ON THE SIDELINES : Gridder James Rooney Dies at 85
James P. Rooney, the brother of the late Art Rooney and a former University of Pittsburgh football star, died today after a lengthy illness. He was 85.
Considered one of the Rooney family’s most outstanding athletes, James Rooney lettered at Pitt in 1926, 1928 and 1929. A running back, he also was one of the nation’s leading punters.
James Rooney later was elected a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature. Art Rooney died in 1987.
A funeral Mass will be held in St. Paul’s Monastery on Wednesday. Burial will follow in Pittsburgh’s Northside Catholic Cemetery.
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