The Pennsylvania Polka refers to a series of moves affecting the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers franchises in the National Football League (NFL) from 1940 to 1941.
61-628: Art Rooney , the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, sold his team to Alexis Thompson on December 10, 1940, and subsequently bought a 50% stake in the Philadelphia Eagles franchise from owner Bert Bell . At the time of the deals, a mini- draft took place between the two teams, using a pool of players from both rosters. This resulted in the Eagles acquiring seven players formerly of the Steelers, and
122-637: A 1–13 showing in 1969 . He is buried at the North Side Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh. In 1964, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Duquesne University named their football field in his honor in 1993. In 1999 Rooney ranked 81st on the Sporting News ' "100 Most Powerful Sports Figures of the 20th Century" list. A statue of his likeness graces the entrance to the home of
183-425: A 70% interest in the Eagles, the other 30% held by Rooney friend and future NFL commissioner, Bert Bell. Bell and Rooney agreed to trade places with Thompson. Bell took the role of President of the Steelers that he relinquished to Rooney in 1946 when Bell became Commissioner. Rooney got his good friend and his sister's father in law, Barney McGinley, to buy Bell's shares. Barney's son Jack, Art's brother in law, retained
244-460: A block from Exposition Park , which had been home to the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team until 1909 . Rooney had a brother, Silas Rooney, who later entered the priesthood. Silas Rooney eventually became the athletic director for St. Bonaventure University in 1947 and invited the Steelers to play their training camp at the university in the 1950s. Another brother, James P. Rooney, later
305-583: A city and era where baseball was king and were treated as something of a joke compared to the Pirates. The team also made some questionable personnel calls at the time such as cutting a then-unknown Johnny Unitas in training camp (Unitas would go on to a Hall of Fame career with the Baltimore Colts ) and trading their first round pick in the 1965 draft to the Chicago Bears (who would draft Dick Butkus with
366-538: A club based in the city of Pittsburgh. He named his new team the "Pirates", after the city's baseball team , of which Rooney was a fan since childhood. Since the league's inception in 1920, the NFL had wanted a team in Pittsburgh due to the city's already-long history with football as well as the popularity of the Pittsburgh Panthers football team, an NCAA national championship contender during this period. The league
427-410: A coach, Joe Bach , give contracts to his players and almost win a championship. The winnings funded the team until 1941 when he sold the franchise to NY playboy Alex Thompson. Thompson wanted to move the franchise to Boston so he could be within a five-hour train ride of his club. At the same time, the Philadelphia Eagles ran into financial problems. Rooney used the funds from the sale of franchise to get
488-511: A member of 'our organization'. As far as [Curt] Gowdy knew, I was vice president of the team. Mr. Rooney made me feel 10 feet tall. Inviting a groundskeeper up to the owner's box for dinner. Following the Steelers' victory in Super Bowl IX , Rooney stepped down from day-to-day management of the team, but remained the ultimate source of authority until his death. Dan , his son, took over as team president. Rooney died from complications of
549-441: A stroke on August 25, 1988. An August 1987 Pittsburgh Press story stated that Rooney never missed a Hall of Fame induction ceremony in all 25 years, and that he was asked to present his third inductee, John Henry Johnson , that month. In memory of "The Chief," Steelers wore a patch on the left shoulder of their uniforms with Rooney's initials AJR for the entire season. The team ended up finishing 5-11 , their worst record since
610-541: A total of just 60 points. Over eight years, the team had compiled a record of 24–62–5 and had lost around $ 100,000 ($ 2.2 million today). Rooney was also concerned about the availability of players in the coming seasons due to the ongoing war in Europe and the specter of a military draft . After turning down several earlier offers to relocate or sell the team, in December 1940, Rooney sold the Steelers to Alexis Thompson . Thompson
671-422: A touchdown like the way they do today we would have been hooted off the field. "For winning the championship, we each received $ 300. We never got a championship ring like they do now, but it was certainly one of my proudest moments. Remember, professional football was not nearly as popular as college football and baseball. It was much more exciting to play college football at Nebraska in front of 40,000 people. It
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#1732851864093732-539: A twisting 40-yard run by Dutch Clark , Detroit had a 13–0 lead, but the Giants cut the lead to 6 by halftime on a long pass from Danowski to Ken Strong . However, two touchdowns in the fourth quarter by Ernie Caddel and future Lions coach Buddy Parker sealed the 26–7 victory, and their first NFL Championship, for the Lions. Sunday, December 15, 1935 Kickoff: 2 p.m. EST The NFL had only four game officials in 1935 ;
793-465: A winning season, finishing the 1940 season with a 1–10 record and a 10–44–2 overall career coaching record. By 1940, the Steelers were on their fifth head coach in eight years. Like the Eagles, the Steelers had not posted a winning record in their franchise's history. Walt Kiesling entered his second season as head coach of the Steelers in 1940 . Before the 1940 season, Rooney said if the Steelers had another losing season he would be compelled to sell
854-632: The 1936 World Series on October 6. No city has ruled as champions of three major sports simultaneously since. But the Tigers, Lions and Wings were not the Motor City's only champions: Detroit's "Brown Bomber," Joe Louis , was the heavyweight boxing titlist; Detroiter Gar Wood , the first man to go 100 miles per hour on water, reigned as the world's top unlimited powerboat racer ; and black Detroiter Eddie "the Midnight Express" Tolan had won gold medals in
915-611: The Great Famine in the 1840s. While living in Montreal , the Rooneys had a son, Arthur (who would become Art Rooney's grandfather). James and Mary later moved to Ebbw Vale , Wales , where the iron industry was flourishing, taking their son Arthur, then 21, with them. This Arthur Rooney married Catherine Regan (who was also Irish Catholic), in Wales, and they had a son, Dan. Two years after Dan Rooney
976-638: The National Football League (NFL), from 1933 until his death. Rooney is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame , was an Olympic qualifying boxer, and was part or whole owner in several track sport venues and Pittsburgh area pro teams. He was the first president of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1933 to 1974, and the first chairman of the team from 1933 to 1988. Rooney's great-grandparents, James and Mary Rooney, were Irish Catholics who emigrated from Newry in County Down , Ireland to Canada during
1037-594: The Pittsburgh Steelers , Heinz Field . The street that runs adjacent to Heinz Field on Pittsburgh's North Side is named "Art Rooney Avenue" in his honor. In 2000, he was inducted as a "pioneer" into the American Football Association's Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame. During Rooney's life, the Steelers would often use a late-round draft pick on a player from a local college like Pitt , West Virginia or Penn State . Though these players rarely made
1098-609: The Pittsburgh Steelers . During World War II, the Steelers had some financial difficulties and were merged with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1943 and the Chicago Cardinals in 1944 . After the war, Rooney became team president. He longed to bring an NFL title to Pittsburgh but was never able to beat the powerhouse teams, like the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers . The Steelers also struggled with playing in
1159-594: The Super Bowl . During Rooney's lifetime the team also had Super Bowl victories following the 1975, 1978 and 1979 seasons. They also won the Super Bowl in the 2005 and 2008 seasons, making the Steelers the first-team following the AFL–NFL merger to win six Super Bowls. I'll never forget the way he introduced me, 'This is Ralph Giampaolo, a member of our organization.' Not a member of our ground crew. Not some rinky-dink bum. But
1220-960: The Yonkers Raceway in 1972, the Palm Beach Kennel Club, Green Mountain Kennel Club in Vermont, Shamrock Stables in Maryland and owned the Liberty Bell Park Racetrack outside Philadelphia. Following the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, the Steelers agreed to leave the NFL Eastern Conference and joined the AFC Central Division. Everyone knew Mr. Rooney was our number one citizen...he did more for this city than R.K. Mellon did for
1281-659: The 1940 season were shuffled between the two teams. In this transaction, the Rooney/Bell team added eleven players from the 1940 Steelers: ends George Platukis , Walt Kichefski and John Klumb ; tackles Clark Goff and Ted Doyle ; guards Carl Nery and Jack Sanders ; and backs Boyd Brumbaugh , John Noppenberg , George Kiick and Rocco Pirro . In exchange, Thompson's team gained seven players: ends Joe Carter and Herschel Ramsey , tackles Phil Ragazzo and Clem Woltman , guard Ted Schmitt , and backs Joe Bukant and Foster Watkins , all of whom had played for Bell's 1940 Eagles
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#17328518640931342-663: The AAU welterweight belt in 1918 and tried out for the 1920 Olympic Team, he played minor league baseball for both the Flint, Michigan "Vehicles" and the Wheeling, West Virginia "Stogies" . In 1925 he served as Wheeling's player-manager and led the Middle Atlantic League in games, hits, runs, stolen bases and finished second in batting average (his brother Dan Rooney, Wheeling's catcher that year, finished third). Art also played halfback for
1403-513: The Eagles, and Art Rooney founded the Pirates. The Pirates became the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1940. Wray coached the Eagles in their first three years from 1933–1935, with no winning seasons, compiling a 9–21–1 record. In that time period, the partners exhausted $ 85,000 ($ 1,866,331 in 2024 dollars). At a public auction in 1936, Bell became sole owner of the Eagles with a bid of $ 4,500 (presently, $ 98,806). Austerity measures forced him to supplant Wray as head coach as well, but Bell also did not produce
1464-565: The Iron Men. Despite now being a full partner in the Eagles with Bell, Rooney had no intention of leaving Pittsburgh. It was thought that Thompson preferred to move his new team to be nearer his New York home, perhaps to Boston, which had been without an NFL team since the Redskins relocated to Washington in 1937. If Thompson had moved the team away from Pittsburgh, Rooney and Bell hatched a plan that would have seen their team split its home games between
1525-576: The Lions (coached by George "Potsy" Clark ) were in their first title game, three years removed from their nailbiting loss in the indoor 1932 NFL Playoff Game as the Portsmouth Spartans . At 15,000 attendance, it was the least attended peacetime championship game in league history. The weather in Detroit for the game was gray, wet, and windy, and the field at the University of Detroit's Titan Stadium
1586-517: The McGinley interest that passed to his heirs when he died in 2006. The Rooneys are the finest people, the people I most respect in American sports ownership. I've always felt that way. And there's no reason to change. They are people of integrity and character. The way they put the Steelers together, to hire a man like Chuck Noll, to emphasize the team concept. I have a whole transcendental feeling for
1647-479: The Steelers and the Rooneys and Pittsburgh. — Howard Cosell, October 1982 Rooney sent shock waves through the NFL by signing Byron "Whizzer" White to a record-breaking $ 15,000 contract in 1938. This move, however, did not bring the Pirates a winning season, and White left the team for the Detroit Lions the following year. The club did not have a season above .500 until 1942, the year after they were renamed
1708-452: The Steelers obtaining eleven players formerly of the Eagles. The 1941 NFL draft was also held during this time. Rooney later had second thoughts on the transactions, and made an agreement to swap cities with new Steelers owner Thompson on April 3, 1941. This resulted in the Philadelphia Eagles moving their team to Pittsburgh and becoming the new Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers moving their team to Philadelphia and becoming
1769-560: The Steelers' corporate name remained "Philadelphia Eagles Football Club, Inc." until 1945. Bell was named the Steelers head coach and Rooney became the general manager, with 10-year contracts worth $ 7,500 per year. Because the entire strange turn of events all took place during the offseason and the Eagles and Steelers never actually missed games in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, respectively, the NFL considers each franchise as single unbroken entities since 1933. The transaction, which amounted in
1830-519: The back judge was added in 1947 , the line judge in 1965 , and the side judge in 1978 . When asked about the game over 70 years later, Glenn Presnell (who was also the last surviving member of the Detroit Lions inaugural 1934 team) said this about the game: "I remember that it was a snowy day, very cold, and there were far less fans there than the ’34 Thanksgiving Day game. In those days, people didn’t go very often when it wasn’t nice weather. "I
1891-409: The business community and David Lawrence and any of the mayors who followed him, including Richard Caliguiri , did politically. Tom Foerster Through expert scouting, the Steelers became a power. In 1972, they began a remarkable 8–year run of playoff appearances, and 13 straight years of winning seasons, including three additional playoff berths. In Rooney's 41st season as owner, the club won
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1952-615: The chairman of the board of directors of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a former United States Ambassador to Ireland , Art Rooney Jr. , Timothy Rooney, Patrick Rooney, and John Rooney (all also directors of the Pittsburgh Steelers ). She is also the grandmother of the couple's 32 grandchildren, including current Steelers president Art Rooney II and U.S. Representative Thomas J. Rooney (R, FL-16). The couple also has about 75 great-grandchildren, including actress sisters Kate Mara and Rooney Mara . General Specific 1935 NFL Championship Game The 1935 NFL Championship game
2013-489: The end to Bell selling the Eagles and purchasing half-interest in the Steelers, as well as trading more than half of each team's rosters to each other, has been termed the "Pennsylvania Polka". Both teams continued to struggle in 1941, with the Eagles going 2–8–1 and the Steelers going 1–9–1. However, the Steelers posted their first winning record in 1942 (7–4), while the Eagles finished 2–9. In 1943 , when manpower shortages stemming from World War II made it impossible to fill
2074-570: The exception of players who changed teams during the mini-draft, in which case those players "stayed" on the same teams). All players drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1941 NFL Draft therefore had their rights held by the Pittsburgh Steelers after the final swap, and vice versa. Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Pirates franchises were founded in 1933, after blue laws in Pennsylvania were rescinded to allow organized sports teams to play on Sundays. Bert Bell and Lud Wray founded
2135-630: The league award Pittsburgh a franchise. Rooney proved his worth and from 1967 until the early 1970s was a part owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins . In a 1981 interview by the Pittsburgh Press Rooney related that "from time to time he had helped financially support the Negro league team, the Homestead Grays , and . . . was a better baseball fan than football fan." Rooney also acquired
2196-515: The league's expansion in 1967. Although Pittsburgh enjoyed championship hockey with the professional but "minor league" Pittsburgh Hornets since its NHL franchise (the Pirates hockey team ) disbanded in 1930 from the effects of the Great Depression , many city leaders were pushing for the region to become more "major league" suggesting that Mr. Rooney use his influence in the sports industry to have
2257-423: The merged team lost all ten of their games that season. The Eagles went to three NFL Championship games under Neale, losing in 1947 , and winning in 1948 and 1949 . The Steelers did not win their first league title until Super Bowl IX in 1974 . After the 1949 season , Thompson sold the Eagles to a syndicate of 100 buyers, known as the " Happy Hundred ", each of whom paid a fee of $ 3,000 for their share of
2318-418: The new Philadelphia Eagles. Since NFL franchises at the time were territorial rights distinct from individual corporate entities, the Eagles and Steelers are each officially acknowledged by the NFL as single unbroken entities since 1933, especially since all of these events took place during the offseason. However, the players on the Eagles were basically traded to the Steelers in exchange for their players (with
2379-576: The pick), among others. Nevertheless, Rooney was popular with owners as a mediator, which would carry over to his son Dan Rooney . He was the only owner to vote against moving the rights of the New York Yanks to Dallas, Texas after the 1951 season due to concerns of racism in the South at the time. (Ultimately, the Dallas Texans failed after one year, and the rights were moved to Baltimore , where
2440-401: The prior year. Thompson hired Greasy Neale , whom Rooney had pursued to coach the Pirates in 1933, to conduct this player swap as well as to assist him with the draft which took place the day after the deal with Rooney was finalized. Once he was released from his contract with Yale, Neale became head coach of Thompson's team to replace Kiesling. In January 1941, Thompson renamed his new squad
2501-420: The roster, the two teams temporarily merged to form a team popularly known as the " Steagles ." The merger, never intended as a permanent arrangement, was dissolved at the end of the 1943 season. The Steagles posted a 5–4–1 record, giving the Eagles their first winning record as a franchise and continuing the Steelers' streak. The Steelers had to combine with the Chicago Cardinals in 1944 to form " Card-Pitt ";
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2562-406: The sale and invested it in a 50% interest in the Philadelphia Eagles franchise, which was owned by his friend Bell, and became vice president of the franchise's board of directors. In an unusual twist Rooney, Bell, and Thompson pooled the rosters of the two squads and conducted essentially a mini-draft to distribute the talent. The 51 players which were signed to the Steelers and Eagles at the end of
2623-418: The semi-pro Pittsburgh "Hope Harvey" and "Majestic Radio" clubs which he later took over and renamed the J.P. Rooneys before purchasing an NFL franchise for $ 2,500 in 1933. The biggest thrill wasn't in winning on Sunday but in meeting the payroll on Monday. 1983 Steelers yearbook Rooney's affiliation with the National Football League (NFL) began in 1933 when he paid a $ 2,500 franchise fee to found
2684-465: The team became the Baltimore Colts . The team now plays in Indianapolis .) In 1963, along with Bears owner George Halas , Rooney was one of two owners to vote for the 1925 NFL Championship to be reinstated to the long-defunct Pottsville Maroons . As a pillar of the community in many aspects, Rooney was asked to lend his considerable influence in the city's bid to reclaim an NHL franchise during
2745-437: The team, this practice was intended to appeal to local fans and players. Art Rooney is the finest person I've ever known. — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White . [The] most popular sports figure in history. — Art Modell . Art Rooney is the subject of, and the only character in, the one-man play The Chief , written by Gene Collier and Rob Zellers. My father always used to tell us boys, "Treat everybody
2806-486: The team. The Rooney family has remained the owners of the Steelers since its founding in 1933, with Art's son, Dan , taking over the team following his death in 1988. Art Rooney Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. (January 27, 1901 – August 25, 1988), often referred to as " the Chief ", was an American professional football executive. He was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers , an American football franchise in
2867-454: The team. The team started the season at 1–0–2 before falling at home by a score of 10–3 to a Brooklyn Dodgers squad coached by local hero Jock Sutherland . He had assumed the head job for the Dodgers that year after spurning a similar offer from Pittsburgh. The loss to the Dodgers began a six-game losing streak, before the team traded wins with the Eagles to cap a 2–7–2 season in which they scored
2928-498: The two Pennsylvania cities and rename their squad the Keystoners. However, the other league owners blocked both moves. By early 1941, Rooney was beginning to regret his decision to sell the Steelers. When he saw that Thompson had not yet established a local office for his team, as he had announced he would do by March 1, Rooney made an offer: he and Bell would trade territories with Thompson. This would put Thompson in Philadelphia, which
2989-514: The way you'd like to be treated. Give them the benefit of the doubt. But never let anyone mistake kindness for weakness." He took the Golden Rule and put a little bit of the North Side in it. — Art Rooney Jr. on his father Arthur J. Rooney was married to Kathleen Rooney née McNulty (1904–1982) for 51 years, until her 1982 death. Kathleen was the mother of Art's five sons, who are Dan Rooney ,
3050-542: Was a 26-year-old, Yale -educated heir to a steel fortune and an entrepreneur living in New York. Thompson originally sought to buy the Eagles from Bell in November 1940, but Bell connected him with Rooney to make an offer on the Steelers. The Steelers hired Bell to negotiate the sale and promised him a 20% cut of the sale price if it sold within 30 days. The purchase price was reported to be $ 160,000 ($ 3.5 million today). This price
3111-581: Was a way to make a living during the Depression." [1] Archived February 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine When the Lions won the 1935 NFL Championship, the city of Detroit was mired in the Great Depression, which had hit Detroit and its industries particularly hard. But with the success of the Lions and other Detroit teams and athletes in 1935–1936, their luck appeared to be changing, as the city
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#17328518640933172-534: Was born, the family moved back to Canada and eventually ended up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1884. Along the way the family grew to include nine children of which Dan was the second. Dan Rooney remained in the Pittsburgh area, and eventually opened a saloon in the Youghiogheny Valley coal town of Coulter, Pennsylvania (or Coultersville). This is where Dan Rooney met and wed Margaret "Maggie" Murray, who
3233-579: Was dubbed the " City of Champions ." The Detroit Tigers started the winning streak by capturing the 1935 World Series . The Lions continued the streak by winning the 1935 NFL Championship. They were followed by the Detroit Red Wings winning the 1935–36 Stanley Cup . With the Stanley Cup win on April 11, 1936, Detroit reigned as triple major league champions for nearly six months, until the Yankees clinched
3294-537: Was elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly , winning easily in part because Art had renamed the team after James , who also played on the squad, as a promotional tactic. Rooney attended St. Peter's Catholic School in Pittsburgh, Duquesne University Prep School, then several semesters at Indiana Normal School before completing a final year at Temple University on an athletic scholarship. After graduation, he dedicated himself to sports, winning
3355-400: Was finally able to take advantage of Pennsylvania relaxing their blue laws that prior to 1933 prohibited sporting events from taking place on Sundays, when most NFL games take place. In 1936, Rooney won a parlay at Saratoga Race Course , which netted him about $ 160,000. He placed the bet based on a tip from New York Giants owner Tim Mara , a bookmaker . He used the winnings to hire
3416-469: Was less than the $ 225,000 ($ 4.9 million today) the Detroit Lions had previously sold for, but the Lions had won an NFL championship . Bell earned $ 32,000 from the sale. The transaction was completed and announced on the same day that the Chicago Bears pummeled the Washington Redskins by a score of 73–0 in the most lopsided NFL championship game of all time. Rooney immediately took $ 50,000 from
3477-423: Was much closer to his New York base. It would also ensure that Rooney's team would stay in his hometown. On April 3, 1941, Thompson accepted the deal. Rooney and Bell moved their organization to Pittsburgh as the Pittsburgh Steelers. Thompson's Iron Men moved to Philadelphia, where they took on the Philadelphia Eagles moniker. This was described at the time as "one of the most unusual swaps in sports history". In fact,
3538-428: Was sloppy. The Lions took the opening kickoff and drove down the field for a touchdown. They were helped by two long passing plays, including one from Ace Gutowsky that hit Ed Danowski , playing defense, in the chest and was caught by end Ed Klewicki . Gutowsky capped the 61-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run and Glenn Presnell kicked the extra point for the 7–0 lead. After the Lions scored another touchdown on
3599-403: Was the daughter of a coal miner, and where the couple's first son, Arthur Joseph Rooney, was born. Dan and Maggie would eventually settle their family in Pittsburgh's North Side in 1913, where they bought a three-story building at the corner of Corey Street and General Robinson Street. Dan operated a cafe and saloon out of the first floor with the family living above. The building was located just
3660-490: Was the starting quarterback that game and for most of the season. Potsy liked to start me and see what was going on before sending in Dutch Clark. The one thing that stands out to me is that we scored in the first two minutes. I had thrown a flat pass to our blocking back on a fake for a 60-yard play to about their four-yard line. Ace Gutowsky punched it over for the score and I kicked the extra point. If we celebrated when we made
3721-651: Was the third National Football League (NFL) title game, held on December 15 at University of Detroit Stadium (Titan Stadium) in Detroit , Michigan . The 1935 champion of the Western Division was the Detroit Lions (7–3–2) and the champion of the Eastern Division was the New York Giants (9–3). The Giants, coached by Steve Owen , were in their third straight title game and were defending champions , while
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