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Former President Barack Obama on Thursday remembered Dan Rooney as a great friend of mine, but more importantly, he was a great friend to the people of Pittsburgh, a model citizen, and someone who represented the United States with dignity and grace on the world stage.

The relationship between Mr. Rooney and Mr. Obama began late on a cold January night in 2008 when Mr. Rooney a lifelong Republican saw Mr. Obama deliver a speech following his victory in the Iowa caucuses.

This is the greatest speech Ive seen since John Kennedy, Mr. Rooney told his son, Jim, in a midnight phone conversation. He convinced me that this is more than just a good politician. I want to stand up and say something for this guy. I want to be involved in this.

Mr. Rooney would go on to publicly endorse Mr. Obama after meeting him during an April event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Six months later, barely a week before the election, Mr. Rooney introduced the candidate at a packed rally in Civic Arena.

Shortly after being inaugurated as president on St. Patricks Day, no less Mr. Obama showed his appreciation to his newfound friend by tapping Mr. Rooney as U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

Despite his lack of political experience, few questioned Mr. Rooneys qualifications for the job. His family came from the Northern Ireland border town of Newry, and he had long been an advocate of Irish cause. In 1976, he and Tony OReilly, then president and CEO of H.J. Heinz Co., co-founded The American Ireland Fund, raising hundreds of millions of dollars to further peace efforts and other charitable Irish causes. Mr. Rooney and his wife, Patricia, also created the annual Rooney Prize for Irish Literature to recognize young Irish writers.

Mr. Rooneys Senate confirmation was a mere formality.

Anybody who would vote against Dan Rooney for ambassador will do so at their peril, said Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., before the meeting. The sooner theres an Ambassador Rooney in Dublin, the better off well be. ... Hes not a political appointee.

Confirmed in July 2009, Mr. Rooney tackled the job with enthusiasm, becoming the first U.S. ambassador to visit all 32 counties in Ireland, including the North, with his wife, Patricia, by his side. He held a town hall meeting during each visit, and in May 2011 accompanied Mr. Obama during the presidents visit to Dublin.

Upon leaving the foreign service office in 2012, Mr. Rooney called the time in Ireland a tremendous experience.

I have had a lifelong commitment to advancing the relationship between the American and Irish people and building peace on this beautiful island, but came unexpectedly into politics and diplomacy, Mr. Rooney wrote in an op-ed piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Ours is not a foreign relationship between two countries; our relationship is a shared kinship between two great peoples.

I knew hed do a wonderful job, Mr. Obama said in his remembrance Thursday. But naturally, he surpassed my high expectations, and I know the people of Ireland think fondly of him today. And I know the people of Pittsburgh, who loved him not only for the Super Bowl championships he brought as the owner of the Steelers, but for his generosity of spirit, mourn his passing today.

Michelle and I offer our condolences to the Rooney family, some of the most gracious and thoughtful people we know even as we celebrate the life of Dan Rooney: a championship-caliber good man.

Dan Majors: dmajors@post-gazette.com.

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Obama remembers lifelong Republican Dan Rooney - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette