Jim Rooney, the youngest son of the late Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, shared a story about Joe Biden that tells all anyone need know about the relationship between the Biden and Rooney families.

“My sister (Joan) passed away from cancer a year ago and, obviously, Joe’s son (Beau) did,” said Rooney, who lives in Ohio Township. “During the campaign, when he had very little time, he called my mother up and talked for about 45 minutes and really shared his experience being a parent losing a child to cancer. It was a really touching moment for my mother, something she will never forget and was very grateful for.”

It should come as no surprise that Joe Biden’s final election eve event was scheduled to take place outside Heinz Field on Monday, where the late Pittsburgh Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney celebrated so many of his football team’s triumphs. Lady Gaga was scheduled to perform at the evening event.

Good morning PENNSYLVANIA! I’m so excited to see you today and SING for you!!!!!!! I believe in ? YOU & I ? !! Let’s talk about what America looks like with a KINDER President. WE NEED EVERY VOTE❤️ I’m with @JoeBiden —Lets go 24 hrs!!!!!! #Biden #AmericaNeedsPennsylvania pic.twitter.com/z0PaEZR5aF

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) November 2, 2020

The Biden campaign reached out to Heinz Field management to arrange pre-rally space for parking, security and catering. While the Steelers are not affiliated with the rally, the Rooney family, which holds controlling ownership of the team, has supported Democratic presidential candidates in recent years.

Dan Rooney, a Republican for most of his life, threw his support to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race. After Obama and Biden won the election, Rooney received an appointment as U.S. ambassador; he served in Ireland, where he had decades of experience in peace efforts and development. However, the Rooney family’s relationship with Biden goes back further than that.

“Joe Biden and my grandfather (Art Rooney) had a friendship. I actually met Joe Biden when I was in high school at an event in Washington, D.C., when Joe Biden was a senator. He came up to my grandfather and gave him a big hug, and I remember he put his hand on my shoulder and he said, ‘Kid, you come from good blood,’ ” Jim Rooney said.

I’m down (dahn) here at Heinz Field for tonight’s Biden rally featuring Lady Gaga. pic.twitter.com/FfBducGF2K

— Kristina Serafini (@KristinaS_Trib) November 2, 2020

He remembers a meeting between Dan Rooney and Barack Obama on the roof of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center during a spring 2008 campaign stop.

“They were up there for about 45 minutes to an hour, and I think that’s what really built this relationship. I remember specifically they talked about Ireland and they talked about the Rooney Rule,” said Jim Rooney, referring to the NFL’s policy to promote diversity in coaches.

“And then you get to the fall and Joe Biden was in Pittsburgh often. One day in Greensburg he told the story of how touched he was by my grandfather reaching out to him” when he was in need — following the 1972 car accident that killed Biden’s first wife and 13-month-old daughter. “It was such an emotional moment. And I remember him going on stage and repeating the story, and I’m in tears knowing what he’s about to say.”

When Biden became vice president, Rooney recalled attending St. Patrick’s Day breakfasts at the vice president’s residence with his father.

“All the Irish in Washington would get to go to that breakfast, and Vice President Biden would always talk about my father’s service to Ireland and how important it was,” said Jim Rooney. “He would always greet us with a big hug, and we would get to hang out and tell a whole lot of Irish family stories.” Biden’s family heritage is largely Irish, and he grew up in an Irish neighborhood in Scranton.

Rooney said each year that his father was the ambassador, the U.S. House of Representatives would hold a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon for the Irish prime minister.

“One year, President Obama said to Dad, ‘Are you going to ride in the car with me?’ which is a huge honor,” Jim Rooney said. “And my Dad says, ‘Well, I’m not invited to the lunch.’ And Joe Biden jumps in and says, ‘What do you mean you’re not invited?’ and he grabs my dad’s arm and we go over to the vice president’s office in the Old Executive Office Building, and he gets (former House Speaker) John Boehner on the phone and he’s really giving it to John Boehner. ‘How can you not invite Dan Rooney? He’s a very important ambassador.’ So, I always remember that Joe Biden has that loyalty that everyone talks about.”

Loyalty, it turns out, is a two-way street.