More than 700 people packed the Union Ballroom on March 16 for an event honoring the life and legacy of former Pittsburgh Steelers Chairman and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney.
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Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden delivered the keynote address at Slainte! Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dan Rooney, a day-long symposium that explored Rooney’s impact on Pittsburgh, Ireland, the Catholic Church and the National Football League. A Duquesne alumnus, Rooney died last year at the age of 84.
The event included panel discussions focused on various aspects of Rooney’s career, exploring his impact as U.S. ambassador to Ireland and in creating the NFL’s Rooney Rule, a policy requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations jobs.
Event moderators and panelists included Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin; NFL Today Analyst and former Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher; former CIA and NSA director General Michael V. Hayden; Worldwide Ireland Funds President and CEO Kieran McLoughlin; NFL Vice President Jeff Pash; and former Steelers players Charlie Batch, Franco Harris, Mike Wagner and Rocky Bleier.
The symposium was hosted by Duquesne and The Ireland Funds, which was co-founded by Rooney.