Prosecutor: Rooney Involved in Betting Ring

A gambling empire did regular business with the late Art Rooney, founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the bets did not involve football, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday.

Rooney’s connection with the operation surfaced during the trial of Paul Hankish, who, the government said, started running a bookmaking operation in Bridgeport, Ohio, in 1957.

U.S. Attorney William A. Kolibash wrote in a statement that an associate of Hankish took out-of-state bets over the telephone “from a Pittsburgh-based group headed by Art Rooney, code-named No. 42.”

“No. 42” placed bets with a Mississippi and Texas bookmaker totaling $100,000 a weekend, the statement said. But the statement mentioned several No. 42s, and it was unclear whether it referred to Rooney.

An associate of Hankish, Norman Farber, said he met Hankish in 1957 after setting up a small-time horse betting operation.

“Mr. Farber had a gambling connection with Mr. Rooney not involving football,” Asst. U.S. Atty. John Reed said. “Mr. Rooney was not betting on Steelers’ games.”

Rooney died Aug. 25, 1988, at 87, after a stroke.

Dan Edwards, a Steeler spokesman, declined comment Wednesday. He said Steeler President Dan Rooney, Art Rooney’s son, also would not comment until he read the government’s statement.