Steelers Hire Former Penguins CEO David Morehouse

The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired former Pittsburgh Penguins CEO David Morehouse as special advisor to team president Art Rooney II, the team announced on Wednesday.

Morehouse spent 19 years with the Penguins from 2004-22, and was the team’s CEO from 2010-22. He resigned from his position as Penguins CEO in April.

The Steelers’ 2021 media guide lists only Rooney and vice president Art Rooney Jr. among the team’s administrators, so it appears that Morehouse has been hired to a new position. The Steelers said that Morehouse will focus primarily on community and NFL-related initiatives.

“We are excited that David is joining the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Rooney said in a press release. “He was very successful during his tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, guiding them to a championship-caliber team both on the ice and in their community efforts. He will help us in many areas in the Pittsburgh community and Acrisure Stadium, as well as assisting in many NFL initiatives that involve the Pittsburgh Steelers. We are thrilled for David to continue his success with the Steelers.” 

Morehouse is a Pittsburgh native, growing up in the city’s Beechview neighborhood, and is an alumnus of Allegheny County Community College, Duquesne University and Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He worked on four presidential campaigns and was part of the Clinton administration before joining the Penguins in 2004.

“This is an exciting day for me and my family,” Morehouse said. “I have spent my entire life watching and rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the greatest and most respected franchises in all professional sports. During my time with the Penguins, I tried to learn from the Steelers and incorporate many of the things that Art II and his family have done with the team. It was an honor to work for great owners at the Penguins in Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, and now I have a chance to work for Art and the Rooney family. It’s a dream come true for a Pittsburgh kid.”

With the Penguins, Morehouse was a key figure in getting the team’s new arena built in 2010. The Steelers’ Acrisure Stadium lease runs through the end of the 2030 season. Rooney said last month that the Steelers hope to extend the lease with the existing facility.

“We’d love to and we assume we will extend the lease at some point,” Rooney said. “We haven’t quite gotten to that point yet. We still have, I think eight years on the existing lease. At some point, we’ll get into those discussions down the road. …

“I certainly hope that we’re here for longer than that. Obviously, different contracts have different terms and you deal with them as terms expire.”

Rooney also hinted for the first time that he may not be heavily involved in that process. The 69-year-old grandson of the team’s founder has been president since 2003.