Dan Rooney Sr. lived his life with core values that he held close to his heart.
Faith, family and football were chief among them.
But there was one other thing.
His love for Ireland.
Rooney, the late Steelers Chairman and Ambassador to Ireland, always wanted his Steelers to play a regular season game on the island of Ireland. While they played a preseason game in Dublin in 1997, he wanted more.
And he wanted it, because his love for both the Steelers and Ireland was so strong.
That passion for Ireland wasn't just about a pride in his ancestry, it was so much more.
And it's outlined in beautiful fashion in 'A Steelers Story: The Ambassador,' the premieres on all Steelers digital channels, as well as in a special screening in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. ET.
The feature is broken up into four quarters, each one focused on a different aspect of Rooney's relationship with Ireland, and his family roots in Newry, Northern Ireland.
The first quarter highlights the Rooney family roots in Ireland, with Dan Rooney, the Steelers Vice President of Business Development & Strategy, taking part in a genealogy presentation at EPIC Museum in Ireland.
The Rooney family is pegged as being 'very Irish,' something that doesn't come as a surprise. What does come as a surprise is previous generations, dating back to 1861, worked in the steel industry in Ireland, a nod to the strong steel industry Pittsburgh was built on.
The second quarter focuses on Rooneys role in seeking peace in Ireland, working for 22 years with political figures and those from every walk of life to reach what was known as the 'Good Friday Agreement,' ending a violent conflict in Northern Ireland.
There is also a strong focus on Rooneys role with The Ireland Funds, an organization he founded with fellow Pittsburgh businessman Anthony J.F. O'Reilly with a trinity of goals – peace, culture, and charity.
"The Ireland Funds became his second job," said Steelers President Art Rooney II in the feature. "He would go over there and spend most of the month of June every year trying to build The Ireland Funds into what it became."
Fighting for peace wasn't something Rooney limited to Ireland. He also was a voice of reason when it came to labor peace in the NFL, including during the 1982 player strike.
"Dan was knowns as the key to our labor relationship for several decades," shared NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the feature. "He established that trust and respect with the players. He felt the input of the players was incredibly important. Dan not only was critical in solving that problem in 1982, but several collective bargaining agreements after that. His wise, reasonable and patient understanding made a difference ultimately in us getting an agreement that works for everybody."
The third quarter highlights Rooney's role changing when he was named the United States Ambassador to Ireland by former President Barack Obama.
"To be able to serve our country, I will do the best job I possibly can," said Rooney.
And he served it, while always keeping the Steelers close to his heart.
As some joked, instead of handing out business cards, he handed out gold Steelers pins.
He also hosted a Fourth of July flag football game at the Ambassador's residence in Ireland, not holding back on anything as the video outlines.
A Steelers Story closes out in the fourth quarter, sharing the impact Rooney made bringing peace, to The Ireland Funds, to the Steelers, to the NFL.
And it also highlights Rooney's dream of the Steelers playing a regular season game in Ireland coming true, even if he is no longer there to enjoy it when the Steelers and Minnesota Vikings meet at Croke Park on Sept. 28.
"I think his legacy is very clear about the way he improved the relationship between our two countries," said Goodell. "The connection between the Steelers and Ireland and the NFL is so strong that it was a natural choice to have the Steelers there.
"I know Dan will be smiling down on all of us."
