INTRODUCTION
The Depression-era NFL barely existed. College football was king. The three-year-old Steelers were called the Pirates, and their owner, Art Rooney, was struggling to keep them afloat as the calendar turned to February, 1936.
"In those days, nobody got wealthy in sports," Rooney said later, as recounted in the book "Rooney."
"You got two thrills. One came Sunday, trying to win the game. The next came Monday, trying to make the payroll."
No single player was going to salvage that situation, but when the "Steelers" stepped to the chalkboard (yes, chalkboard) at the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton to make the first draft pick in franchise history, they chose well.
They chose a bona fide celebrity, a dazzling Notre Dame man who'd thrown the winning pass in the greatest college game ever played. A figure so revered that he appeared in Wheaties ads next to Lou Gehrig and was about to land a movie role.
It would have been fascinating to see how that guy influenced the club's fortunes. But alas, he never played a down.
What became of him?
That, dear friends, is the purpose of our gathering. For now, just know: He moved to a stage far greater than Hollywood or the NFL, where he encountered a living hell.
There is a history in all men's lives. This one is worth a tell ...
(Curtain opens).
