Dan Rooney is not sure when he became a quarterback.

The starting quarterback at Shady Side Academy said he thinks it might have happened in third grade, when he was "always throwing the football around at recess."

Wrong. Rooney became a quarterback the day he was born, Christmas Day, 1989.

A boy born into the Rooney family of Pittsburgh is a boy born to play football ... and quarterback. They learn to crawl, walk, talk ... and then put their hands under center.

Rooney's grandfather, Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, was a standout quarterback at North Catholic, once making second-team All-Pittsburgh Catholic League behind a kid named Johnny Unitas of St. Justin.

Dan Rooney had four sons who all played high school football, and three of them were quarterbacks.

One of the sons, Art Rooney II, has three daughters -- and one boy, Dan.

The kid who has been a Steelers ballboy since junior high is one of the reasons Shady Side Academy is having a ball this season. Dan Rooney, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound senior, has helped Shady Side Academy to a 9-1 record.

Tonight, young Dan Rooney will be on the same field as a quarterback some scouting services rate the No. 1 college prospect in the country. Shady Side Academy plays powerful Jeannette (10-0) and star quarterback Terrelle Pryor in a WPIAL Class AA quarterfinal at Penn-Trafford's Warrior Stadium.

"It's exciting to go against a great team like this, just to see how you match up," Rooney said.

Pryor has some gaudy statistics -- 22.5 yards per pass completion and 15.2 yards per rush. Shady Side Academy does not throw much, as Rooney has attempted 74 passes (7.4 a game) and completed 37 for 668 yards and six touchdowns. He also has rushed for 206 yards on 39 attempts.

Ben Roethlisberger attended Shady Side Academy's first-round playoff victory against South Fayette and returned with a report for the elder Dan Rooney. The grandson was 3 for 8 in the game.

"Ben told me, 'I know he can throw, but they never let him throw,' " the Steelers boss said, with a laugh.

But ask Shady Side Academy coach Dave Havern for reasons this team has tied for the third-most victories at the school since it joined the WPIAL in 1994, and he will tell you Rooney is at the top of the list.

"I know his stats are not what he thought, but he says, 'Coach, I don't care as long as we win,' " Havern said. "I tell him, 'Look where this team has come from with you.' "

Dan Rooney became the starting quarterback as a sophomore, and Shady Side Academy was 3-6 that year. The Indians were 5-5 last year, but Rooney missed much of the season with a shoulder injury.

"The right word to use with him is efficient," Havern said. "He's won games with his arm, his legs and his head. Those three things make for a pretty good package."

Heredity and a football upbringing help, too. Art Rooney II played quarterback at Gilmour Academy in Ohio. The son laughed when asked about his father's ability, saying, "He claims he was pretty good, but they don't have any tape from back then, so you don't know."

Two of Dan Rooney's other sons also played quarterback in high school -- John at Shady Side Academy and Dan at Trinity Pawling in upstate New York. The only son who was not a quarterback was Jim, who also played at Gilmour.

"I would say some of them became quarterbacks because they were associated with the Steelers' team so much and around the team so much," said the elder Dan Rooney. "They just got to know the game. I know when I went into North Catholic as a freshman, I knew more about the game than anyone else because I had been around it."

Rooney the grandfather likes to talk about his successful North Catholic days -- he graduated in 1950 -- and laughs about the Unitas kid who went on to become an NFL legend .

"We beat Central Catholic that year for the Catholic championship," Dan Rooney said. "A lot of people said, 'How in the world can this [Unitas] kid from St. Justin beat you out for first-team?' After time, I think we all found out it was legitimate."

The younger Dan Rooney and his family live in Squirrel Hill. He came close to going to Central Catholic ("I wanted him to go to Central Catholic," the grandfather said) but decided on Shady Side, where he also starts on the basketball team.

The kid doesn't think his name burdened him with high expectations.

"I'm probably my harshest critic," he said.

Along with his father.

"He gives me his opinion," the son said, with a laugh. "He'll point out when he doesn't like something."

Rooney's father and grandfather attend many of Shady Side's games. They are seen but not heard.

"They're very supportive, but they're hands off with football, and it's been that way since the day Dan walked in here," Havern said.

Dan Rooney plans to play football in college. He does not have any scholarship offers yet but has visited Holy Cross, Dartmouth and William & Mary, NCAA Division I-AA schools who all are interested in him. Havern believes he could play quarterback or defensive back in college.

When asked if he would someday like to work with the Steelers in that capacity, Dan said, "That's tough to say. We don't really look down that road yet."

The Rooneys are enjoying the moment. It has been a great fall for the Steelers ... and Shady Side Academy.

"When we play games on the road, he gets some abuse from people just because of his name," Havern said. "But I've never seen him say anything back. He's handled everything with class, just like you would expect from the Rooneys.

"I know they don't need any adulation from me, but they're good people. I'm a devout fly fisherman, and they're the kind of people you'd like to take fishing with you. We need more Rooneys around Pittsburgh."