Dan Rooney was born and raised in Pittsburgh, but he has always remembered where his family came from: Ireland. Now, he may be headed back to his ancestral homeland, at least for a little while. Irish newspapers are saying that Rooney is expected to be named the next US ambassador to Ireland sometime in the near future.
The rumors make a lot of sense. Ambassadorships often go to people who have helped the new President politically, and Rooney did do a lot of work to help Barack Obama win Pennsylvania during the Presidential election.
Also, Rooney has kept close ties to Ireland, where his grandparents emigrated from in the late 19th century, and he has founded the fund-raising organization The Ireland Funds.
The big question is what would Rooney's departure do to the Steelers. Rooney has handed over most of the decision making to his son Art Rooney II, and he will be just a phone call away, so his departure wouldn't affect anything on the day-to-day functioning of the team. But as far as being the team -- and, in some ways, the league's -- guiding force, Rooney would be sorely missed if he hopped a plane to Ireland.
H/T: Pro Football Talk
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