Longtime Giants executive Tim Rooney died Tuesday at the age of 84, his family said.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Rooney pᴀssed after a bout with cancer.
Rooney, the son of Steelers founder Art Rooney, joined the Giants in 1985 as director of pro personnel and served in a full-time role until 1999, helping the franchise to Super Bowl wins in 1986 and 1990.
“Tim was an invaluable member of our player personnel department for 14 seasons as our director of pro personnel,” Giants president John Mara said in a press release. “He was an accomplished evaluator. More importantly, he was a great person and colleague. Our thoughts are with Tim’s wife Mary Ann and children and grandchildren and friends, of which there are many.”
Before coming to New York, Rooney served as director of pro personnel for the Steelers from 1972-79, winning three Super Bowls, before a six-season stint with the Lions.
“He was a great guy,” Former Giants coach Bill Parcells told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “When you’re a head coach, you need someone to tell you the truth. Tim was our pro personnel guy, and that was his job. We had daily interaction every day talking about the roster. We had a lot of talks and became close. That enhanced our relationship. He understood me, and I understood him.”
Former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi also spoke highly of Rooney.
“He was a wonderful guy to work with,” Accorsi said, per the Post-Gazette. “I worked with him for six years before I became the GM. As well as we knew each other, he sheepishly walked into my office when I was hired and said, ‘You don’t have to keep me.’ Of course I was going to keep him. But that was him. He just wanted to know he was welcome.”
Rooney kicked off his football career coaching high school in the Pittsburgh area, later joining the coaching staffs of Villanova and Rhode Island University before jumping to the NFL.
