Friday, January 6, 2006

"a drinking town with a football problem"



My dad kept asking what Shawn and I would like for Christmas. I didn’t know what to say. We need money so we can pay for the stuff we “bought” already. You know? So he came up with the idea of getting us tickets to see “The Chief”. For those of you that probably don’t know, “The Chief” is Art Rooney. Who’s Art Rooney? He is the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers. “The Chief” is a play, a one man show, performed by Pittsburgh native, Tom Atkins. Mr. Atkins has appeared on and off Broadway for a lot of years. He has also had some appearances on television shows such as M*A*S*H, Oz, Law & Order (I forget which one), and a bunch of others that I can’t remember. So anyway, the tickets were for Wednesday night. We left our house and got about three miles before traffic came to a stop. Squirrel Hill tunnels are notorious for accidents and traffic back up. So we sat there and sat there and sat there. The show started at 8. We left our house at 7:10ish. It was 8:10 before we even got to turn around. We missed the show. I called the theater while we were sitting there and the girl said that if there was a bunch of people in the same situation, they could maybe hold the show a bit. Well, apparently, they did not. I felt horrible. Shawn and I really wanted to see the show. My dad thoughtfully got us the tickets! I called the theater yesterday and explained the situation. They said we could come that night and they would get us seats. I was overjoyed. whew! What a nice thing to do. I'm so glad we got to see it.

I found an article that explains it better than I could (or at least better than I feel like explaining it at the moment).

"Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, Sr. is an icon in the city of Pittsburgh and among pro football historians. He was a determined, forthright, astute businessman who is remembered fondly by many. His roots to the city and his manner of remembering his humble beginnings forged a connection of mutual respect with the residents of this Steel City. When Rob Zellers and Gene Collier decided to write a one man play about "The Chief," they knew they had to show all sides of the man. As Rooney's grandson Jim told the authors, Rooney Sr. "wasn't always a saint." What appears on the stage of the Public Theater is an affectionate and respectful view of an ordinary man who accomplished extraordinary things.
From his childhood on the Northside where he swam in the Allegheny River just offshore of the future location of Three Rivers Satdium, though a period as a young boxer, on to a long career developing the legacy of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rooney is shown to be a very strong and religious family man. He worked a "real job" one day in his life - at a steel mill where he quickly developed a respect for the incredibly hard working steelworkers, but learned it wasn't for him. Rooney probably learned a thing or two from the local politicians he worked for, as well as from his father who owned a tavern. The Chief was uncanny at betting on horses, winning an incredible $380,000 during one betting spree in 1937. He had already bought the Steelers by then, but those winnings helped him hold onto the team through "the bad years" - four decades of disappointing football seasons. When the team finally came together, due to the foundation Rooney had set, the talents of coach Chuck Noll plus the results of a few brilliant drafts, Rooney was proud, but never let the newfound fame of the team go to his head.
The Chief takes place in 1976 in an office at Three Rivers Stadium, as Rooney (Tom Atkins) prepares for an event honoring him at the Knights of Columbus. Speaking openly to the audience, he reflects on his life and career, showing his personality and morals by the stories he tells and the beliefs he describes. Atkins presents a fine portrayal of the gruff but sentimental Rooney, who at the time would have been 75. Cigar smoking and speaking from the heart, Atkins' Rooney recalls times, places, and people familiar to the audience. Mostly a story of Rooney's life and "what made the man," The Chief also gives a snapshot of the people and circumstance which allowed the Steelers to leave behind the SOS ("same old Steelers" is the clean translation) years.
For anyone with a fondness for Pittsburgh or the Steelers, this is a rich, inspirational piece of Americana. For natives of the 'burgh and diehard Steelers fans, it is a near religious experience. To top it off, the famous "immaculate reception," a fluke catch in a 1972 playoff game with the Oakland Raiders which catapulted the Steelers into their dynasty years, is shown on film. If you didn't wear your black and gold jersey into the theater (and some people did), by this time you wish you had."


It felt like we were right there in his office. Like we were close personal friends talking about old times. Such an intimate setting. I got choked up a few times. He talked about the immaculate reception, describing to us how and why he didn't see it and his reaction after he realized what happened. There was less than a minute left in the game. No way they could win. He got in the elevator to go to the locker room and started preparing his pep talk, getting ready to tell them that he was proud of them. That they played an amazing game. He said when the elevator doors opened, he thought there was a tornado and then he realized it was the fans. It occured to him that they had won. He talked about receiving that game ball and how he didn't deserve it, that the fans deserve it. I am getting choked up just writing about it. heh. Then we got to see the footage. Wow. I can never see that enough times. Amazing. Then he rattled off a list of what ifs and I started to sob. I realize that I'm an emotionally unstable person but I wasn't the only one crying, tyvm. This is something that every Pittsburgh native should experience. Hell, every football fan should see it or at least read his story. What an amazing man. An inspiration.

FWIW, I wore my black and gold and so did Shawn.