There have been many books written about the Steelers and I own a few of them so I'm in a good position to provide an opinion, albeit not a definitive one.
Without a doubt, top of any Steeler fan's list should be our own Dan Rooney's "My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL."
This is an awesome book. I wrote the following review for Amazon.com in 2008:
"One of the best books written about the Pittsburgh Steelers, which may appear to be obvious as it is written by the team's chairman, but Mr. Rooney excels at capturing the relevant milestones in Pro Football history.
Mr. Rooney's book tells the fascinating story of the Steelers from their early "Pirate" days up to the interviewing of present coach Mike Tomlin. Although Mr. Rooney concentrates on his beloved Steelers, the book also contains an unique insight into the early days of the NFL and it's expansion into the sporting goliath that it is now become.
Rarely will the reader find so many interesting stories about Pro Football in one book. The history of Pro Football from those distant days, when it competed against America's national sport baseball, is compellingly interwoven with Mr. Rooney's account of his family and the Steelers.
The stories are not always told through rose tinted glasses and it is quite obvious there is no love lost between Oakland's owner Al Davies and it all makes for absorbing reading.
Mr. Rooney pays tribute to Steelers' co-owner Bert Bell, who became the NFL's commissioner in 1946, and his efforts to expand the NFL with teams from the AAFC and the introduction of the draft
Many player anecdotes spring from the pages and Bobby Layne is highlighted as a Steelers quarterback that "did whatever it took to win." Mr. Rooney writes engagingly of his father's soft spot for genuine characters such as Layne.
To sum up - this book is a must for any Steelers fan as it provides a superb background to the Rooney family and the emergence of Pittsburgh's football team into one of America's top sports franchises. "
I was very lucky to be in Pittsburgh when the book was launched during the team's 75th celebrations. If you don't go out and buy it, then you obviously don't find reading a joy.
My second choice would be "Last Team Standing," by Matthew Algeo.
During the second World War, the NFL found the going tough to field enough players each week during the football season. This book tells the unique story of when the Steelers merged with the Eagles form Phil-Pitt or the Steagles as they were better known.
Surprisingly, my third choice is Dale Grdnic's "Glory Days." It is a great book that features the Steelers' greatest games while weaving fan tales around those games, so why do I say surprisingly?
It includes a few pages on me and puts a smile on my face every time I think of my colleague Dan who was impressed because, "I don't know anyone who's been featured in a book." He thinks I'm a superstar - bless him.
Don't let that put you off the book. Me, not Dan.
And then we have those treasured books written by Pittsburgh's best known author Jim O'Brien>>>
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