David Letterman's mom died yesterday.
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OFFICIAL 2016 APOLYTON CELEBRITY DEAD POOL
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Dan Rooney, who succeeded his father and Steelers founder, Art Sr., as team president and rose to become one of the most powerful and beloved owners in sports, died Thursday at the age of 84.
Born Daniel Milton Rooney, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, making the Rooneys only the second father-son combination to be enshrined. Under his leadership since the late 1960s, the Steelers transformed from lovable losers into a Super Bowl dynasty in the 1970s and remain among the most successful and popular franchises in the game.
A powerful voice in the NFL for decades, often out of the public eye, he helped settle two players’ strikes, served on many league committees and was a confidante and adviser to three commissioners. He fought to give more opportunities for minority coaches to ascend in the NFL, an effort that prompted the adoption of what is known as the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority coach in the process of hiring a head coach.
Then at an age when many cut back on their activities, Mr. Rooney took on more in an entirely different field when President Barack Obama appointed him as United States ambassador to Ireland, a job he began two weeks before his 77th birthday.
Ranked for decades among the most powerful voices in the NFL, he handled himself with the kind of modesty that endeared him to colleagues and office workers alike, showing up daily at his only place of business, the offices of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Dan has always led with humility,’’ said Hall of Famer Joe Greene while presenting Mr. Rooney for induction at Canton, Ohio, in 2000. “When things go as planned, Dan is in the background. When things don’t go as planned, he’s in the forefront.”
Said former coach Bill Cowher, “He was like a father, a friend, a mentor, a boss who inspired others around him. He was a people person and he never forgot where he came from. He epitomized Pittsburgh — hard working, humble, no-nonsense, tell it the way it is and never forget where he came from. That’s him, that’s Pittsburgh.”
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, like Mr. Rooney a graduate of North Catholic High School, added: “You could speak all day and never encompass what he means, not only to the Steelers but to this game.
“I just think it’s his sincere interest in people, first and foremost, and his ability to treat everybody fairly but also encompassing a great understanding of our game and in particular the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Mr. Rooney officially succeeded his father as president of the Steelers in 1975, but Art Rooney Sr. gave him control nearly a decade earlier and he quickly reconstructed a franchise that had little success on or off the field since its inception in 1933.
One of his earliest decisions proved among his greatest, when he hired Chuck Noll as coach in 1969 after he first offered it to Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who turned it down. He gave Mr. Noll total say on personnel and the draft and stuck with him as he reshaped the roster and shook out the losing doldrums. It paid off in four Super Bowl victories in the 1970s, which ranks near the top of NFL championship dynasties. Around the time Mr. Noll was hired, Mr. Rooney also persuaded sports writer Bill Nunn Jr. to join his scouting staff. Mr. Nunn would discover many of the players at predominantly small, black colleges who had largely been overlooked during those times and who would help forge that 1970s dynasty.Hi, I'm RAH and I'm a Benaholic.-rah
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A medical examiner confirms the 52-year-old Soundgarden star died shortly after a concert in Detroit.I am not delusional! Now if you'll excuse me, i'm gonna go dance with the purple wombat who's playing show-tunes in my coffee cup!
Rules are like Egg's. They're fun when thrown out the window!
Difference is irrelevant when dosage is higher than recommended!
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This was a shocker. Met Chris professionally a couple times back in the 90s.
After a sold-out show, halfway through writing the next record...
Man!
Very sad news.Apolyton's Grim Reaper 2008, 2010 & 2011
RIP lest we forget... SG (2) and LaFayette -- Civ2 Succession Games Brothers-in-Arms
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Originally posted by Proteus_MST View PostMoore, Roger Moore, Agent 007 died from cancer at the age of 89.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrit...ed-89-10482929There's nothing wrong with the dream, my friend, the problem lies with the dreamer.
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I had no idea he was 89.“It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
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I had no idea Zbiggy was still alive.
Very sad about Gregg Allman. Lots of my contemporary musical faves continue to die you. Gregg had been fighting major health issues for quite awhile.
RIP to both.Apolyton's Grim Reaper 2008, 2010 & 2011
RIP lest we forget... SG (2) and LaFayette -- Civ2 Succession Games Brothers-in-Arms
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Glenne Headly too.“It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
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