Pittsburgh ? Known for maintaining tradition, Dan Rooney has passed leadership of the Pittsburgh Steelers to his son the same way he became head of the franchise — very quietly.

With little to note the change — except for barely noticeable changes in the team media guide — Dan Rooney named son Art Rooney II as his replacement as president of the Steelers.

“I just thought it was time,” Dan Rooney, 71, said in Tuesday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Art has been involved with a lot of the business of the team. He was very much involved in the building of Heinz Field.”

“I’m still going to be here; it’s not like I’m not going to be here. He’s going to take on more of the tasks and things like that,” said Rooney, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Dan Rooney is now the team’s chairman, a title not used previously by him, and is still listed above his son on the organizational chart. The Steelers haven’t had a chairman since team founder Art Rooney Sr. assumed the title after naming Dan as team president in 1975.

Art Rooney II, 50, who also runs a Pittsburgh law firm, was previously listed as vice president and general counsel. As has always been the case, neither Dan nor Art Rooney II is pictured or has a biography in the media guide.

The low-key transition mirrors the way Rooney Sr. turned over the team to Dan in the mid-1970s.

When the torch was passed, however, Dan Rooney had been guiding the Steelers behind the scenes for about a decade, making big decisions, including hiring coach Chuck Noll in 1969. Noll coached the Steelers to four Super Bowl championships and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, alongside Art Sr. and Dan Rooney.

“I have been much more active than my father was, so it will be a little bit different from that standpoint,” Dan Rooney said. “I’ll still be doing those things.”

Art Rooney II says his father may not be as hands-off.

“He has never said it, but I think my dad’s philosophy always has been, go ahead and make a decision, but if it’s wrong I certainly reserve the right to second-guess you,” he said.

Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II, who started with the team as a ball boy in 1960, say they see little changes in one of the NFL’s most consistent teams.

Dan Rooney will spend as much time in the Steelers’ offices as he always has and he’ll keep his office, next door to his son’s.

Since 1969, the Steelers have had more stadiums (three) than head coaches (two) and, until now, presidents.