Mount St. Mary's University broke ground this week on a 28,000-square-foot athletic performance center inside its PNC Sports Complex in Emmitsburg, Maryland, funded in large part by a $6 million gift from the family behind one of the NFL's most storied franchises. The Rooney family, longtime owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers, made the donation in honor of twin brothers John J. Rooney and Patrick J. Rooney, both 1960 graduates of the university.
The groundbreaking took place on September 2, according to The Baltimore Sun, which reported that the $6 million gift came from John J. Rooney, Patrick J. Rooney, and their wives JoAnn Rooney and Sandra Rooney back in June 2019. The total project is now budgeted at $10 million, according to Mount St. Mary's University Athletics. University president Gerard J. Joyce said, per the Sun's reporting, that the athletic center would have required a couple more years of fundraising without the Rooney family's support.
Athletic Director Brad Davis described the family's contribution as a game-changer, according to the same report. The new facility will include four multi-use courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis, a 4,300-square-foot strength and conditioning space open to the entire campus community, and dedicated space for a sports medicine program. University officials say the strength and conditioning center and sports medicine station could open as early as fall 2027.
A Track and Field Legacy Behind the Name
Both Rooney brothers were athletes at Mount St. Mary's. John Rooney captained the school's track and field team as a senior, competing in hurdles, high jump and pole vault, while Patrick J. Rooney captained the tennis team — though one Sun anecdote notes he once threw a tennis racket that got caught in a tree, costing him a match by forfeit. Patrick Rooney worked at a copper mill in Pittsburgh after college and, according to the Sun, maintained friendships from his Mount St. Mary's days until his death on October 29, 2023. John Rooney died on December 26, 2022, and had six children.
Alice Mahoney, John Rooney's daughter and a 1986 graduate of the university, told the Sun that the Rooney family names on the new athletic center honor her father and uncle. She said John Rooney encouraged her to enjoy her time at the school, and her own wedding drew 36 guests who had also attended Mount St. Mary's — a reflection of just how deep the family's ties to the campus run. Sandra Rooney, who was married to Patrick J. Rooney for 63 years, said the brothers gave to the university because of their love for the school. Other Mahoney family members also have degrees from the Mount, including Alice Mahoney's husband Sean Mahoney, who graduated in 1986, and their son Sean Mahoney, who graduated in 2009, Gerard Mahoney (1956), and James Mahoney (1952).
Once the new performance center opens, Mount St. Mary's track and field program — which has 120 student-athletes — will move into the existing Dillon Field House. That building will become a dedicated indoor practice facility for the track and field teams, receiving a resurfaced floor and new pits. Dillon's former weight room will be converted into a locker room for the baseball program, while its current sports medicine space will become a locker room for softball.
From NFL Ownership to Family Racetracks
The Rooney brothers' philanthropy followed a significant shift in their business lives. John Rooney sold half of his original 16% stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, while Patrick Rooney sold his shares outright in 2009; NFL bylaws prohibited team owners from holding financial interests in gambling and racetrack ventures, according to TribLIVE. John Rooney's sale was part of a family restructuring that consolidated franchise control under Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II, according to Steelers Depot, which relayed Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporting following John Rooney's death. He retained a 1% minority stake until 2015. After stepping back from the NFL franchise, the brothers concentrated on family enterprise operations, including Florida's Palm Beach Kennel Club, per TribLIVE.
Part of a Larger Campus Building Boom
Part of a Larger Campus Building Boom Mount St. Mary's $50 million “Our Mission, Our Moment, Our Mount” capital campaign also funds a new School of Health Professions and STEM facility upgrades across campus. The performance center itself follows an earlier phase of athletic expansion: the university dedicated six new tennis courts, opened in 2023, a project tied to Patrick Rooney's history as the school's tennis team captain.
The construction push has continued elsewhere on campus. Mount St. Mary's also broke ground in June on a separate Bolte Rugby Clubhouse on Echo Field, supporting a men's rugby program that won a national championship in May 2023, according to Mount St. Mary's University Athletics.
Fitting a Division I Move
The new facilities arrive as Mount St. Mary's continues adjusting to life in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which the school joined on July 1, 2022, after 33 years competing in the Northeast Conference, according to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The university supports 24 varsity Division I sports teams with more than 600 student-athletes who will eventually have access to the expanded facilities. Mount St. Mary's is in Emmitsburg, Maryland. University officials say the completed athletic center will elevate opportunities for student-athletes and the entire campus community alike.
The article also addresses athletics financial data in connection with Division I and Division II institutions.
For Steelers fans in Baltimore, the connection carries an extra layer of local color: the Pittsburgh Steelers visit M&T Bank Stadium annually every fall to face the Ravens, meaning a franchise once co-owned by the Rooney twins already has a regular presence in Maryland — even as their family name now takes root permanently on a Catholic university campus a couple hours away.
