<P> The Steelers , whose history traces to a regional pro team that was established in the early 1920s , joined the NFL as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8 , 1933 , owned by Art Rooney and taking its original name from the baseball team of the same name , as was common practice for NFL teams at the time . To distinguish them from the baseball team , local media took to calling the football team the Rooneymen , an unofficial nickname which persisted for decades after the team adopted its current nickname . The ownership of the Steelers has remained within the Rooney family since its founding . Art 's son , Dan Rooney owned the team from 1988 until his death in 2017 . Much control of the franchise has been given to Dan 's son Art Rooney II . The Steelers enjoy a large , widespread fanbase nicknamed Steeler Nation . The Steelers currently play their home games at Heinz Field on Pittsburgh 's North Side in the North Shore neighborhood , which also hosts the University of Pittsburgh Panthers . Built in 2001 , the stadium replaced Three Rivers Stadium which hosted the Steelers for 31 seasons . Prior to Three Rivers , the Steelers had played their games in Pitt Stadium and Forbes Field . </P>
<P> The Steelers , whose history traces to a regional pro team that was established in the early 1920s , joined the NFL as the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 8 , 1933 , owned by Art Rooney and taking its original name from the baseball team of the same name , as was common practice for NFL teams at the time . To distinguish them from the baseball team , local media took to calling the football team the Rooneymen , an unofficial nickname which persisted for decades after the team adopted its current nickname . The ownership of the Steelers has remained within the Rooney family since its founding . Art 's son , Dan Rooney owned the team from 1988 until his death in 2017 . Much control of the franchise has been given to Dan 's son Art Rooney II . The Steelers enjoy a large , widespread fanbase nicknamed Steeler Nation . The Steelers currently play their home games at Heinz Field on Pittsburgh 's North Side in the North Shore neighborhood , which also hosts the University of Pittsburgh Panthers . Built in 2001 , the stadium replaced Three Rivers Stadium which hosted the Steelers for 31 seasons . Prior to Three Rivers , the Steelers had played their games in Pitt Stadium and Forbes Field . </P>
when did the pittsburgh steelers join the nfl
when did the pittsburgh steelers join the nfl
July 8 , 1933
July 8 , 1933