STEELERS WIN 6TH LOMBARDI TROPHY: Owner Dan Rooney thanks President Obama!

I have had the privilege of being in Tampa all week to cover Super Bowl 43, and one of the lesser reported stories of the week is the relationship between Steelers chairman and owner Dan Rooney and President Barack Obama. I wrote a quick post on the subject Friday here on Big Hollywood.

Earlier this week, President Obama told reporters that he is a Steelers fan. The truth is that the legendary Rooney, a lifelong Republican, was enraptured by Obama on the night of the Iowa Caucuses after the junior Senator from Chicago defeated heavily favored Hillary Clinton. An endorsement from the powerful Pennsylvanian was quick to follow. It’s no wonder that Obama gave his full-throated support to the legendary franchise in today’s big game.

In fact after the Steelers defeated Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game, Rooney, with the blessing of head coach Mike Tomlin, gave the game ball to Obama. After becoming the youngest head coach in NFL history and only the third African American in history to get his team onto sports’ biggest stage, Tomlin said, “What we are doing here today pales in comparison to what’s going on in our nation’s capital, President Obama’s inauguration. As a citizen and a parent, the hope that he potentially brings to the table is exciting … the hope for the future, the hope for our children, I’m more excited about that than anything else going on right now.”

Before today’s game, President Obama appeared on the marathon Super Bowl pre-game show on NBC in a conversation with Matt Lauer from the Today Show. There were initially some technical problems, but they were resolved, and he was able to touch on the economy and foreign affairs before reaffirming his love for Mr. Rooney and the Steelers.

As for the game itself, it was a thriller. After Larry Fitzgerald caught a TD pass streaking through the center of the Steelers’ vaunted defense, it looked like the 6 1/2 point underdog Cardinals were poised for the upset at Raymond James Stadium. Kurt Warner had led Arizona to 16 unanswered points for a 23-20 lead. But 2:37 is too long to leave for Ben Roethlisberger to work some magic. Santonio Holmes made a remarkable catch on a Roethlisberger bullet in the corner of the end zone that proved to be the game winner.

In what is likely unprecedented in the annals of sport, a team owner thanked the President of the United States on national television just moments after his team won the championship. Accepting the Lombardi Trophy is generally quite apolitical, but it was a partisan affair tonight. The bond between Obama and the Steelers patriarch is deep, and Rooney may even be in line to become the next US Ambassador to Ireland.

Regardless, President Obama is clearly grateful for the role that Rooney played in the 2008 election. The 76-year-old owner made a lot of long bus trips across the Keystone state to stump for the Democrat, and Rooney certainly played some role in Obama’s 7-point win there.

Mr. Rooney now presides over the most successful franchise in pro football with 6 Super Bowl Championships, and the Steelers are, arguably, the finest organization in all of sports. Thanks to Dan Rooney, there are more black head coaches in the National Football League. His so-called Rooney Rule, requiring NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate whenever a head coaching job opens, has helped to propel the league to eleven black head coaches hired since the policy was put in place.

At some point, maybe as soon as tonight (although there is no confirmation), President Obama will likely make a congratulatory phone call to Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin. It will be unprecedented as the first African American President congratulates the second African American head coach to win the Super Bowl (joining Tony Dungy from 2 years ago). Dan Rooney will have played a role in both of their successes.