Rooney began his employment with his father's team in 1961, starting as a ticket office employee and also spending time as the team's public relations director. In 1965, he was named the team's personnel director, which had him head the scouting department. Previously, the Steelers'
NFL draft strategy under
Buddy Parker was to trade away most of their picks for veteran players. Under Rooney, the strategy completely changed, with draft selections becoming the team's main way of roster building. During this time, Pittsburgh selected nine players who would go on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and signed an additional one (
Donnie Shell) as an
undrafted free agent. Dan Rooney wrote in his 2008 autobiography, "Art and I disagreed. He and the scouts always felt they should have more control over the draft. I was very firm and said we had to work together ... We tried to settle our differences, but couldn't." He noted, though, that it was still "devastating for me and my family," and described being "exiled" to work for the team's real estate department. He became 16% owner of the team upon the death of his father in 1988, later selling a portion of his ownership to his brother Dan in 2008. The 2008 ownership restructuring showed continued resentment between the brothers, as Art and his other brothers thought that Dan was undervaluing the team. He has also been considered for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on several occasions, including being a finalist for the classes of 2023 and 2024. Rooney, alongside
Robert Kraft, are the only active NFL team presidents to be six-time Super Bowl champions. ==Personal life==