Images(3)

Portrait of Chuck Noll

Object number2017.65.16

Artist Dennis Karchner

MediumInk; Canvas

Credit LineGift of Arthur Joseph Rooney, Jr.

DescriptionPrinted portrait on rectangular white canvas. Bust portrait of older male in three-quarter view facing proper right, gaze is towards the viewer. Figure has short gray hair and wears black suit jacket with beige collared shirt. Background is lighter brown and gray around figure’s head, fades to dark gray and black, and is framed with a yellow border. Black margins with figure’s name in gold at bottom center. Reverse of canvas is white and undecorated.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 13.875 × 9.875 × 0.031 in. (35.2 × 25.1 × 0.1 cm)
InscriptionsGold text at center of bottom margin “Chuck Noll”.
Historical NotesMore than 30 years ago, Art Rooney, Jr. and his wife Kay visited the Circle Art Gallery in San Diego, California. By the time they left, a new passion had been born. Unable to buy a seascape that had sold while they shopped, Rooney purchased a portrait instead. Painted by Merv Corning, the work featured Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Isaac Curtis, a player Rooney admired. Over the next several years Rooney returned to the gallery while in San Diego on scouting trips or at Steelers’ games and bought more of Corning’s art. Eventually Corning called him, beginning a friendship and artistic partnership that lasted until the artist passed away in 2006. Rooney gradually transitioned from a buyer of art, to commissioning specific pieces. He began to collect what he knew and loved – paintings that depicted members of the great Steelers’ teams of the 1970s. Rooney had scouted many of these players and had come to know and respect them as athletes, but also as men. Over time Art Rooney’s collection has broadened to include pieces by two other artists and to represent his life, his work, and the special relationships he developed through football Merv Corning drew a picture of a school bus for his mother after his first day of school, inaugurating a long, successful art career. He joined the merchant marines at age 17, then worked as an illustrator and later as an art director for an advertising agency. Some of his early subjects and work were focused on aviation and automobiles. The NFL first hired him in 1966-67, the relationship would last more than 30 years, with Merv contracted as the League’s official Super Bowl artist in 1977. He liked to capture the game as it could be seen up close – with realism and some subtle drama.Label TextWhen the Rooney’s’ hired Chuck Noll in 1969, it changed the culture and the destiny of the team. The architect of four Super Bowl victories, Noll spent 23 years as head coach. He took the team from 1 – 13 his first season to perennial winners. Art Rooney, Jr. worked closely with Noll and his assistant coaches to identify and draft the players needed for a successful program. Their strategy brought quick results – the Steelers won the AFC Central championship in 1972, then dominated the decade

Related person Charles Henry Noll (1932 - 2014)

Collector Arthur Joseph Rooney Jr.

Related institution Pittsburgh Steelers

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