The day Dan Rooney was named chairman of a National Football League diversity and inclusion committee, John Wooten picked up the phone in triumph and called two of his friends.
“Hey, we won,” Mr. Wooten said to the two men on the other end. “We have just won.”
Even as a longtime Cleveland Browns star, Mr. Wooten knew he had an ally in the Steelers president. And with that, the first steps were taken toward Mr. Rooney’s furthest-reaching achievement.
Beyond the boundless impact he had on his own organization, Mr. Rooney, the Steelers chairman and owner who died Thursday at 84, will forever be synonymous with efforts in athletics to encourage opportunities for minority coaches.
Chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a foundation promoting equality in coaching, scouting and front-office jobs for NFL teams, Mr. Wooten worked closely with Mr. Rooney to develop a league policy requiring teams to interview minority candidates. Eventually — and, as Mr. Wooten remembers, reluctantly — it would be named after an Irishman who grew up on the North Side.
“The thing about it is, he really didn’t want it to be called the Rooney Rule,” Mr. Wooten, 80, said over the phone from his Texas home on what he called a sorrowful evening for him and his organization. “I told him, ‘As much as I respect you, and will always do what you recommend, I don’t want to call it anything else but the Rooney Rule. Because you are the one that made it happen. You, and you alone, made it happen.’ ”
Undoubtedly, it was also the brainchild of people such as Mr. Wooten and the two attorneys he called on his victorious day in 2002 — Cyrus Mehri and the late Johnnie Cochran — but Mr. Rooney was the driving force behind it.
As Mr. Wooten sees it, no other NFL power broker would have been able to persuade the entirety of league ownership to vote in favor of the rule. But Mr. Rooney did, with alacrity, and now it’s viewed by many as a move that opened the gates for some of the sport’s finest coaches, including the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin.
Former Steelers player and assistant coach Tony Dungy has long been one of the primary proponents, but also watchdogs, of the rule and the spirit of it. Mr. Dungy, who was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early in 2002 but later won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts, was one among countless football figures who mourned Mr. Rooney’s loss on social media.
“Very sad day for me hearing of the passing of Dan Rooney,” Mr. Dungy tweeted Thursday. “Dan was just special. I was blessed to get to know him and blessed to be a Steeler.”
As recently as last summer, Mr. Dungy criticized NFL teams for not adhering to what the Rooney Rule was meant to accomplish. He voiced his concern that front offices had reverted to hasty decision-making and hiring processes that tended to overlook qualified candidates, regardless of race.
Less than half a year later, it appeared the rule was making as much of a difference as ever. The San Diego Chargers hired Anthony Lynn and the Denver Broncos hired Vance Joseph, both black, making for eight minority head coaches — tied with 2011 for the most to start an NFL season.
“As someone who’s privileged to work in the NFL, my sincere condolences go out to the Rooney family, Mike Tomlin and everyone else at the Steelers who knew Mr. Rooney,” Mr. Joseph said in a statement. “I know he was a champion for diversity, not only around the NFL but also within his team. I believe the opportunity he gave coach Tomlin many years ago opened up a lot of doors for minority coaches around the league, including myself.
“When you talk about the Rooney Rule, and giving everyone a chance to interview for these jobs, that’s a credit to Mr. Rooney and his incredible legacy.”
Mr. Mehri, the attorney who helped bring the rule into existence, still serves as counsel to the Fritz Pollard Alliance he co-founded. So, too, does N. Jeremi Duru, who is also a law professor at American University in Washington and one of the leading experts on the influence of the rule.
As Mr. Duru recalls, it’s common knowledge that Mr. Rooney was a “giant” behind the passing of the rule, but his involvement didn’t end there — not even close.
“He seemed to always be available by phone when someone at the alliance needed to speak with him, bend his ear or get some insight,” Mr. Duru said. “He cared deeply about diversity and equity. It wasn’t just his name on the rule. He really did care.”
So much so, that Mr. Duru has often heard that while Mr. Rooney was honored to be appointed American ambassador to Ireland by President Barack Obama in 2009, he greatly missed his role as head of the NFL’s diversity committee.
“His dedication was unparalleled, and it was continuous,” Mr. Mehri said. “There was a lot of behind-the-scenes work that he did. He's a man of such credibility, and no one can ever question his commitment to do what's best for the game.”
That sounds just like the Dan Rooney a former rival came to know.
“We lost a true, true warrior today,” Mr. Wooten said. “We lost him, but we are better off that we had the opportunity to be with him — we being the National Football League. We’re better people, I would hope, because of who he was and what he’s about. I know I am.”
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: April 14, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
