Rooney-The NFL Draft is going to be about having fun
PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – If there is something that people should take away from Pittsburgh hosting the NFL Draft next year, Steelers president Art Rooney said its enjoyment.
“What is really going to be about is having fun,” Rooney said on the North Shore on Monday. “If you talk to anyone who has been to the Draft recently, the contingency we just had in Green Bay talked about how much fun people were having in Green Bay. This is going to be about how much fun we are going to have in Pittsburgh.”
Rooney said it’s not just about showcasing the city for one weekend, it’s going to be about how much fun it is to live here. How much fun it is to visit here.
The Steelers president spoke as part of the group that unveiled a 20-foot clock that stands in a grassy area across the street from Acrisure Stadium and Stage AE that counts down until draft day. Rooney was joined by the Mayor, County Executive, current and previous, and the staff from Visit Pittsburgh who all had a hand in securing the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
neighborhoods on NFL Countdown Clock
The countdown clock is supported by a steel beam to embrace the city’s past on each side of the clock there are 220 notches that look like rivets. On one side the printed the names of the Western Pennsylvania football programs and the other side are the names of the 90 neighborhoods that make up Pittsburgh.
WPIAL football teams on NFL Draft countdown clock
Mayor Ed Gainey says he expects a new NFL Draft attendance record of a million visitors for that weekend. That got Rooney thinking of the practical aspect of moving around from the UPMC Rooney team headquarters along the Monongahela River to the NFL Draft festivities along with Allegheny and Ohio Rivers.
“I think I’m going to buy a boat,” Rooney said with a wry smile. “I’ve lived in the city with all of these rivers so many years and I’ve never owned a boat. For the Draft, we are going to be down river on the South Side with (GM) Omar (Khan) and crew trying to draft players while everything is happening over here. I think to get here, I’m going to need a boat because there will be so many people around here, I won’t be able to get here.”
people responsible for NFL Draft countdown clock
