Hope-Harvey Football Club
The Hope-Harvey Football Club were an independent semi-professional American football team, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team was founded by Art Rooney, who is best known for being the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League, and is considered to be unofficial beginnings of the modern-day Steelers. The team played at Exposition Park and reportedly had up to 12,000 people in the stands at times.
The team's name was based on two items. The first was a fire-engine house, located in the city's Hope ward, where the team would dress and shower for home games. The second item was based on Dr. Walter Harvey, the physican who tended to injured players. According to Art Rooney, Dr. Walter Harvey never charged the team or players for his services. The team’s uniforms were handmade by the players or members of their families so each one was sewn differently.
The Hope-Harvey team marks the only time that the three Rooney brothers (Art, James and Dan) played football together. It also marked the very beginning of Art J. Rooney’s long-standing career in professional football. Art Rooney also became one of the biggest stars in the Pittsburgh sandlot football circuit as the team's quarterback. Finally, this period stands as the only time when Art Rooney managed, coached and played on a team. Several of the Rooneys players would go onto to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NFL in 1933, such as Mose Kelsch and Ray Kemp.
