PITTSBURGH  This is Dan Rooney's serendipity.

"It's going to be tremendous," the Pittsburgh Steelers owner envisioned as he sat in a conference room at team headquarters last week. "An outpouring of enthusiasm and love."

The 76-year-old patriarch of Pittsburgh's most prominent family might have been forecasting the scene at frigid Heinz Field on Sunday night, as more than 65,000 fans representing Steeler Nation roared with approval during a boisterous celebration following a 23-14 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

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Instead, Rooney was anticipating the inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th — and first African-American — president. Rooney flew to Washington on Monday for inaugural festivities, a personal detour on the road to the Super Bowl.

"It was terrific to be there to talk to my friend, the president — wow, I can say it now," Rooney said after returning to work Tuesday. "This is a great time. The Super Bowl is our ultimate goal. With the inauguration on top of that, it couldn't be better."

Rooney presented Obama with a game ball from the AFC title game and is flattered that, amid the whirlwind of his transition to power, the new president has kept tabs on the Steelers.

"He wasn't able to watch, but he said he was following the game on his cellphone," Rooney said.

The football lifer and fledgling world leader have struck up quite a connection. While the Steelers navigated the NFL's toughest schedule to earn a chance to win a record sixth Super Bowl, the life-long Republican switched sides and joined the cause for a more profound chapter of history as he vigorously campaigned for Obama.

In addition to hosting a political fundraiser at his North Side home, Rooney hit the trail through Pennsylvania, a state Obama would carry in the general election, and in parts of Ohio and West Virginia. He found himself stumping with governors and former Steelers Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis alike — in the name of Obama fever. Besides lending support to his son Jim's failed bid to win a state Senate seat in 2001, it was the first time Rooney went public with his politics.

This, while in the midst of a family battle for control of the franchise. That critical business issue was resolved in December with Rooney and his son, Art II, buying 64% of the franchise's ownership stakes from Rooney's four brothers for $750 million.

Unusual foray into politics

On myriad fronts, Rooney is on a hot winning streak.

"We probably made 50 speeches," Rooney said of his campaign treks to towns such as McKeesport, Altoona and Johnstown, Pa. "It was one of those things where you could see that you were being listened to. The biggest thing I said to people was, 'Hey, this is a chance of a lifetime. You've got to back him.' "

Mixing sports and politics has its risks, and with Jim managing his father's involvement, there were attempts to keep Rooney's political action separate from the Steelers. That was nearly impossible, given that for all of his civic contributions, Rooney is first and foremost identified as the head of the football team.

If lines weren't blurred by a campaign bus tour called the Steel Blitz for Barack, there was no denying association when Rooney introduced Obama at a rally at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh in October. As Rooney presented Obama with a black Steelers jersey, a familiar mantra echoed: "Here we go Steelers, here we go."

"There was some backlash," Rooney said, referring primarily to letters and e-mails from Steelers fans. "It was significant, but it wasn't that meaningful. People wrote, 'What are you doing this for?' They were mad about me giving him a jersey. But Hillary (Clinton) got a jersey. (John) McCain got a jersey. I wanted to make sure he got one, too."

Rooney began to warm to Obama after watching his acceptance speech following the Iowa caucus Jan. 3, 2008. He became more convinced after scoring Obama a clear-cut winner in the first Democratic debate. He became compelled to endorse Obama publicly in April, after visiting privately for nearly an hour with the then-Illinois Senator.

He said he later became just as impressed with Michelle Obama, whom he worked with on the fundraiser. Beyond strong family values, Rooney believes Obama is best-equipped to confront challenges such as the protection and creation of jobs and making health care more accessible. He speaks glowingly of Obama's ability to energize young voters, and compares the new president to John F. Kennedy.

Asked to recall the most critical theme he wanted to express at the rallies, Rooney said, "He is just like all of you people. A regular person. He is the best person for the job."

That sentiment reflects Rooney's philosophy in a nutshell. He's the only owner in the NFL with a policy named in his behalf, the Rooney Rule, which was instituted in 2003. It stipulates that teams with a head coaching vacancy must interview at least one minority candidate.

The Steelers' second-year coach, Mike Tomlin, is an example of how the policy can increase opportunity. Tomlin, previously the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, was a long-shot candidate before interviewing. He now has a chance to become the second African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl. The first, Tony Dungy, who retired last week as Indianapolis Colts coach, is a former Steelers player who broke into the NFL coaching ranks with the team.

"If the rule had any other name, it wouldn't be fair to Mr. Rooney," says John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes minority hiring in the NFL. "We would not have gotten to this point without an owner with the influence and power that he has, pushing for change."

That Rooney, who took over as team president in 1975 and handed those reins to Art II in 2002, is so influential in league matters is expected. He's been one of the league's foremost movers and shakers for years on a wide range of issues. It is the substance behind his August 2000 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But the foray into politics stunned people close to Rooney.

"We didn't see it coming," says Art Rooney II, Dan's oldest son and president of the Steelers. "My father's never been a politically active person. But he saw something that struck a chord, and he really got passionate about it."

'He told me he was a Bears fan'

Not everyone was surprised that Obama's socially-significant campaign would attract a man like Rooney.

"This organization doesn't see color," says Steelers linebacker Larry Foote. "They give people a chance. That's who they are. You can see that in our building, with a mixture of people from every background."

In some regards, Rooney indeed sees color. He knocked on many doors in black neighborhoods during the campaign and was well-received, but given the mission to swing voters, he says, "I talked mostly to white people."

Rooney is not physically imposing. He is perhaps 5-7 and weighs less than 150 pounds. Longtime Steelers observers, though, maintain he is better defined by his energy and passion, his resilience and fortitude.

Despite hip problems, Rooney still occasionally walks to Heinz Field from his home when the weather is mild. A licensed pilot, he still flies a small, single-engine plane.

To illustrate the essence of his father, Art II recalled the emergency landing that Rooney made in 2002 after losing power during a short flight from the Steelers' training camp in Latrobe, Pa. Flying solo, Rooney couldn't crank the landing gear manually. He landed the plane on its belly in a grass field, and was uninjured.

Rooney scoffed at suggestions from family that he should give up his hobby.

"Sometimes, he gets obsessed with things," Art says. "But when he decides he's going after something, he's going at it full-tilt. Even this flying thing. As he's gotten older, we've said, 'Maybe it's time not to take this so seriously.' But he's bound and determined. He gets his 100 hours of flight time every year."

There was one concession: Rooney promised his family he would stop flying solo.

Yet metaphorically, he's done just that in some regards in the political sense. Rooney was the only NFL owner wearing an Obama pin on his lapel at league meetings.

"Most owners in pro sports are supporters of the Republican party for economic reasons," says longtime agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. "But Dan Rooney is fairly unique. This reflects a great integrity to stand up for his principles."

Even so, Rooney said it was not easy to reconcile differences with Obama. A devout Catholic, Rooney is staunchly anti-abortion. It fueled the most intense criticism, he says, of his endorsement of Obama.

"I did not support him on that issue," Rooney said. "People really came after me on it. … But I don't think I lost my integrity over this. This was not about a single issue."

On an overwhelming number of issues, Rooney solidly agreed with Obama.

Another difference: "He told me he was a Bears fan," Rooney says. "Now that's an honest guy."

Rooney has allowed himself to dream a bit further. He realizes the irony that with a victory against the Arizona Cardinals on Feb. 1, the Steelers could become the first Super Bowl champions to visit the White House during the Obama administration.

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"Yeah, I've thought about that," Rooney said. "That would be a great time."

It would also mark a full-circle measure of Rooney's fate.