Art Rooney Jr., who served as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ personnel director from 1965-1986 and helped the team win four Super Bowls, is one of nine semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the contributor category, the Hall of Fame announced today.
Rooney joins former Tennessee Titans owner K.S. “Bud” Adams, TV executive Roone Arledge, Canton Bulldogs owner Ralph Hay, former executive Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, former Los Angeles Rams head coach Clark Shaughnessy, Elias Sports Bureau founder Seymour Siwoff, and former executive Buddy Young as semifinalists.
Rooney Jr. remains with the Steelers, as he’s currently a vice president and member of the team’s board of directors. He is the son of team founder Art Rooney.
Rooney Jr. began his career with the Steelers in 1961 working in the team’s ticket office before working his way up to personnel director, where he played a critical role in the team drafting or signing 10 future Pro Hall of Famers.
One finalist will be picked from the nine contributors who are semifinalists. Rooney made it to the semifinalist voting round last year as well. This year, he’ll try to move beyond it and be picked as the lone finalist. It’s a strong group of contributors, but Rooney’s success as Pittsburgh’s personnel director makes him a deserving candidate to potentially be named the finalist and get even closer to Hall of Fame induction.
Last year, it was Hay who was chosen as the finalist, but he didn’t get inducted. The committee could choose to vote for Hay again, but given he failed to get inducted last year, it could opt for a different candidate.
There will be between four and eight new members for the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2026 class, which will be revealed during the NFL Honors ceremony in February. Along with Rooney, former Steelers’ head coach Buddy Parker is a semifinalist in the Coach category, while three players remain alive in voting. WR Hines Ward, OLB James Harrison and C Maurkice Pouncey will hope to be among the finalists for the modern-era players.
It’s Pouncey’s first year on the ballot, while Ward and Harrison have been semifinalists before but never finalists. There’s a chance that the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class could have numerous Steelers inducted during the ceremony in August.