our organization.' Not a member of our ground crew. Not some rinky-dink bum. But

2106-1023: The Yonkers Raceway in 1972, the Palm Beach Kennel Club, Green Mountain Kennel Club in Vermont, Shamrock Stables in Maryland and owned the Liberty Bell Park Racetrack outside Philadelphia. Following the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, the Steelers agreed to leave the NFL Eastern Conference and joined the AFC Central Division. Everyone knew Mr. Rooney was our number one citizen...he did more for this city than R.K. Mellon did for

2187-665: The 1940 season were shuffled between the two teams. In this transaction, the Rooney/Bell team added eleven players from the 1940 Steelers: ends George Platukis , Walt Kichefski and John Klumb ; tackles Clark Goff and Ted Doyle ; guards Carl Nery and Jack Sanders ; and backs Boyd Brumbaugh , John Noppenberg , George Kiick and Rocco Pirro . In exchange, Thompson's team gained seven players: ends Joe Carter and Herschel Ramsey , tackles Phil Ragazzo and Clem Woltman , guard Ted Schmitt , and backs Joe Bukant and Foster Watkins , all of whom had played for Bell's 1940 Eagles

2268-585: The 1960s logo, was paired with the grey uniform. This was the first time the Lions wore a blue helmet since 1955. On April 18, 2024, the Lions unveiled a new jersey set. The home jersey, referred to as "One Pride", features a redefined Honolulu blue with white block numbers trimmed in silver and sleeves striped in silver with white accents. The home jersey is paired with silver pants with Honolulu blue stripes with white accents or solid Honolulu blue pants. The road white jersey, referred to as "the 313", features Honolulu blue block numbers, stripes trimmed in silver, and

2349-577: The 2023 season, the Bears lead the series 105–78–5. The Lions and Green Bay Packers first met in 1929 when the Lions were known as the Portsmouth Spartans. The Lions and Packers have been division rivals since 1933. As of the 2024 season, the Packers lead the series 106–77–7. The Lions and Minnesota Vikings have played twice annually since the Vikings entered the NFL in 1961, excluding 1982 due to

2430-683: The 72-hour blackout deadline. The first blackout in the then seven-year history of Ford Field was on October 26, 2008, against the Washington Redskins . The previous 50 regular season home games had been sellouts. The second home game of the 2009 season in which the Lions broke the losing streak, also against the Redskins, was blacked out locally, as well as the comeback victory over the Cleveland Browns. The Lions had only one blackout in 2010, yet another Redskins game, which

2511-685: The AAU welterweight belt in 1918 and tried out for the 1920 Olympic Team, he played minor league baseball for both the Flint, Michigan "Vehicles" and the Wheeling, West Virginia "Stogies" . In 1925 he served as Wheeling's player-manager and led the Middle Atlantic League in games, hits, runs, stolen bases and finished second in batting average (his brother Dan Rooney, Wheeling's catcher that year, finished third). Art also played halfback for

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2592-600: The Browns won one. This was one of the NFL's best rivalries in the 1950s. Since the AFL–NFL merger of 1970, the teams have met much less frequently due to the Browns' move to the American Football Conference (AFC). From 2002 to 2014, the two teams played an annual preseason game known as the "Great Lakes Classic". As of the 2024 season, the Lions lead the all-time series 19–6, with three of those wins coming in postseason play. The Lions have played

2673-513: The Eagles, and Art Rooney founded the Pirates. The Pirates became the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1940. Wray coached the Eagles in their first three years from 1933–1935, with no winning seasons, compiling a 9–21–1 record. In that time period, the partners exhausted $ 85,000 ($ 1,866,331 in 2024 dollars). At a public auction in 1936, Bell became sole owner of the Eagles with a bid of $ 4,500 (presently, $ 98,806). Austerity measures forced him to supplant Wray as head coach as well, but Bell also did not produce

2754-519: The Iron Men. Despite now being a full partner in the Eagles with Bell, Rooney had no intention of leaving Pittsburgh. It was thought that Thompson preferred to move his new team to be nearer his New York home, perhaps to Boston, which had been without an NFL team since the Redskins relocated to Washington in 1937. If Thompson had moved the team away from Pittsburgh, Rooney and Bell hatched a plan that would have seen their team split its home games between

2835-449: The Lions announced they would celebrate their 90th season in franchise history during the 2023 season with a commemorative logo and jersey patch. The inspiration for the patch is an homage to their logo from 1961 to 1969, which is also honored in the WCF memorial logo and the 60th commemorative season logo. On June 21, 2023, the Lions unveiled an alternate blue helmet. The helmet, which features

2916-613: The Lions honored the 75th Season All-Time Team during halftime against the Jacksonville Jaguars . The team was chosen via an online fan poll and selection committee. Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Note: On September 29, 2019, the Lions honored their All-Time Team in celebration of the NFL's centennial during halftime against the Kansas City Chiefs . The team

2997-406: The Lions won 37–25. However, in 2015, the NFL suspended its blackout policies, meaning that all Lions games will be shown on local TV, regardless of tickets sold. Games were also often blacked out at the Lions' previous home, the 80,000-seat Pontiac Silverdome , despite winning seasons and the success and popularity of star players such as Barry Sanders . On June 13, 2016, the Lions announced

3078-527: The McGinley interest that passed to his heirs when he died in 2006. The Rooneys are the finest people, the people I most respect in American sports ownership. I've always felt that way. And there's no reason to change. They are people of integrity and character. The way they put the Steelers together, to hire a man like Chuck Noll, to emphasize the team concept. I have a whole transcendental feeling for

3159-446: The NFL encouraged teams to wear throwback jerseys on Thanksgiving Day. In 2003, the team added black trim to their logo and jerseys. The facemasks on the helmet changed from blue to black with the introduction of the new color. In 2005, the team introduced an alternate black jersey. For 2008, the team dropped the black jersey in favor of a throwback uniform to commemorate the franchise's 75th anniversary. The throwback uniform became

3240-486: The Steelers and the Rooneys and Pittsburgh. — Howard Cosell, October 1982 Rooney sent shock waves through the NFL by signing Byron "Whizzer" White to a record-breaking $ 15,000 contract in 1938. This move, however, did not bring the Pirates a winning season, and White left the team for the Detroit Lions the following year. The club did not have a season above .500 until 1942, the year after they were renamed

3321-452: The Steelers obtaining eleven players formerly of the Eagles. The 1941 NFL draft was also held during this time. Rooney later had second thoughts on the transactions, and made an agreement to swap cities with new Steelers owner Thompson on April 3, 1941. This resulted in the Philadelphia Eagles moving their team to Pittsburgh and becoming the new Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers moving their team to Philadelphia and becoming

Pennsylvania Polka - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-566: The Steelers' corporate name remained "Philadelphia Eagles Football Club, Inc." until 1945. Bell was named the Steelers head coach and Rooney became the general manager, with 10-year contracts worth $ 7,500 per year. Because the entire strange turn of events all took place during the offseason and the Eagles and Steelers never actually missed games in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, respectively, the NFL considers each franchise as single unbroken entities since 1933. The transaction, which amounted in

3483-523: The announcers were Jason Ross Jr. with play-by-play, Golden Tate with color commentary, and Dannie Rogers with sideline reports. Games are produced by Bally Sports Detroit . Regular season games are broadcast regionally on Fox , except when the Lions play an AFC team in Detroit, in which case the game airs regionally on CBS ; however, since 2014, with the institution of the NFL's "cross flex" broadcast rules , any Lions game slated to air on Fox can be moved to CBS. The Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit

3564-409: The business community and David Lawrence and any of the mayors who followed him, including Richard Caliguiri , did politically. Tom Foerster Through expert scouting, the Steelers became a power. In 1972, they began a remarkable 8–year run of playoff appearances, and 13 straight years of winning seasons, including three additional playoff berths. In Rooney's 41st season as owner, the club won

3645-594: The chairman of the board of directors of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a former United States Ambassador to Ireland , Art Rooney Jr. , Timothy Rooney, Patrick Rooney, and John Rooney (all also directors of the Pittsburgh Steelers ). She is also the grandmother of the couple's 32 grandchildren, including current Steelers president Art Rooney II and U.S. Representative Thomas J. Rooney (R, FL-16). The couple also has about 75 great-grandchildren, including actress sisters Kate Mara and Rooney Mara . General Specific Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are

3726-489: The end to Bell selling the Eagles and purchasing half-interest in the Steelers, as well as trading more than half of each team's rosters to each other, has been termed the "Pennsylvania Polka". Both teams continued to struggle in 1941, with the Eagles going 2–8–1 and the Steelers going 1–9–1. However, the Steelers posted their first winning record in 1942 (7–4), while the Eagles finished 2–9. In 1943 , when manpower shortages stemming from World War II made it impossible to fill

3807-415: The entirety of the Super Bowl era to not appear in the Super Bowl. Aside from a brief change to scarlet and black from 1948 to 1950 instituted by then head coach Bo McMillin , which was influenced by his years as coach at Indiana , the Lions' uniforms have basically remained the same since they moved to Detroit in 1934–silver helmets, silver pants, and either blue or white jerseys. Glenn Presnell ,

3888-576: The exception of players who changed teams during the mini-draft, in which case those players "stayed" on the same teams). All players drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1941 NFL Draft therefore had their rights held by the Pittsburgh Steelers after the final swap, and vice versa. Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Pirates franchises were founded in 1933, after blue laws in Pennsylvania were rescinded to allow organized sports teams to play on Sundays. Bert Bell and Lud Wray founded

3969-485: The franchise was relocated to Detroit in 1934 and renamed the Lions in reference to the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, the Detroit Tigers . The Lions won four NFL Championship Games between 1935 and 1957 . Following the 1957 championship, the franchise did not win a playoff game until the 1991 season and did not win another until the 2023 season. They are the only franchise operational for

4050-660: The league award Pittsburgh a franchise. Rooney proved his worth and from 1967 until the early 1970s was a part owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins . In a 1981 interview by the Pittsburgh Press Rooney related that "from time to time he had helped financially support the Negro league team, the Homestead Grays , and . . . was a better baseball fan than football fan." Rooney also acquired

4131-528: The league's expansion in 1967. Although Pittsburgh enjoyed championship hockey with the professional but "minor league" Pittsburgh Hornets since its NHL franchise (the Pirates hockey team ) disbanded in 1930 from the effects of the Great Depression , many city leaders were pushing for the region to become more "major league" suggesting that Mr. Rooney use his influence in the sports industry to have

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4212-423: The merged team lost all ten of their games that season. The Eagles went to three NFL Championship games under Neale, losing in 1947 , and winning in 1948 and 1949 . The Steelers did not win their first league title until Super Bowl IX in 1974 . After the 1949 season , Thompson sold the Eagles to a syndicate of 100 buyers, known as the " Happy Hundred ", each of whom paid a fee of $ 3,000 for their share of

4293-418: The new Philadelphia Eagles. Since NFL franchises at the time were territorial rights distinct from individual corporate entities, the Eagles and Steelers are each officially acknowledged by the NFL as single unbroken entities since 1933, especially since all of these events took place during the offseason. However, the players on the Eagles were basically traded to the Steelers in exchange for their players (with

4374-594: The pick), among others. Nevertheless, Rooney was popular with owners as a mediator, which would carry over to his son Dan Rooney . He was the only owner to vote against moving the rights of the New York Yanks to Dallas, Texas after the 1951 season due to concerns of racism in the South at the time. (Ultimately, the Dallas Texans failed after one year, and the rights were moved to Baltimore , where

4455-401: The prior year. Thompson hired Greasy Neale , whom Rooney had pursued to coach the Pirates in 1933, to conduct this player swap as well as to assist him with the draft which took place the day after the deal with Rooney was finalized. Once he was released from his contract with Yale, Neale became head coach of Thompson's team to replace Kiesling. In January 1941, Thompson renamed his new squad

4536-420: The roster, the two teams temporarily merged to form a team popularly known as the " Steagles ." The merger, never intended as a permanent arrangement, was dissolved at the end of the 1943 season. The Steagles posted a 5–4–1 record, giving the Eagles their first winning record as a franchise and continuing the Steelers' streak. The Steelers had to combine with the Chicago Cardinals in 1944 to form " Card-Pitt ";

4617-406: The sale and invested it in a 50% interest in the Philadelphia Eagles franchise, which was owned by his friend Bell, and became vice president of the franchise's board of directors. In an unusual twist Rooney, Bell, and Thompson pooled the rosters of the two squads and conducted essentially a mini-draft to distribute the talent. The 51 players which were signed to the Steelers and Eagles at the end of

4698-418: The semi-pro Pittsburgh "Hope Harvey" and "Majestic Radio" clubs which he later took over and renamed the J.P. Rooneys before purchasing an NFL franchise for $ 2,500 in 1933. The biggest thrill wasn't in winning on Sunday but in meeting the payroll on Monday. 1983 Steelers yearbook Rooney's affiliation with the National Football League (NFL) began in 1933 when he paid a $ 2,500 franchise fee to found

4779-563: The sleeves were moved to the shoulders. In 1994, every NFL team wore throwback jerseys, and the Lions' were similar to the jerseys wore during their 1935 championship season. The helmets and pants were solid silver, the jerseys Honolulu blue with silver numbers and the jersey did not have "TV numbers" on the sleeves. The team wore solid blue socks and black cleats. The helmets also did not have logos, as helmets were simple leather back then. The Lions also wore 1950s-style jerseys during their traditional Thanksgiving Day games from 2001 to 2004 as

4860-631: The strike that occurred that season. As of the 2024 season, the Vikings lead the all-time series 80–44–2. The Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were also division opponents in the NFL Central from 1977 to 2001. As of the 2024 season, the Lions lead the all-time series 33–30. The Lions also share a rivalry with the Cleveland Browns , which began in the 1950s when the Browns and Lions played each other in four NFL Championship Games. The Lions won three of those championships, while

4941-471: The team became the Baltimore Colts . The team now plays in Indianapolis .) In 1963, along with Bears owner George Halas , Rooney was one of two owners to vote for the 1925 NFL Championship to be reinstated to the long-defunct Pottsville Maroons . As a pillar of the community in many aspects, Rooney was asked to lend his considerable influence in the city's bid to reclaim an NHL franchise during

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5022-480: The team from 1963 until his death in 2014. The sleeve addition replaced the black "WCF" patch on the left breast that was added after Ford's death. On September 20, 2021, the Lions wore white pants with their road white uniforms against the Green Bay Packers . The white pants, which lacked striping, were previously worn during the "scarlet and black" era in the 1948 and 1949 seasons. On April 12, 2023,

5103-404: The team's permanent alternate jersey in 2009, replacing the former black alternate. The Lions officially unveiled a new logo and uniforms on April 20, 2009. The logo was given a flowing mane and fangs, while the typeface featured a modern font. On February 1, 2017, the Lions announced a new typeface, logo, and the complete removal of the color black from the team identity. While the previous logo

5184-437: The team, this practice was intended to appeal to local fans and players. Art Rooney is the finest person I've ever known. — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White . [The] most popular sports figure in history. — Art Modell . Art Rooney is the subject of, and the only character in, the one-man play The Chief , written by Gene Collier and Rob Zellers. My father always used to tell us boys, "Treat everybody

5265-490: The team. The Rooney family has remained the owners of the Steelers since its founding in 1933, with Art's son, Dan , taking over the team following his death in 1988. Art Rooney Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. (January 27, 1901 – August 25, 1988), often referred to as " the Chief ", was an American professional football executive. He was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers , an American football franchise in

5346-459: The team. The team started the season at 1–0–2 before falling at home by a score of 10–3 to a Brooklyn Dodgers squad coached by local hero Jock Sutherland . He had assumed the head job for the Dodgers that year after spurning a similar offer from Pittsburgh. The loss to the Dodgers began a six-game losing streak, before the team traded wins with the Eagles to cap a 2–7–2 season in which they scored

5427-428: The then last surviving member of the 1934 Lions, recalled that after the Portsmouth Spartans relocated to Detroit, team owner George A. Richards asked him and his wife to pick the Lions' colors from combinations that included red and white, orange and black, and blue and silver. The Presnells liked blue and silver the best, so Richards selected it. The blue used by the Lions is officially known as "Honolulu blue", which

5508-504: The two Pennsylvania cities and rename their squad the Keystoners. However, the other league owners blocked both moves. By early 1941, Rooney was beginning to regret his decision to sell the Steelers. When he saw that Thompson had not yet established a local office for his team, as he had announced he would do by March 1, Rooney made an offer: he and Bell would trade territories with Thompson. This would put Thompson in Philadelphia, which

5589-526: The way you'd like to be treated. Give them the benefit of the doubt. But never let anyone mistake kindness for weakness." He took the Golden Rule and put a little bit of the North Side in it. — Art Rooney Jr. on his father Arthur J. Rooney was married to Kathleen Rooney née McNulty (1904–1982) for 51 years, until her 1982 death. Kathleen was the mother of Art's five sons, who are Dan Rooney ,

5670-545: Was Campbell who lobbied for the black jersey to return, which happened after the Lions won the NFC North division title in 2023 . The throwback jersey was retained and updated with the refreshed Honolulu blue. The throwback jersey is paired with a silver helmet that is worn with a silver or a Honolulu blue face mask. The William Clay Ford (WCF) memorial decal has been placed on the back of the primary and alternate helmets. In 1934, then team owner George A. Richards, who also

5751-552: Was a 26-year-old, Yale -educated heir to a steel fortune and an entrepreneur living in New York. Thompson originally sought to buy the Eagles from Bell in November 1940, but Bell connected him with Rooney to make an offer on the Steelers. The Steelers hired Bell to negotiate the sale and promised him a 20% cut of the sale price if it sold within 30 days. The purchase price was reported to be $ 160,000 ($ 3.5 million today). This price

5832-410: Was added to the logo in 1970, with outlines (white on the blue jersey, silver on the white jersey) added to the numbers in 1972; the color arrangement on the numbers on the blue jerseys was reversed in 1982. The silver facemasks became blue in 1984. In 1998, the team wore blue pants with their white jerseys along with grey socks but dropped that combination after the season. In 1999, the "TV numbers" on

5913-549: Was born, the family moved back to Canada and eventually ended up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1884. Along the way the family grew to include nine children of which Dan was the second. Dan Rooney remained in the Pittsburgh area, and eventually opened a saloon in the Youghiogheny Valley coal town of Coulter, Pennsylvania (or Coultersville). This is where Dan Rooney met and wed Margaret "Maggie" Murray, who

5994-489: Was chosen via fan voting, contributions from the Detroit Lions Legends Community, team executives, and select members of the media. Bold indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Note: → Coaching staff → Front office → More NFL staffs The Lions have had 30 head coaches throughout their franchise history. Their first head coach was Hal Griffen , who compiled

6075-549: Was elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly , winning easily in part because Art had renamed the team after James , who also played on the squad, as a promotional tactic. Rooney attended St. Peter's Catholic School in Pittsburgh, Duquesne University Prep School, then several semesters at Indiana Normal School before completing a final year at Temple University on an athletic scholarship. After graduation, he dedicated himself to sports, winning

6156-400: Was finally able to take advantage of Pennsylvania relaxing their blue laws that prior to 1933 prohibited sporting events from taking place on Sundays, when most NFL games take place. In 1936, Rooney won a parlay at Saratoga Race Course , which netted him about $ 160,000. He placed the bet based on a tip from New York Giants owner Tim Mara , a bookmaker . He used the winnings to hire

6237-408: Was less than the $ 225,000 ($ 4.9 million today) the Detroit Lions had previously sold for, but the Lions had won an NFL championship . Bell earned $ 32,000 from the sale. The transaction was completed and announced on the same day that the Chicago Bears pummeled the Washington Redskins by a score of 73–0 in the most lopsided NFL championship game of all time. Rooney immediately took $ 50,000 from

6318-423: Was much closer to his New York base. It would also ensure that Rooney's team would stay in his hometown. On April 3, 1941, Thompson accepted the deal. Rooney and Bell moved their organization to Pittsburgh as the Pittsburgh Steelers. Thompson's Iron Men moved to Philadelphia, where they took on the Philadelphia Eagles moniker. This was described at the time as "one of the most unusual swaps in sports history". In fact,

6399-447: Was retained, the border was changed from black to silver. The Lions then unveiled the new uniforms on April 13, 2017, which included the white jersey and blue pants combo for the first time since 1998. They introduced an alternate all-grey uniform, an alternate all-Honolulu blue uniform, and a helmet with a silver face mask. The Lions also added the initials "WCF" to the left sleeve as a permanent tribute to William Clay Ford , who owned

6480-403: Was the daughter of a coal miner, and where the couple's first son, Arthur Joseph Rooney, was born. Dan and Maggie would eventually settle their family in Pittsburgh's North Side in 1913, where they bought a three-story building at the corner of Corey Street and General Robinson Street. Dan operated a cafe and saloon out of the first floor with the family living above. The building was located just

6561-677: Was the owner of a major radio affiliate of the NBC Blue Network , WJR in Detroit, the forerunner to today's ABC , negotiated an agreement with NBC to carry his Thanksgiving game live across all of the network's stations. Excluding the years of 1939–1944, due to World War II , the Lions have played on Thanksgiving ever since. Running backs (RB) Wide receivers (WR) Tight ends (TE) Defensive linemen (DL) Defensive backs (DB) Special teams Reserve 53 active, 16 reserve, 14 practice squad Notes: Special cases On November 9, 2008,

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