The Steelers’ heir apparent, Dan Rooney, sat in on the team’s interview process that resulted in Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. Thrown for a loop by Mike Tomlin’s sudden resignation, they were suddenly in the market for a new head coach. While Rooney likely didn’t play a major role in the final decision, he shared his thoughts on the move.
“It was great to get to know Coach [Mike] McCarthy through the interview process,” Rooney told the NFL Network during Super Bowl week. “I remember him back in 2010 when he beat us in the Super Bowl, so it was good to see him on our side this time. But [he’s] just a special guy with an awesome coaching resume and has the right plan and vision for what the Steelers need right now. Really excited to get to work with him, and we’re jacked up for 2026.”
Mike McCarthy is a Pittsburgh native, in case you didn’t hear by now, as is Rooney, of course, now a fourth-generation Steelers figure. His father, Art Rooney II, is the team’s current owner, preceded by his father, Dan, and his grandfather, Art. The younger Dan’s middle name is Martin; his grandfather’s is Milton.
The Steelers interviewed nine head coach candidates before, somewhat quickly, landing with Mike McCarthy. They interviewed three finalists in person, including Brian Flores and Anthony Weaver. Flores remained in Minnesota as DC, and Weaver took the DC post with the Ravens.
McCarthy brings ample experience, having served as head coach for the Packers from 2006 to 2018 and the Cowboys from 2020 to 2024. His coaching career goes back to the 1980s and even includes a short stint at Pitt.
Dan Rooney’s father, Art, made it crystal clear that it would be Art and GM Omar Khan leading the head coach search, but we also know that the younger Rooney sat in on the interviews, including McCarthy’s. He mentioned that “others within the organization” would be involved as well.
Dan Rooney, in his mid-30s, has been involved in the Steelers organization for quite some time—but not quite far back enough to have been there when Mike McCarthy’s Packers beat them in the Super Bowl during the 2010 season.
Rooney served as a Steelers scouting assistant from 2014 to 2016, then a coaching assistant from 2016 to 2018. After that, he left to pursue the private sector before returning in 2022. He has been the Director of Business Development and Strategy since then, promoted to VP of the same last year.
And like his father, Rooney isn’t interested in the Steelers idling for any period of time under McCarthy. “We’re excited to get going right now,” he said. His father told reporters that they are not looking to rebuild and believes they can win now. That played a major role in their decision to go with an experienced head coach like McCarthy.