Dan Rooney returns as Steelers' chairman

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ARLINGTON, Texas, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Dan Rooney said he is returning as chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers, after resigning as U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

"I want to be involved with the team and the organization in any way I can," Rooney, 80, said Sunday before the Steelers' game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. "I would want to become involved again in league matters where I can be helpful."

Rooney, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, resigned from the ambassadorship Friday after serving one term since 2009, a typical procedure in U.S. State Department posts involving non-career employees, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Monday.

The Steelers listed him as "chairman emeritus" in his absence, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.

His son Art Rooney is the Steelers' president.