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• CIRCUS HAIL MARY FOOTBALL PLAY PRO

Known affectionately as "Papa Bear," George Halas was born in Chicago in 1895 to a Catholic family of Hungarian immigrants former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula also was a devout Catholic with Hungarian roots. Team lore has it that a fan came up with the phrase, and it later caught fire in the press. Steelers fans will also remember the 1972 "Immaculate Reception," in which rookie Franco Harris scooped up a pass - which is generally, but not universally, believed to have not hit the ground nor another player first - and ran it in for a game-winning touchdown.īy the way, that name is indeed a play on the Immaculate Conception, the Catholic dogma that Mary was conceived without original sin.

Dan's son, Art Rooney II, continues as the president of the Steelers and one of the owners. He passed away at 84 in 2017, remembered by the people of Pittsburgh for his accomplishments and his Catholic faith. 'No one wore their religion on their sleeves, but it made it easier to feel a part of the family.'"Īrt Rooney's son Dan went on to run the team and be the U.S. 'There is a certain belief foundation of doing what is right that prevailed,' Bleier said of the Steelers organization in the 1970s. "The Rooney family," the article continued, "was Catholic, as was Steelers head coach Chuck Noll, which gave a certain ethos to those years in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II celebrates after his team defeated the New York Jets in the NFL AFC Championship football game in Pittsburgh Jan. the website of an organization for Catholic CEOs and presidents - reported: "Perhaps his greatest moments came in Super Bowl XIII against the Dallas Cowboys, when he caught a second-quarter touchdown pass from quarterback Terry Bradshaw and later recovered the Cowboys' last-minute onside kick attempt to seal the 35-31 victory." With several surgeries and a long rehabilitation ahead of him, Rocky was determined to "fight back" and return to the gridiron, even in the face of near-unanimous skepticism. But soon he received a postcard from Art Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers: 'Rock, the team's not doing well. In 1968, the Steelers running back was drafted to fight in Vietnam, where he was injured in 1969 (for which he was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart).īleier's future looked bleak, until, as reported at the website of Catholic organization : "While Bleier was undergoing treatment for his injuries in Tokyo, doctors told him it would be 'impossible' for him to play football again. Rooney also stood behind University of Notre Dame graduate and fellow Catholic Rocky Bleier.

CIRCUS HAIL MARY FOOTBALL PLAY PRO

An Olympic-qualifying boxer who had ownership in several sports venues and pro teams in the Pittsburgh area, Rooney became the founder and owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1933. Art RooneyĪrt Rooney was born in 1901 in Coulterville, Pennsylvania, to descendants of Catholic immigrants from Ireland. Mara, a grandson of the original, is currently the president, CEO and co-owner of the Giants. He also was a bookmaker and a regular at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

And as his eulogists kept pointing out, he was the last of the old-school, sports team owners, a throwback to football's leather-helmet era." He was a Catholic who attended Mass daily and fathered 11 children. When Mara died, The New York Times Magazine noted: "He had an earthy, pug-nosed Irish face and an authentic New York accent, of the kind you hear now only in movies from the '30s and '40s. Timothy Maraīorn in 1887, Irish American Catholic Tim Mara became the founding owner of the New York Giants in the 1920s and was one of the founders of the NFL. He's best known for his nine years as coach of the Green Bay Packers, which he led from ineptitude to domination in the 1960s, including winning the first two Super Bowls. The winner of the Super Bowl gets the Lombardi Trophy, named for one of football's most beloved figures - and a devout son of the church.īorn into a Catholic family of Italian descent in Brooklyn, New York, in 1913, Vince Lombardi, a lifelong daily Massgoer, attended a high school seminary with thoughts of the priesthood.īut after faith and family, Lombardi's love was football. (CNS photo/Eric Miller via Reuters) Vince Lombardi

Do not duplicate in any form without permission of the Dallas Cowboys.A Green Bay Packers' fan wears a mitre sporting the image of legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi in this 1998 file photo.