ALinChainz
02-03-2005, 04:31 PM
By ALAN ROBINSON, AP Sports Writer
February 3, 2005
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- If it weren't for a millionaire playboy's desire to be close to his newest toy and a high-rolling race track gambler's refusal to leave his hometown more than 60 years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles might not be in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Instead, it would be the Pittsburgh Steelers -- or, to be precise, the Pittsburgh Iron Men -- who, to this day, still operate the NFL franchise originally awarded to Philadelphia.
Tear away their green and silver exterior, silence their ``Fly, Eagles, Fly'' theme song, and the Eagles are revealed to bleed black and gold, all because of an enormous but largely forgotten transaction that set the course for two of the NFL's most renowned franchises.
A deal that, for one worrisome day, caused a then 8-year-old Dan Rooney of Pittsburgh to fear the biggest joy in his life was about to pack up and leave town.
The Eagles, formerly called the Frankford Yellow Jackets for the section of the city they played in, and the Steelers, then known as the Pirates, began operating in 1933 after Pennsylvania lawmakers repealed laws that, among other transgressions, banned Sunday football.
But wearying of losing $25,000 or more annually -- a small fortune in the day -- Steelers founder and legendary gambler Art Rooney Sr. sold the team for $160,000 to 28-year-old Alexis Thompson in December 1940. Thompson, a Yale-educated drug company executive and New York-based playboy, had inherited $6 million at age 16 and was eager to spend some of it for his own football team.
``I certainly hated to give up the franchise in the old hometown, but it would have been poor business to refuse the proposition for a second-division ballclub at the terms which were offered,'' Art Rooney Sr. said at the time.
Once the swap was completed, Rooney bought a half-share of the Eagles from good friend Bert Bell, who six years later became the NFL commissioner. Knowing Thompson wanted to move the Steelers to Boston, Rooney and Bell hatched a plan to operate the Eagles as the Pennsylvania Keystoners, splitting home games between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
That worried young Dan Rooney, who, though barely in grade school, loved tagging along with dad Art to Steelers games and hanging out with the players.
``I remember reading it in the paper -- my dad was in Philly, working out the details,'' said Dan Rooney, now the Steelers' chairman. ``My mother called him and said, `Dan is really concerned about what's going on with the team.' And I remember, very vividly, him explaining everything would be all right and that we're going to have a team.''
The Rooneys did -- Art Rooney never had any intention of pulling pro football from his beloved Pittsburgh -- but only after more complicated dealings that ultimately led to a player lawsuit and the NFL banishing a coach for the first and last time.
Thompson quickly hired the esteemed Greasy Neale as coach and announced a name change from the Steelers to the Iron Men. But as the months passed and Thompson failed to set up an office or sell tickets, Rooney sensed the new owner's hesitation to operate in Pittsburgh. So a swap was proposed: Rooney and Bell would get the Steelers and Thompson the Eagles, which he could operate from New York.
The deal was completed in April 1941, though not without perhaps the most complicated shuffling of players in league history. Eleven Steelers stayed in Pittsburgh, 14 former Eagles joined the Steelers, seven Eagles stayed in Philadelphia, and 16 former Steelers joined the Eagles. Several Eagles were so unhappy with being sent to Pittsburgh they sued Bell, and the NFL ultimately returned them to Philadelphia so they wouldn't leave the league.
``Back in those days, it wasn't unusual for nearly the whole team to change from year to year,'' said Dan Rooney, who, like his father, is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ``It was mostly guys out of college who wanted a little extra money and enjoyed playing football. Contracts were done on the back of an envelope.''
Thompson kept Neale, and the Hall of Fame coach later led the Eagles to NFL titles in 1947 and 1949. The Eagles also got tailback Tommy Thompson, who was blind in one eye but became one of the league's best quarterbacks after the traditional single-wing offense was discarded for the T-formation.
It was decided Bell would coach the Steelers, though his Eagles went only 1-10 the previous season. Bell stepped down after two close losses and Rooney brought in respected college coach Aldo ``Buff'' Donelli from cross-town Duquesne.
One problem: The college game was much bigger than pro ball at the time, and Donelli wouldn't give up the Duquesne job. So he coached both teams for half a season -- the Steelers in the morning, the Dukes in the afternoon -- until a Duquesne road game in California prevented him from coaching the Steelers against the Eagles.
NFL commissioner Elmer Layden, one of Notre Dame's famed Four Horsemen, was so angry he banished Donelli from the league. The Steelers then rehired former coach Walt Kiesling as the third and final coach of a 1-9-1 season. Donelli didn't return until three years later as the Cleveland Rams' coach.
In 1943, the Eagles-Steelers merger finally came about, but only for one season due to the World War II manpower shortage. Kiesling and Neale served as co-coaches of a team known as the Steagles.
After that, the Steelers settled into a long run of mostly losing seasons until emerging in the 1970s as a four-time Super Bowl champion under team president Dan Rooney and coach Chuck Noll.
While the franchise swap is now but a distant memory, the Steelers -- despite losing to the Patriots in the AFC championship game two weeks ago -- still own a link to this Super Bowl.
``We still have (the Eagles' original) franchise book,'' Dan Rooney said. ``Maybe we could switch back for one game.''
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-superbowl-fromeaglestosteeler&prov=ap&type=lgns
February 3, 2005
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- If it weren't for a millionaire playboy's desire to be close to his newest toy and a high-rolling race track gambler's refusal to leave his hometown more than 60 years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles might not be in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Instead, it would be the Pittsburgh Steelers -- or, to be precise, the Pittsburgh Iron Men -- who, to this day, still operate the NFL franchise originally awarded to Philadelphia.
Tear away their green and silver exterior, silence their ``Fly, Eagles, Fly'' theme song, and the Eagles are revealed to bleed black and gold, all because of an enormous but largely forgotten transaction that set the course for two of the NFL's most renowned franchises.
A deal that, for one worrisome day, caused a then 8-year-old Dan Rooney of Pittsburgh to fear the biggest joy in his life was about to pack up and leave town.
The Eagles, formerly called the Frankford Yellow Jackets for the section of the city they played in, and the Steelers, then known as the Pirates, began operating in 1933 after Pennsylvania lawmakers repealed laws that, among other transgressions, banned Sunday football.
But wearying of losing $25,000 or more annually -- a small fortune in the day -- Steelers founder and legendary gambler Art Rooney Sr. sold the team for $160,000 to 28-year-old Alexis Thompson in December 1940. Thompson, a Yale-educated drug company executive and New York-based playboy, had inherited $6 million at age 16 and was eager to spend some of it for his own football team.
``I certainly hated to give up the franchise in the old hometown, but it would have been poor business to refuse the proposition for a second-division ballclub at the terms which were offered,'' Art Rooney Sr. said at the time.
Once the swap was completed, Rooney bought a half-share of the Eagles from good friend Bert Bell, who six years later became the NFL commissioner. Knowing Thompson wanted to move the Steelers to Boston, Rooney and Bell hatched a plan to operate the Eagles as the Pennsylvania Keystoners, splitting home games between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
That worried young Dan Rooney, who, though barely in grade school, loved tagging along with dad Art to Steelers games and hanging out with the players.
``I remember reading it in the paper -- my dad was in Philly, working out the details,'' said Dan Rooney, now the Steelers' chairman. ``My mother called him and said, `Dan is really concerned about what's going on with the team.' And I remember, very vividly, him explaining everything would be all right and that we're going to have a team.''
The Rooneys did -- Art Rooney never had any intention of pulling pro football from his beloved Pittsburgh -- but only after more complicated dealings that ultimately led to a player lawsuit and the NFL banishing a coach for the first and last time.
Thompson quickly hired the esteemed Greasy Neale as coach and announced a name change from the Steelers to the Iron Men. But as the months passed and Thompson failed to set up an office or sell tickets, Rooney sensed the new owner's hesitation to operate in Pittsburgh. So a swap was proposed: Rooney and Bell would get the Steelers and Thompson the Eagles, which he could operate from New York.
The deal was completed in April 1941, though not without perhaps the most complicated shuffling of players in league history. Eleven Steelers stayed in Pittsburgh, 14 former Eagles joined the Steelers, seven Eagles stayed in Philadelphia, and 16 former Steelers joined the Eagles. Several Eagles were so unhappy with being sent to Pittsburgh they sued Bell, and the NFL ultimately returned them to Philadelphia so they wouldn't leave the league.
``Back in those days, it wasn't unusual for nearly the whole team to change from year to year,'' said Dan Rooney, who, like his father, is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ``It was mostly guys out of college who wanted a little extra money and enjoyed playing football. Contracts were done on the back of an envelope.''
Thompson kept Neale, and the Hall of Fame coach later led the Eagles to NFL titles in 1947 and 1949. The Eagles also got tailback Tommy Thompson, who was blind in one eye but became one of the league's best quarterbacks after the traditional single-wing offense was discarded for the T-formation.
It was decided Bell would coach the Steelers, though his Eagles went only 1-10 the previous season. Bell stepped down after two close losses and Rooney brought in respected college coach Aldo ``Buff'' Donelli from cross-town Duquesne.
One problem: The college game was much bigger than pro ball at the time, and Donelli wouldn't give up the Duquesne job. So he coached both teams for half a season -- the Steelers in the morning, the Dukes in the afternoon -- until a Duquesne road game in California prevented him from coaching the Steelers against the Eagles.
NFL commissioner Elmer Layden, one of Notre Dame's famed Four Horsemen, was so angry he banished Donelli from the league. The Steelers then rehired former coach Walt Kiesling as the third and final coach of a 1-9-1 season. Donelli didn't return until three years later as the Cleveland Rams' coach.
In 1943, the Eagles-Steelers merger finally came about, but only for one season due to the World War II manpower shortage. Kiesling and Neale served as co-coaches of a team known as the Steagles.
After that, the Steelers settled into a long run of mostly losing seasons until emerging in the 1970s as a four-time Super Bowl champion under team president Dan Rooney and coach Chuck Noll.
While the franchise swap is now but a distant memory, the Steelers -- despite losing to the Patriots in the AFC championship game two weeks ago -- still own a link to this Super Bowl.
``We still have (the Eagles' original) franchise book,'' Dan Rooney said. ``Maybe we could switch back for one game.''
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-superbowl-fromeaglestosteeler&prov=ap&type=lgns