Joe Santoni, 82; Fan Renamed Pittsburgh’s NFL Team
Joe Santoni, 82, who in 1940 submitted the winning entry in a contest to rename the NFL team in Pittsburgh, died Oct. 10 of complications from heart surgery.
An avid sports fan who had worked in the steel mills of Pittsburgh, Santoni followed the NFL team then known as the Pittsburgh Pirates. But the team’s owner, Art Rooney Sr., wanted a new identity to differentiate it from the city’s baseball team, also the Pirates.
Santoni submitted the name Steelers and owner Rooney liked it.
Santoni was given season tickets for a year and remained a season ticket holder until shortly before his death, his family said.
He lived in Charleroi, Pa., and for decades owned Santoni’s Restaurant, which was decorated with Steelers photos.
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