On This Date: Art Rooney granted Steelers franchise by NFL

On this date 90 years ago, on May 19, 1933, the National Football League granted the request for an expansion franchise in Pittsburgh to be owned by Art Rooney and the Pittsburgh Professional Football Club was formed as the team that later became the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rooney paid a $2,500 franchise fee to the NFL for the team that is now worth several billion dollars.

Rooney’s request came in anticipation of Pennsylvania repealing its blue laws that prohibited professional sports on Sundays, when the NFL played. The club’s first home was at Forbes Field in Oakland, and as such, was nicknamed the Pirates to match the stadium’s primary tenant.