World / Dan Rooney Obama Names Steelers Owner Ambassador to Ireland By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Mar 17, 2009 1:12 PM CDT Copied In this April 14, 2008, file photo, then-Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, walks with Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney. (AP Photo) President Barack Obama has tapped Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, to be US ambassador to Ireland. Rooney, 76, is a lifelong Republican who endorsed Obama during Pennsylvania's contentious Democratic primary and campaigned for him ahead of the general election. A good year continues for Rooney, whose team beat the Arizona Cardinals in February for its sixth Super Bowl title. (More Dan Rooney stories.) Report an error