(PRLeap.com) "When Rooney Sold the Steelers", a new book by Bob Fulton, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.A Steelers linebacker once nearly drowned in the middle of a game. A placekicker warmed up by booting paper cups instead of footballs. One head coach simultaneously led the Steelers and Duquesne University. A quarterback earned two Super Bowl rings without ever taking a snap. And at a Steelers practice, Frank Sinatra once shared a glass of wine with Franco Harris.
These and dozens of other extraordinary tales fill "When Rooney Sold the Steelers: An Offbeat History of Pittsburgh's Beloved Team", a lively collection of little-known stories from one of the NFL's most storied franchises. Readers will discover the Steelers linebacker who later found fame as Tarzan; the team's short-lived male cheerleaders, whose tenure ended after a cannon mishap; the only athlete to suit up for both the Steelers and the Pirates; and the day the team founder, Art Rooney, himself a former boxing champion, knocked out his own head coach.
Yes, Rooney really did sell the team, and "When Rooney Sold the Steelers" explores that moment alongside pivotal and peculiar chapters in franchise history. The book revisits the wartime "Steagles" merger with the Philadelphia Eagles, which improbably produced a winning season despite feuding head coaches; reveals how a spelling lesson helped inspire Terry Bradshaw's rise to Super Bowl glory; recounts how Joe Greene downed 27 bottles of Coca-Cola while filming an iconic commercial; and examines how a lopsided Steelers win may have helped avert casualties from a plane crash. It even tells the story of head coach John "Blood" McNally missing a game because he didn't realize the Steelers were playing that weekend.
The book also spotlights the O.J. Bowl; a Steelers standout who later became a U.S. Supreme Court justice; a game featuring an astonishing 31 punts; the birth of the Terrible Towel; the fan who continued rooting for the Steelers after death; and the origin of the Immaculate Reception, the play that forever changed the course of the franchise.
"When Rooney Sold the Steelers" is a must-read for fans who think they know Steelers history and for anyone ready to discover just how strange, surprising, and unforgettable it truly is.
"When Rooney Sold the Steelers" is a 204-page paperback with a retail price of $18.00 (eBook $13.00). The ISBN is 979-8-89649-425-6. Published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For members of the press, to request a review copy or author interview, please visit https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/pages/media-requests or to buy the book, visit our online bookstore at https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/products/when-rooney-sold-the-steelers . For more information on publishing services, please visit https://www.dorrancepublishing.com/
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Natasha Hlinka
Dorrance Publishing
http://www.dorrancepublishing.com
You can see the original version and more on PRLeap here: http://www.prleap.com/pr/309159/indiana-pa-author-publishes-steelers-history-book
