Pittsburgh Steelers: Before There Was Latrobe

On the 22nd of August, the Pittsburgh Steelers will break training camp and prepare for their final three pre-season games against the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, and the Carolina Panthers while training at their south side facilities.

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When Mike Tomlin leads his team away from St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on the final day of camp they leave behind a 50 year association with the university that began in part in 1965.

Only the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers have held their camps at just one facility as long or longer (the Vikings have been at Minnesota State University also 50 years, Green Bay at Norbert College for 58 years).

St. Vincent’s College is home to their football team, nicknamed the “Bearcats.” In 2007 their stadium was appropriately renamed to Chuck Noll Field. But from the end of July until the end of August, that field has become a ritual for thousands of Steelers fans to flock to so they can witness their team running drills as well as meeting the players and collecting autographs.

Prior to making St. Vincent’s their Summer home, the Pittsburgh Steelers had held their training camp at 11 different locations since joining the National Football League in 1933. After Art Rooney Sr. bought himself a team 83 years ago, his team first warmed up for the ensuing season at the former Moore Field in Pittsburgh. The team would stay there until 1937 when they relocated to St. Francis College now St. Francis University located in Loretto, Pennsylvania near Johnstown.

Training camp at St. Francis would last just three years before the Steelers moved their location to Hershey, PA. This would remain their home until 1946 with a break in 1943. That year, because of World War II, the Philadelphia Eagles and Steelers joined forces due to a shortage in players due to the war. That team for one season would become known as the “Steagles” and they trained in Philadelphia.

Following the stint in Hershey, Art Rooney Sr. moved his team out of state for one year in 1944 to Waukesha, Wisconsin, just west of Milwaukee. Little history can be found on the Internet as to why the Steelers chose that as a camp but it lasted for just that one year. In 1947, Pittsburgh came back to their home state and settled in at Alliance College in Cambridge Springs.

The school was founded in 1912 and for four years, it became the Black and Gold’s summer home. An interesting fact about Alliance College is that their library has a claim to fame in that they once held the largest collection of Polish literature in North America. 35,000 cataloged periodicals along with 15,000 uncatalogued volumes. These were donated to the University of Pittsburgh in 1991.

Pittsburgh Steelers /

Pittsburgh Steelers

On the move again in 1952, the Steelers opted to go out of state, this time to New York and St. Bonaventure College close to the border of Pennsylvania in western New York. Another six years would pass before Art Rooney Sr. searched for a new training camp home. This time in 1958 it was a Pennsylvania state school that landed the Steelers. California State Teachers College became the site of Steelers training camp which is now known as California University (PA).

Three seasons there and another state school got the honor of hosting players of the Pittsburgh Steelers. This time it was Slippery Rock State College which now is Slippery Rock University. 1961 would be the only year the “Rock” hosted the Steelers as West Liberty College in Wheeling, West Virginia came calling next.

Until the 1963 season had ended, West Liberty remained the location for the Pittsburgh Steelers to hold training camp until yet once again, Art Rooney Sr. took his team away from Pennsylvania this time to Rhode Island. The University of Rhode Island became the Summer’s training camp site for 1964, 1965, and 1966. During training camp in 1965, the Steelers also held practices at their current location in Latrobe and then moved there permanently in 1966 and has been there since.

There was some minor news out of Pittsburgh’s current training camp this weekend as the team added free agent Jordan Dangerfield who was released earlier this year from the team. The safety will take the roster spot of Isaiah Lewis who has been placed on the waived/injured list.

“I’m a Pittsburgher” Jerome Bettis

Saturday belonged to Jerome Bettis as the former Steeler entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Bus was interviewed on the Steelers’ official web site about his time with Pittsburgh in the Steel City. In part, Bettis had this to say about Pittsburgh:

“To play for the Steelers was incredible. It’s not like any other franchise. I played for another franchise, so I do understand. Playing for the Steelers is different. The fan base, they understand football. They also have a love affair with their team, they are willing to sacrifice and do whatever for their team. That is special. They will travel, support, and go through the ups and downs with their team and players. I became a Pittsbugher. That is rare. Most teams you come and are a player and you go. When you come to Pittsburgh, you are a part of that Pittsburgh community. They embraced me early on, before all of the success came. It was a love affair. I can honestly tell you it’s not like any other city in America that has a football team. To now be amongst the greatest players to ever play for the Pittsburgh Steelers is a tremendous honor and I am so grateful. Having played for the Steelers for 10 years you get a true appreciation for what the guys before me were able to accomplish. To be immortalized with them is a special feeling. To have their respect and the respect and love of Pittsburgh it’s special because I’m a Pittsburgher.”

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