Steelers' Art Rooney Jr. named among semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has chosen nine semifinalists for the contributor category, and among those semifinalists is Steelers' Vice President and member of the Board of Directors, Art Rooney Jr.
Rooney Jr. has been employed by the Steelers in some capacity since 1961. One of his biggest contributions to the franchise came from 1965 until 1986 when he was the Steelers' Personnel Director.
During that time, he worked with Head Coach Chuck Noll and the Steelers' scouting department, and in that time, the Steelers drafted 10 future Hall of Famers between 1969 and 1974. The franchise would win four of its first Super Bowls in that time, as well.
The other eight finalists, along with Rooney Jr, are K.S. "Bud" Adams, the founder of the Houston Oilers Franchise who played a pivotal role in the formation and merger of the AFL with the NFL; Roone Arledge, a television executive and producer who modernized the presentation of football; Ralph Hay, the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918-1922; Frank "Bucko" Kilroy, who spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots in various front office roles; Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots since 1994; Clark Shaughnessy, the man credited with modernizing the T-formation and other innovations on both offense and defense; Seymour Siwoff, the owner of Elias Sports Bureau, the official statistician of the NFL; and Buddy Young, the first African-American executive in any major sports league when he was hired by the NFL in 1964.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Blue Ribbon Committee will meet virtually on November 11 to select one finalist from the contributor category.
While there is not a set number for any class of inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, between four and eight new members will be enshrined.
Ahead of Super Bowl LX, 20 finalists will be presented at the selection committee meeting, and it will include 15 modern-era players, three seniors, one coach, and one contributor.